back to article Whiffy kitchen after last night's chips? Clear the air with SPACE PLASMA

Fifteen years of plasma experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) could let people enjoy the lusciously unhealthy taste of deep-fried potato chips, without having to smell them first. [What's wrong with you? Why would you want to eat chips without the thrill of anticipation first?] The work being done by German …

  1. BongoJoe

    The noise

    Would be the only thing that would put me off this. Sort that out and I'm sold.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The noise

      If it sounds like the plasma gun from Doom...OK I could understand... but how much noise does a plasma discharge really make ?

      Plus... what exactly happens to these "odour molecules" ?

      Are they all ripped apart into carbon-dioxide and water or is there a chance that there might be formation of (possible) carcinogenic compounds ?

    2. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

      Re: The noise

      Would be the only thing that would put me off this

      That, and the large potential of horrendous RF interferance.. If using the thing blacks out your or your neighbours TV/Radio/wifi I suspect that it's use would be very shortlived.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Plasma discharge in (dirty) air

    They better be damn sure that plasma disk is thick enough to completely oxidize all organics in the incoming air: partial oxidation products may be much more toxic than the acrolein from the burning grease. If any halogen-containing species are also present, dioxins are a common (and rather stable) byproduct. Even if the combustion is complete, you will still need filtering to remove nitrogen (and possibly sulfur, depending on how fond of garlic your shef is) oxides.

    So yeah, it could be useful, but it ain't a silver bullet.

  3. the Jim bloke

    Can we use it as a fly zapper?

    never mind odour molecules, it needs to be able to kill things.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Can we use it as a fly zapper?

      Only if it also kills mosquitos and it's transparent so I can watch. Those &^% bloodsuckers are still around, and it's below zero outside here..

      <trying hard not to scratch>

  4. Unep Eurobats
    Mushroom

    Molten chip fat, cold plasma...

    Sounds like a recipe for table-top fusion. Just as long as it doesn't happen accidentally at the Burger King downstairs.

    1. You aint sin me, roit
      Coat

      Re: Molten chip fat, cold plasma...

      At least they weren't advocating the usual plasma method of removing noxious smells...

      Lighting a match!

      (Mine's the one still floating in the bowl)

      1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

        Re: Molten chip fat, cold plasma...

        Why does that work?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Molten chip fat, cold plasma...

          Why does that work?

          Because we like KABOOM..

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Molten chip fat, cold plasma...

          I'd guess it's because the match releases some sulphur compound and that neutralizes our olfactory bulbs.

  5. Andy The Hat Silver badge

    Damp squib?

    How is the plasma sustained in a steam atmosphere (typically common when cooking). I would have thought it would collapse as, at eht levels, the electrodes would be effectively shorted out ... Unless there's a really massive power supply hidden under the desk ...

  6. Pen-y-gors

    That reminds me...

    In a past life I worked for a large general insurance company. There was a problem with insuring chip shops. The main cause of fires was that the filters in the extractors didn't get regularly cleaned, so they clogged up with fat, caught fire, and burned the place down. Okay, simple solution, as a condition of insurance they had to regularly clean the filters and keep proof that it had been done. Next problem, place burns down anyway, including all your paperwork, so how do you prove etc...

    One smart-arse in another company had a bright idea. Why don't we offer an insurance package that includex a regular filter clean and replace by an outside company? Then, if it burns down, it doesn't matter whether the filter had been changed, 'cos if it hadn't then it's the insurer's fault, not the distraught chip-fryer.

    Cleaned up 80% of the market.

    Lateral thinking can be good.

  7. Pen-y-gors

    Car-size model?

    I quite agree that the smell in the chippie (before) is wonderful, but it's the smell in the car the next day from the left-over ones that is a bit ucky at 8am. Can we have a dashboard-fitted version please?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Car-size model?

      Given the sort of fumes that hang around in both cars and elevators I'd say a plug-in model could be more interesting. Just not sure if it could handle a curry overload, and there is always a risk with introducing anything based on sparks in that location.

      I bet it would be briefly interesting, though :)

  8. AdamT

    Wait, what?

    Running the fumes through the current filters produces ozone but using a high voltage spark won't? I thought high voltage spark was the very definition of how to produce ozone!

