Pouring liquid nitrogen into a dirty container - GIF

**Altair** · Sep 4, 2021, 01:02 PM

Pouring liquid nitrogen into a dirty container.

Previously:

Cryogenic machining - GIF and video
Cooling a concrete truck with liquid nitrogen - GIF
Shrink fitting a large tapered bearing - GIF

**Ralphxyz** · Sep 4, 2021, 07:25 PM

Fascinating!

Ralph

**odd one** · Sep 4, 2021, 08:52 PM

Used to use liquid nitrogen every day at work. All kinds of fun uses, not to mention the entertainment factor. It is great at dusting the floors. Splash it across the room and it all gathers up on the other side. Killed a wasp in mid flight once just by how rapidly the air temp around it dropped when I tossed a cup full up at it. It actually takes a really long time for a small orange to freeze all the way through (several minutes). Good times....

**nova_robotics** · Sep 4, 2021, 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by odd one

Used to use liquid nitrogen every day at work. All kinds of fun uses, not to mention the entertainment factor. It is great at dusting the floors. Splash it across the room and it all gathers up on the other side. Killed a wasp in mid flight once just by how rapidly the air temp around it dropped when I tossed a cup full up at it. It actually takes a really long time for a small orange to freeze all the way through (several minutes). Good times....

Your work sounds insanely fun. No I do not ever want to go there.

**hemmjo** · Sep 5, 2021, 05:48 AM

I am curious, what kind of dirt that was?

**odd one** · Sep 5, 2021, 06:48 AM

It was fun. Used to be in the optics industry building IR optical assemblies. Because we were measuring heat, the equipment has to be cooled down. When running measurement scans on lens assemblies, there can be quite a bit of wait time. The mind naturally wanders. That is when the true learning and discovery happens....when the boss is away of course.

**wesser1** · Jun 11, 2024, 10:00 AM

Grew up near a helium mine ("well", maybe?) and they used to come to my middle school and do demonstrations. The man doing the demonstrations was the father of a classmate and he would bring him up on stage to assist. Witnessed a frozen banana drive a nail into a board, a frozen inflated balloon shrivel up into a raisin and then come back to life, a sponge ball bounce and then shatter when thrown down after a liquid nitrogen bath. But the most impressive feat of all was after all this he would pour the liquid nitrogen over his son's outstretched palm without causing harm. Explained that the nitrogen evaporating from the heat of his hand formed a vapor barrier that the liquid flowed over as they both fell to the floor. Also explained that if the hand was stuck into the liquid nitrogen then the hand would be frozen instantaneously. I wouldn't advise doing either and have probably forgotten some trick to the hand pouring trick in the 50 years since this demo, so DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!