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I have a salt cellar that operates by grinding the larger crystals as you rotate the upper part of the device. Seldom does a reliable stream of salt emerge, as the holes inevitably become clogged with deposited clusters of damp salt.
Being hygroscopic, the salt cannot resist absorbing dampness from
the surroundings. The solution is therefore to provide a small heating element in the device that delivers the tiny amount of energy required to ensure the holes always remain free and open orifices, allowing the salt to issue forth in an uninterrupted flow in response to the required grinding action.
Radioisotope thermoelectric generator
https://en.wikipedi...oelectric_generator
Primitive in the extreme. But reliable... [8th of 7, Nov 12 2018]
[link]
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I'm not completely sure that the energy required would be
tiny. |
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If you're looking to keep the salt perpetually warm, I'm
guessing that's a watt or two of constant power. That's
going to drain a manageable battery in a few hours.
Alternatively, if you're looking at an on-demand heat-and-
dry, you're probably looking at a few tens of watts for
maybe a minute; in that case, a manageable battery will be
good for a few tens of uses, which may be viable. |
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Perhaps a better alternative is to include a little sodium
aluminosilicate in the salt. Sodium aluminosilicate is
already present as an anti-caking agent in pre-ground table
salt, so it might work with larger, grindable salt crystals. |
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A further alternative is to make the salt grinder airtight,
with a sealable, removable cover on the base, to keep
moisture out. |
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Another (better) approach might be for the salt cellar to have a small hatch in the side where a silica gel sachet (such as is included in the packaging of new electronics) could be inserted. This would absorb moisture from the salt and swapped with a fresh silica gel sachet when necessary. |
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OK - the stair carpet *is* looking a bit dirty |
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A common trick on boats and seaside homes is to
but some dry reice in the salt shaker. (Not sure
that doing the same in a grinder), The humidity
goes to the rice in preference to the salt. |
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Salt with ricin ? Sounds a bit dangerous ... |
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There are rechargeable grinders available for the person
who has nearly everything. I bet these run warm, allowing
the salt to flow freely. |
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How about a parallel chamber connected to the salt reservoir
by air. This should be filled with a MORE hygroscopic material
like sodium hydroxide. Water will associate much more
readily with the NaOH forming a sort of gummy alkaline slurry
over time. This will have to be replaced occasionally, and it's
likely to be a fiddly job more suited to the small fingers of any
Child Resources that happen to be about. |
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It can be parked when not in use on a docking station that's mains operated, and delivers power to the low level heating elements. I'm not keen on silica gels etc as solutions. I want a rediculous halfbaked gadget. |
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One could conceivable have a saltshaker, storing both Sodium (andor Potassium for the diet-conscious) and Chlorine, separately : combine to taste. |
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Ooooh, you should post that, [FT] ... |
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If you sprayed metallic sodium into a mixer nozzle where it met chlorine gas, not only would it season the food, but cook it at the same time. |
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Is it filled with sea salt? |
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Sea salt has a natural affinity for water. |
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Try filling it with rock salt instead. |
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Isn't rock salt just sea salt that hasn't been in the sea as
recently? |
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Rock salt is usually purer; sea salt contains a lot of other salts
besides NaCl, some of which are probably more hygroscopic. |
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I suppose if your cellar were fashioned from U-238
there would be enough natural heat to assure free
flow for a lifetime. |
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No, there wouldn't. Uranium isn't used in RTGs for that very reason. |
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You'd need a far more active isotope; Strontium and Plutonium are popular. |
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^ Wrong isotope, my bad. I was thinking 235, said to be
slightly warm to the touch. |
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Not noticeably ... the main impression is of astonishing weight. It goes against intuition that such a small object can be so heavy. |
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HEU is rarely encountered now, anyway. It's expensive to make, and not very useful. |
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Well, you can get magnets that are permanently magnetic,
and electrets that have a permanent electric charge. What
we need is to find a thermet - a material that can be
permanently hot. |
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Actually, how much power is available from stray radio waves
in the average household? You could have a sort of crystal set
salt cellar. |
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// how much power is available from stray radio waves in the average household? // |
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Microwatts, unless you have a leaky microwave oven. Typically, the most powerful devices - intentional radiators like CB radios - only emit a few watts, and to get heating effects you need to be in the near field region. |
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Ham radios are an exception, but they're not commonplace. |
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// You could have a sort of crystal set salt cellar. // |
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Haha. No; you need a semiconductor junction, and sodium chloride won't provide that. |
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//Ham radios are an exception// Well, it seems to me that if
someone has devised a radio capable of cooking ham, it ought
to be able to keep a salt cellar warm. |
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//Ham radio// or //radio capable of cooking ham,// |
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Or "microwave" as everyone else calls it. |
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