Why does liquid argon stop boiling after a while in dewar?

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
2 replies · 2K views
Phys12
Messages
351
Reaction score
42
When we fill a dewar or any other container with liquid argon (or liquid nitrogen), if I am correct, it sizzles because it is boiling. However, after we leave it inside for a few minutes, it stops. Does this happen because when you first pour it inside, the environment is of the liquid is much hotter making it boil, but after a while, the liquid makes its environment cold enough that it doesn't boil anymore?

P.S. I posted this in the High Energy forum since we do these kinds of experiments in my HEP lab and I wasn't sure where else this fit better (General Physics, maybe?).
 
Chemistry news on Phys.org
When you fill the dewar the argon has to cool the dewar, which means absorbing a lot of energy and boiling violently. After it reaches equilibrium, in a very well insulated container the boiling will be much, much slower to the point that it is barely noticeable; no "rolling".

This looks like chemistry to me...
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Phys12
Something like 10 orders of magnitude missing to be high energy. Classical physics should fit.
Edit: Or chemistry.

You are right. Initially the contact with the warm vessel makes it boil, once the vessel is cold you just get a bit of evaporation as the insulation is not perfect.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Phys12