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Vacuum Flask

Materials Engineering

A vacuum flask, also called a Dewar flask or known by the trademark thermos, is an insulating storage vessel that slows the rate at which its contents change temperature by minimizing heat transfer across a near-vacuum gap between two nested chambers. It was invented in 1892 by the Scottish scientist James Dewar during his research into cryogenics, when he built a chamber nested inside another with the air evacuated between them to keep materials at stable low temperatures for his experiments; Dewar deliberately did not patent his invention, which allowed other manufacturers to refine it using glass and aluminum and turn it into both a laboratory tool and an everyday household item.

Facts
YearSourced to the subject's own account
1892 1
SignificanceSourced to the subject's own account
A vacuum flask slows heat transfer through a double-walled, evacuated construction, keeping its contents hot or cold far longer than an ordinary container. 1
Vacuum Flask
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FAQs

If James Dewar invented the vacuum flask, why is it known as a Thermos?

Dewar never patented his 1892 flask; the Thermos company patented and renamed it in 1904.

Dewar built his first vacuum flask in 1892 to hold liquefied gases at very low temperatures during his cryogenic research, and he never patented it. The Thermos company, set up by two German glassblowers, patented it and renamed it for industrial use in 1904, after recognising that it could keep liquids warm as well as cool.
Connections

Associated With

James Dewar, Engineers
Source James Dewar (Grace's Guide)

Invented By

James Dewar, Engineers
Source James Dewar (Grace's Guide)
Sources
1. Vacuum Flask (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • History section
    The vacuum flask was designed and invented by Scottish scientist James Dewar in 1892 as a result of his research in the field of cryogenics
  • Lead section
    It greatly lengthens the time over which its contents remain hotter or cooler than the flask's surroundings by trying to be as adiabatic as possible.
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James Dewar (Grace's Guide)
  • Associated With: James Dewar, Biography
    His invention of the vacuum flask, now known universally as the Thermos flask
  • Invented By: James Dewar, Biography
    His invention of the vacuum flask, now known universally as the Thermos flask
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