    1. handle handle

      Re: Wait, what?

      I think the ozone production is due to photochemical reactions once the hydrocarbons are released into the atmosphere. I'd be surprised if the fan was generating any significant amount above and beyond that normally created by electric motors.

  9. AceRimmer1980
    Alien

    I say we fire the plasma ray from orbit, just to be sure.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "They are in the vents!"

      ZZZAP!

      "No longer"

  10. Simon Harris

    Thursday is curry day in the work canteen.

    SWMBO is demanding that I install one in the bedroom as soon as I get home.

  11. Drew 11

    How far away from it do you need to be for your cellphone to work?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "The plasma air purifiers are on, capt'n, we cannae contact engineering from here!"

  12. phuzz Silver badge
    Mushroom

    Teflon

    I thought Teflon was originally used to coat the plumbing in the gaseous diffusion plants used to purify uranium for the Manhattan Project (because uranium hexafluoride is not nice stuff).

    So more accurate to call it a spin off from nuclear weapon development, rather than the space program.

    1. cray74

      Re: Teflon

      So more accurate to call it a spin off from nuclear weapon development, rather than the space program.

      Teflon was discovered by accident in 1938 by Roy Plunkette of DuPont, patented in 1941, and got its "Teflon" name in 1945. It was used in the Manhattan Project's K-25 enrichment plant, but not invented for it.

  13. Alistair
    Windows

    "Big noisy fans"

    Those things are not just there for 'the smell' in a commercial kitchen.

    And I can tell you - there isn't a chef/cook/kitchen worker alive that is going to let you remove those big noisy fans from their kitchen. Kitchen is nicer place than sauna, especially when you're slaving over someone else's food. And I'm kinda certain that the H&S folks don't want them sweating into your plate.

    That said, I'll agree that if you get the plasma temp wrong by only a few degrees you're doing more damage than good by not breaking that molecule out correctly, and leaving nasty things in the air. Most kitchens are *gas* fired. The fat in the fryer may well be nothing to sweat over once you have the gas off the (propane/natural gas/etc) combustion in the mix.

    goin with the grumpy bastard since I've been up all night again.

  14. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      huh

      Did anyone else just hear a horse whinny?

  15. AIBailey

    Astronaut 1: It stinks of chips in here.

    Astronaut 2: No problem, I'll just open a windo...........

    All those years of research so that at long last they can install a deep fat fryer on the International Space Station!

  16. annodomini2

    Damn!

    And I thought they'd come up with a way to fry chips with plasma.

  17. DocJD

    A few details

    Plasma does not have to be RF. there are DC plasmas (for example, in a spark plug) and low frequency plasmas (in a fluorescent light). So this device will not necessarily interfere with cell phones, etc.

    When they say ozone is created by the hood, that is from the fan motor, not the inert filter. I'm not sure why some ozone will not be created when ambient oxygen goes through the plasma, but perhaps this amount of ozone is very small compared to that from a large motor.

    They say it works by "electrons in the plasma react with the odour molecules and neutralise them" which means the molecules are not being broken up (and so will not create new carcinogens) but rather the molecules are charged and the plasma (which contains free electrons) is neutralizing such charge, rather like the old anti-static guns used to get rid of charge on vinyl records. I don't pretend to understand why ionized molecules smell and neutral ones don't, but that is literally what they are claiming.

  18. BongoJoe

    You're right, if it does cause sufficient RF interference to bugger up the neighbour's telly then there is a problem.

    They live half a mile away.

  19. Mike 16

    Maybe the point

    Is actually to move along the folks who would otherwise hang out all day to use the shop WiFi.

  20. Nunyabiznes

    more lateral thinking

    Think of all the home kitchens that wouldn't need an outlet for the kitchen hood. That would save a significant amount of cupboard space. I guess that is true for commercial kitchens also.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Optical illusion

    If you stare at the central white dot it look like the things rotating.

  22. wayward4now
    Mushroom

    Grab grab the goodies

    What I don't get is how new data derived from a publicly funded program can be whisked off into one personal's lap to be sold privately. I think it would be better if the public got a return on it's investment.

    1. Baldrickk

      Re: Grab grab the goodies

      It's the development of the science into a product and the production (with all the related testing and legal work) that you pay for.

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