Dewar vessel: from the 19th century to the present

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

James Dewar (1842-1923) was a Scottish physicist and chemist living in London. During his life, he managed to win many prizes and medals, make an incredible number of discoveries, many of which played an important role in the development of the exact sciences. Among his achievements in physics, notable is his contribution to the study of the conservation of temperature with the help of a device he created, which is called the "Dewar vessel". This unit is designed to store various substances at elevated or low temperatures.

History of Creation

The Dewar is an upgraded version of a device that was developed by the German scientist Weinhold. However, it has significant differences. Weinhold's invention was in the form of a double-walled glass box, and Dewar significantly changed this design. By analogy with the box, its device was also double-walled, a vacuum was created between the walls of this device, and they weresilver-plated, and in order to reduce the evaporation of liquid, the throat of the device was narrowed.

Application

Today, the production of Dewar vessels has reached an industrial scale, since they are used everywhere not only in various industries, but also in everyday life. Few people know that the thermos is also a Dewar vessel. As far as industry is concerned, Dewar vessels for liquid nitrogen and other cryo-liquids are most often used here. Also, this device is often used in veterinary medicine and medicine to store various biological materials.

Because different types of vessel have different purposes, they are used in different ways, although in all cases, before placing the contents in the vessel, it is necessary to bring it to the appropriate temperature, i.e. heat or cool. The temperature of the substance that is inside the device is maintained due to two factors: thermal insulation and processes occurring with it.

Thermos

The most famous and popular type of Dewar vessel is a thermos. At the beginning of the 20th century, Reynold Burger slightly modified this device to make it suitable for domestic use. The glass flask was placed in a metal case, thereby making it safer and more durable, and the cap that was installed on the Dewar vessel was replaced with a stopper and a lid.

Initially, the inventor expected that such a device would be used to store food, but as a result, the thermos became popular precisely because it couldkeep the temperature of drinks for a long time. September 30, 1903 can be considered the birthday of the thermos, since it was on this day that Burger received a patent for his invention and began production.

Though the story doesn't end there. Dewar, who learned that an upgraded version of his device was a commercial success and helped Burger make a decent living, filed a lawsuit. But since his device was not patented, the court did not satisfy his claims.

The Dewar vessel, invented by a Scottish scientist, gained wide popularity almost immediately after its birth and does not lose it to this day. It is widely used both in industry and in everyday life, making it one of the most important inventions of the 19th century.