DefCon Beverage Cooling Contraption Contest

background info ~ contest rules ~ signing up ~ when & where ~ prizes ~ past results

Background Info

After watching a clip I've had sitting around from an episode of the Discovery Channel show MythBusters i had an idea for something that could be a really fun contest at DefCon. The episode i was watching was entitled "Cooling a Six-Pack." On it, the guys tested a variety of ways to take room-temperature beer and cool it down to proper drinking temperature (38º F was the benchmark they shot for) very quickly. After getting a series of control values (beer in a fridge, a freezer, ice, ice+water, and ice+water+salt) they tried to make their own contraptions.

Adam created an ice-vat type affair through which passed a copper tube...

Jamie, on the other hand, primed rolled metal sheeting by submerging it in Liquid Nitrogen, then dropped it in the beer to act as a heat sink...

Both of these designs were well thought out, but neither had what could be called outstanding performance. I'd be willing to bet that DefCon attendees could put their considerable tech talents (and their even more considerable disposition for chilled alcohol) to the task and come up with some pretty righteous ideas for cooling a beverage very quickly. Quite an appropriate contest what with DefCon being held in the middle of the desert, wouldn't you say?

Contest Rules

general parameters

• competing teams should consist entirely of badge-wearing DefCon attendees and should not exceed three people
• teams must pre-register for this competition in a signup thread in the "Unofficial Contests" area of the DefCon forums.
• teams will be tasked with cooling an air-temperature beverage in the quickest and most creative way possible
• all contestant beverages will be of similar consistency and have the same starting temp, but exactly what their temperature will be is not completely predictable since we will be setting up outside and working during an uncertain time frame
• contestant contraptions won't be judged on cooling speed alone
• any beverage that passes through a team's contraption will become the property of that team and may be distributed to bystanders, but the contest organizers shall have no control nor responsibility of such distribution and consumption by third parties

specific requirements

• in the past, we had a categories called "cooling a can" and "open can and pour" which have both been eliminated. now, all contraptions will be tasked with accepting a sustained flow of beverage and should be able to provide consistent cooling for a minimum of 72 ounces of fluid in a single run.
• in the past, contraptions were allowed to operate with an internal "reservoir" that would hold the beverage as it cooled. this has also been eliminated this year. now, all contraptions must be able to handle sustained pouring of beverage and result in a more or less constant output flow as long as input is continued.
• contraptions should not contain beverages for longer than one minute as the fluid passes within. anything beyond this may result in penalties or disqualification.
• the target temperature will be 38º F, but players should attempt to not excessively overcool their beverage (designs that produce slushy drinks or icy mixtures may be penalized)

other judging points

• players should be mindful of flavor tainting and seek to not impart a metallic taste or other off-notes to their beverage
• excess head which does not settle into the output glass and any splillover will result in penalties, as the point of the contest is to cool as much beverage as possible without waste.
• size, practicality, and power consumption of designs will be given consideration
• the environmental impact of all designs will be relevant (for example... don't vent an assoload of freon coolant into the air)
• bonus points will be awarded for cost-efficent and energy-efficient designs
• bonus points will be awarded for creativity of design
• bonus points may be awarded for aesthetic characteristics of a contraption

categories of competition

in the past, there were various categories of competition: cooling a beverage while it was still in its original, factory-sealed container and cooling beverages which had been opened an poured. Now, however, PARTICIPANTS WILL BE GIVEN MULTIPLE OPEN BEVERAGE CANS AND SHOULD EXPECT TO POUR THE CONTENTS INTO THEIR COOLING DEVICE IN A CONTINUOUS STREAM. The ability to handle more cans than the default amount without suffering a loss of cooling power will be greatly rewarded.

Signing Up

There will be a signup thread in the "Unofficial Contests" area of the DefCon forums. Post there with your team info.

When & Where

The beverage cooling contraption contest will take place at NOON ON FRIDAY in the "outdoor" portion of the contest area. Check with the staff at the contest booth for final details as to the location when we're all actually at DefCon.

Prizes

I've wrangled gifts for participants and pretty nice prizes for the winners in the past, and will likely do so again this year. Since this will be run as an unofficial DefCon event, I doubt that winners will be awarded the coveted black badges like those who succeed in other, established contests. Still, i guarantee that there will be plenty of free beverages available for participants to, ahem, "calibrate their equipment" and so forth. C'mon, it'll be fun... why not give it a try?

background info ~ contest rules ~ signing up ~ when & where ~ prizes ~ past results

to contact me, shoot an email to deviant [at] deviating [dot] net