The enjoyment of hookah smoking depends on a number of factors: the tobacco mixture used and the quality of the coal. Many experts also claim that the quality of smoking largely depends on the parameters of the hookah itself. Today we will look at what processes occur during smoking and what the length of the hookah affects.
Dependence of shaft length on physical processes
- Coagulation. As a result of this process, the number of particles decreases and their size increases. For this reason, if the shaft is longer, the particles will be smaller and their sizes will be larger.
- Condensation/evaporation.The "origin" of the particles themselves occurs in the crown and then enters the body of the pipe during the coating. Initially, their sizes are less than 0.3 µm. As a result of the temperature difference (the style of charging and the use of the heat carrier and the cooler value from the side of the vase with water), a supersaturation occurs in the system by condensation of particles, which leads to their increase.
- Precipitation. As the smoke passes through the body of the pipe, as a result of diffusion, the aerosol molecules are deposited on the inner walls of the body. For this reason, as the length of the shaft increases, the number of particles decreases. Flavor components are also subject to condensation, which leads to a reduction in the concentration of volatile compounds.
- Movement in the direction of flow. When thinking about what affects hookah body height, hydrodynamic drag (drag) is worth mentioning. As the length of the pipe increases, more effort is required to smoke.
Shaft diameter dependencies
When judging what affects the hookah shaft, they consider not only the length, but also the diameter of the pipe. Bubble hydrodynamics (formation frequency, rise rate and size) were taken into account to assess smoking quality. It is proven that as the diameter of the shaft increases, so does the size of the bubbles (the difference can reach up to 20 - 25%). At the same time, the rising speed of the bubbles also increases (up to +10%). But if we talk about the number of bubbles that are formed in one coating, then this value usually decreases with the expansion of the shaft.
Hydrodynamic properties affect the mass transfer process. Inside, the bubbles have both aerosol molecules and a gaseous medium (a mixture of vapors of volatile compounds with air). When interacting with water, aerosol particles settle, vapors of volatile substances are absorbed, and water vapor condenses on aerosol molecules. In addition, as the width of the shaft decreases, the value of the hydrodynamic resistance increases.
Effect of immersing the diffuser in water
During the experiments, it was also determined how deep the immersion of the diffuser affects the quality of smoking. To determine the physical processes, the tube was reduced from 3 to 10 cm. It was shown that at higher immersion, the diameter of the bubbles increases to 30% due to the increase in internal pressure. In this case, the speed of particle movement increases and their number decreases. In addition, an increase in the deposition of aerosol molecules by up to 30% and an increase in hydrodynamic resistance were also observed when the diffuser is immersed. Much of this has to do with the hydrostatic pressure of the water inside the vase.
Final conclusions
Based on the results of the experiments, we can conclude whether the height of the hookah affects the quality of smoking.
- The length of the pipe actually affects the physical and flavor characteristics of hookah smoke. Medium hookahs approx. 36 cm high are considered the best choice based on the obtained properties.
- The smokiness of shorter hookahs is slightly higher due to the reduction of particles settling on the inner walls.
- Not only the thrust depends on the diameter of the shaft, but also on the hydrodynamics of the resulting bubbles. As the width of the tube increases, the absorption of volatile substances decreases and the deposition of aerosol molecules occurs. Thanks to this, the taste characteristics are clearer, the aroma is richer and the strength is higher.
- The ease of traction depends on the total value of the hydrodynamic resistance of each element of the hookah. This applies both to the width of the body and to the depth of its immersion in the vase of water.
- With an increase in the degree of immersion of the tube (diffuser), the absorption of volatile compounds increases significantly and the percentage of sedimentation of hookah smoke particles increases. As a result, there is a decrease in strength, deterioration of taste and aromatic properties.
Note that in practice the differences in smoking when using shafts of different lengths and widths are insignificant. The density of the smoke depends on the choice of tobacco, the heating and the way the crown is charged. Buy a hookah that fits your lifestyle, size doesn't matter.
