Called the Flare Pan, Povey’s line of cookware distills a PhD worth of jet engine thermodynamics into the design of something far more conventional. After reviewing the performance of a series of standard pots on a traditional gas range Povey noticed that much of the heat produced by a range’s flame was jetted up the side of the pot and into thin air. Realizing that an enormous amount of energy was being wasted Povey began applying the principles he’s honed in his jet engine thermodynamics research to design a better pot.
Similar to the way a jet engine is cooled, Povey added fins that run from the bottom of his cast aluminum cookware design up across its body. Through the use of this so-called “FIN-X” technology his design reclaimed 40% of the heat lost through ambient dissipation, reducing cooking times and fuel consumption levels.
Unlike most jet engines the Flare Pan’s simple design will make it easy to move from prototype to production. In fact, in partnership with Oxford University’s Isis Innovation program the Flare Pan will be shipping to customers around the globe by the end of August 2014.
For those of you who are into the science of cooking, what better way to bring the lessons of thermodynamics home than owning a set of what might be the world’s most efficient pots and pans? Heck, you could even take them camping.
Image Courtesy of ISIS Innovation