Shampoo formulation puzzle solved

Shampoo formulation puzzle solved

'Their findings show that the dramatic increase in surface tension that affects the production of various pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations is caused by the comprehensive aggregation of active ingredients. They have outlined a way to reload interfaces with functional components simply by tuning the way the materials are handled.'

Finally....something interesting. I was actually in the shop yesterday and wondering what is the difference between these shampoos. Perhaps Kibron's instruments could be of use to figuring out how to disperse the active ingredients so they will stay active when they get to their intended location.

Surface tension exhibition from November to January

Water is delicate and there is a balance of water and understanding water.  Water is life from boating to drinking.  All these different people from scientists to engineers, designers to artists are coming together to talk about water.  Ubercool.  If you are in Dublin near Trinity college check it out!

Links:

http://www.sciencegallery.com/find_us

http://www.sciencegallery.com/surfacetension



Taken from their site:

The future of water is the subject of tension. Water is both disposable and sacred, a muse for artists and a necessity for life – a source of healing and of conflict. The Earth has abundant water, but only a very small proportion is available for human use. How should this be managed and sustained, and what would a water-scarce future look like?

SURFACE TENSION brings together work by artists, designers, engineers and scientists to explore the future of water, playing on its physical properties, its role in politics and economics, and ways in which it may be harnessed, cleaned, and distributed.

Ink research be awesome....

Reading Fast Company.... and found this from Montblanc pens.  I got a pen for my birthday and it be awesome. Understanding the essence of surface tension is radical


Montblanc Generative Artworks from onformative on Vimeo.



http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665550/montblanc-taps-generative-artists-to-help-push-15000-pens

Wet water, fire fighting foams....Firefighters user surface tension

My Father occasionally fought fires at a his work.  They had to fight the fires to protect the refinery.  The workers had to do it because the fire department which was just up the hill was not be quick enough or skilled enough to put out huge oil fires.  It got me thinking about the firefighting of different fires.  Is water is always the best substance to use on a particular fire?

The answer is 'no.'  Many different substances could be used to fight fires depending on the fire. 
"Wet water": Water into which a surface tension reducing agent has been introduced. The resultant mixture, with its reduced surface tension, is more able to penetrate burning product more deeply and extinguish deep-seated fire.  This material reduces the surface tension of plain water (to <33 dynes/centimeter).  Wetting agents like SILV-EX® concentrate improve the efficiency of water in extinguishing fires in combustibles like forest fires and burning tires.  Since refinery fires might involve jet fuel and kerosine another substance called Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) should be used.  The AFFF includes a fluorosurfactant that forms blanket to form across the liquid surface blocking flammable vapors.

Since the mixture of either of the substances above is mixed with air, by means of a discharge device, it produces a foam which is very fluid and can flow easily over liquid surfaces.  It allows the foam to do a couple of things to stop the fire:

1) Excludes air from the flammable vapors.
2) Eliminates vapor release from fuel surface.
3) Separates the flames from the fuel surface.
4) Cools the fuel surface and surrounding metal surfaces.

Firefighting foams have been commercially used since the early 1900’s.   The mixtures which are around 1-6% v/v water can be readily tested with a surface tension device to ensure that the wetting agent is doing its job keeping the refinery and my Father safe.

Example of how a refinery fire can easily break out of control.

Material referenced from : http://www.bfpe.com/pdf/F-99042.pdf