Here are some numbers -
- Heat Flow for Some Metals
k T1 T2 dT s q / A
Metal (W/m•K) (ºC) (ºC) (ºC) (in) (m) (kW/m2)
Al 212 20 500 480 0.04 0.001016 100157
Ti Pure 20 20 500 480 0.01 0.000254 37795
Ti Alloy 5.8 20 500 480 0.01 0.000254 10961
18-8 28 20 500 480 0.02 0.000508 26457
Rats - I can't see how to post a table. Anyhow each space should be a tab.
The bottom line is that even a 0.01" thick titanium alloy pot is around 10 times worse than a 0.04" thick aluminum pot and 0.02" stainless pot is about 4 times worse than 0.04" aluminum.
Interesting.
Actually after thinking about it - wow! I never would have expected that big of a difference.
Update -
I just happened to bump into this site -
http://thru-hiker.com/articles/debunkin ... _myths.php
In his testing he used a Primus Alpine Titanium canister stove. Tests showed no large difference in boiling time or fuel usage to boil. Has anyone had any experience with this kind of testing.
A great man once said that theory always falls down in practice, not usually or mostly, but always.