Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2014

Abstract

Our work aims to develop a new koozie with insulating properties that improve upon the current available commercial options. The hot climate of South Carolina, especially during football season, can heat a consumer's beverage to an unenjoyable temperature in a very short period of time. To recreate these hot conditions in a lab setting, our team designed a hot air circulation box with a temperature controller. Our baseline for improvement was established by testing plain cola cans without koozies, cans with basic foam koozies, and cans with more expensive, name brand koozies. Based on these results, we set out to design a new koozie that would outperform those on the current market. Our design focuses on separating the can from the environment by maximizing captured air space between the two. Air is exploited in our design due to its low thermal conductivity, or ability to reduce heat transfer. The material of construction for our koozie is thin wall, flexible PVC tubing wound around in a spiral manner, and then glued together. We are also investigating different diameter tubing to determine the effect differing amounts air space. These results show that our new design has improved insulating properties compared to commercially available koozies while also being aesthetically pleasing.

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