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Thermodynamics of Popcorn
Michael Bachmann, Tony Ghaly, Kathlyn Herrick, Sean Rodney Ireland, Brian Lewis, Mohit Moondra, Neel Patel, Evan Rosenman, Juliet Savits
Advisor: Paul Victor Quinn Sr. Assistant: Evan Kimberly
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History of Popcorn
• New Mexico’s Bat Cave
• Aztecs• The Great Depression• Movie Theaters
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Why Fluffier Popcorn?• The demand for corn is skyrocketing
– Biofuel consumes about 1/4 of corn crop
– Price has risen from ≈$2.40 to over $3.30– Tortilla prices in Mexico have doubled
• Efficient popcorn is paramount– 40% rise in popcorn prices from 2006 to 2007
S
D
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Why Fluffier Popcorn? (cont’d)
• 30% of popcorn is consumed outside the home
– About 5 BILLION quarts at films, stadiums, etc.– Prepopped popcorn is also popular in the home
• Economies of scale are possible– A 10-15% efficiency rise could
mean big profit rise for 36 oz. popper– High market value of popcorn would
offset the cost of vacuum• Few cents of corn pop a $5 dollar bucket
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Thermodynamics
• Ideal Gas
PV=nRT
• Adiabatic ProcessP1V1
γ= P2V2γ
• .
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Goals
• Increase size of popped kernels (π)
• Increase volume per mass (σ)
• Decrease number of unpopped kernels (ω)
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Microwave Apparatus
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Microwave ApparatusProcedure
• 10 g. bag samples in microwave chamber
• Vacuum pump reduces pressure
• Pop for 2 minutes 15 seconds
• Measure volume and calculate σ, π, ω
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Expansion Volume (σ) vs. Pressure
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Flake Size (π) vs. Pressure
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Waste Percentage (ω) vs. Pressure
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Pressure (in. Hg less than atmospheric pressure)
ω (
kern
els
un
po
pp
ed/t
ota
l ker
nel
s) y= 0.534exp(-0.276x)+0.101RMSE = .0379
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Variables Affecting Microwave
• Age of popcorn kernels
• Limitations of bags
• Lifetime of microwave
• Inconsistency with timing
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Movie Maker Apparatus
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Movie Maker ApparatusProcedure
• 85 g. samples
• Vacuum pump lowers pressure
• Release vacuum after popping
• Measure volume and calculate σ, π, ω
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Expansion Volume (σ) vs. Pressure
y = 0.3001x + 38.177
R2 = 0.9928
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
0 5 10 15 20 25
Pressure (in. Hg less than atmospheric pressure)
σ(m
L/g
ram
)
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Flake Size (π) vs. Pressure
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The Popcorn Pot
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Popcorn Pot Procedure
• Pre-heat 20 minutes• 20 g. samples• Vacuum pump lowers pressure• Periodically shake pot• Release vacuum and turn off heat• Measure volume and calculate σ, π, ω
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Expansion Volume (σ) vs. Pressure
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Flake Size (π) vs. Pressure
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Waste Percentage (ω) vs. Pressure
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Expansion Volume (σ) Comparison
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Microwave Movie Maker Popcorn Pot
σ (
mL
/g)
Atmospheric Pressure
Reduced Pressure
• Decreased pressure increased volume.
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Flake Size (π) Comparison
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Microwave Movie Maker Popcorn Pot
π (
mL
/nu
mb
er o
f fl
akes
)
Atmospheric Pressure
Reduced Pressure
• Decreased pressure increased individual flake size.
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Percent Waste (ω) Comparison
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Microwave Movie Maker Popcorn Pot
ω (
Per
cen
tag
e)
Atmospheric Pressure
Reduced Pressure
• Decreased pressure decreased percent waste for microwave and popcorn pot.
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Conclusions
• Decreased pressure resulted in increased volume
• Microwave best demonstrated theory
• Movie Maker is most practical application
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