X Factor

[burgesg]

I was just interested. During X Factor there was dry ice/smoke (I dont know how to tell the difference) at the base of the stage. It was drifting from one side to the other. How is this done, is it using fans and a ventilation system?

[Ynot]

I was just interested. During X Factor there was dry ice/smoke (I dont know how to tell the difference) at the base of the stage. It was drifting from one side to the other. How is this done, is it using fans and a ventilation system?

Dry ice, or chilled smoke (suspect X-Fator used the latter) is basically pumped out of whatever machine produces it and it will flow to fill the space it's been thrown at.

 

Simple physics. It's a fluid, and will expand to the space available when 'poured'.

[burgesg]

Sure, so it flows across the stage but then where does it go? It seemed to be to disappear down a ridge. Is this some sort of ventillation system?

[Ben Langfeld]

Most likely not. Dry ice or smoke at these kind of temperatures does tend to act very much like a liquid. The effect of it pouring over an edge that you saw is completely natural for dry ice and just happens by itself.

[burgesg]

Most likely not. Dry ice or smoke at these kind of temperatures does tend to act very much like a liquid. The effect of it pouring over an edge that you saw is completely natural for dry ice and just happens by itself.

Ok and so where does it go. It just evaporates into the atmosphere???? Isn't that really bad for the people nearby?

[dwh]

It's only made essentially with carbon dioxide and water (which is all present in the air); not particularly bad for you...

[Tomo]

The "Fog" that you can see is a cloud of water ice crystals.

 

The CO2 that created it evaporated inside the machine - it's a gas, and invisible.

But it'll be cold and flow with the cloud, remaining near the ground for some time - in high concentrations it can be dangerous, so suitable precautions must be taken.

[Ynot]

Most likely not. Dry ice or smoke at these kind of temperatures does tend to act very much like a liquid. The effect of it pouring over an edge that you saw is completely natural for dry ice and just happens by itself.

Ok and so where does it go. It just evaporates into the atmosphere???? Isn't that really bad for the people nearby?

Yep - that's precisely what it does do!

Think of it at the opposite end of the temperature scale - not quite the same, but the principle is similar.

You're making a cup of tea - the water in the kettle boils creating steam - that steam is visible for a short while, then evaporates - hey presto - no more steam!

With dry ice, the fog produced is the same basic principle, but what you're seeing is the 'steam' from the solid CO2.

 

With the cooled smoke option, the machines will use a specific type of fog juice that evaporates fairly quickly once it warms up, and thus it behaves much like dry ice.