How Do Self Heating Meals Work?
If you have decided to stock up on MREs, and you are not sure which ones to get, there is one thing that you must always be sure of. Some of them, if not all of them, should have some type of self heating capability. This capability is due to something called a flameless ration heater. They use what is called exothermic technology. It is a type of chemical reaction, one that can actually heat the food to about 100 degrees. Here is an overview of how these work in a little more depth, and also where you can find some of the best ones available.
How Do Flameless Ration Heater’s Work?
If the MREs that you have are equipped with a FRH, they are actually very simple to use. They are powered by magnesium metal, and a small amount of salt and iron, that leads to the chemical reaction. There is a small amount of water that is the catalyst, and the water will actually reach the boiling point. Once it goes through this oxidation reduction reaction, you will simply realize that you now have warm food.
Where Can You Get These?
These are easy to find. A search on the web will lead you to several companies, such as NL4S, Be Prepared or MRE Giant, that are selling a multitude of different MREs, most of which are going to have this capability. The last thing that you want to do is be stuck in the wilderness with nothing but cold food. They are a little bit extra, but that is to be expected. They typically can only be used one time. However, if you are in the wilderness, and you have no way to make a fire, at least you will have a hot meal.
How To Save Money When You Buy These
To save money, you need to look at the largest companies that are selling these. There are so many businesses that sell MREs today. Some of them are designed for people that like to go out in the wilderness. This could be for a camping, hunting, or a hiking trip. Others just want to have these at home. You will probably have several hundred of these stocked up in your basement. There are others that have never done this before and they might be a little confused when it comes to using the flameless ration heater.
How Long Does It Take To Heat Up?
On average, it will take 12 minutes for the entire chain reaction to occur. During this time, you will notice that it is getting warmer. There is not going to be any type of visible flame. That is because it is designed to work behind the scenes, heating everything up from inside of the packet. Once you have used it, you can then put that into a waste disposal bag that you have with you. It’s not going to harm anything. If you have one of these with every meal, you will probably have a sizable amount of trash if you are staying out in the wilderness for a week or more.
Can These Be Dangerous?
In the same way that certain cellular phones are not allowed on planes because of their batteries that explode, these are similar. The FAA has done a lot of testing and have stated that these should not be used on an aircraft. There is a potential hazard which involves the flameless ration heaters because they are able to produce hydrogen. If this happens, if there is enough of this in a concentrated area, it could lead to additional flames which could prove hazardous for those that are in an airplane.
How Much Magnesium Is Actually In These?
The amount of magnesium that is in these will vary. However, it’s typically about 95% of the total amount of components. There is only about 1/2 a gram of salt, and the rest is going to be iron. Inside there is a anti-foaming agent which can be useful, as well as an inner filler. The total amount of water that you are going to add will be no more than 30 mL, and 50 kJ of heat are going to be released.
Do All Of The MREs Companies Sell These?
Not all of the companies are going to sell these with every single MREs packet that they sell. However, there are going to be quite a few that do. You might want to purchase some that do not heat up, and others that do, just to have a variety. There are some meals that can be eaten cold just as well as consuming them at a warmer temperature. Other people might ask exactly how does this little package produce heat? It is because of the way that it works which is very similar to a battery.
Why Are These Able To Produce Heat?
What chemistry has shown us is that metals like magnesium and iron, if they are exposed to salt water, it actually creates a type of battery. That’s because of the electrolytes that are in the saltwater, and it will form what is called a galvanic cell. Essentially, you are doing nothing more than activating a battery, and that battery is going to produce heat. In the same way that batteries can go dead over time, especially when in use, that’s why these will no longer be hot after several minutes.
Now that you know a little bit more about the self heating meals that you can purchase from MREs stores, you may want to consider adding these to your collection of meal ready eat packages that you have at home. Whether you use these for an emergency, or if you decide to take them out on a hunting or hiking trip, these are going to be perfect for every outdoor occasion. It is so nice to be able to eat a hot meal, and that’s exactly what you get when you are able to use a flameless ration heater with your self heating meals.
