Variably insulating portable heater/cooler
Abstract
A compact vacuum insulation panel comprising a chamber enclosed by two sheets of metal, glass-like spaces disposed in the chamber between the sidewalls, and a high-grade vacuum in the chamber includes apparatus and methods for enabling and disabling, or turning "on" and "off" the thermal insulating capability of the panel. One type of enabling and disabling apparatus and method includes a metal hydride for releasing hydrogen gas into the chamber in response to heat, and a hydrogen grate between the metal hydride and the chamber for selectively preventing and allowing return of the hydrogen gas to the metal hydride. Another type of enabling and disabling apparatus and method includes a variable emissivity coating on the sheets of metal in which the emissivity is controllably variable by heat or electricity. Still another type of enabling and disabling apparatus and method includes metal-to-metal contact devices that can be actuated to establish or break metal-to-metal heat paths or thermal short circuits between the metal sidewalls.
- Inventors:
-
- Denver, CO
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City, MO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 871862
- Patent Number(s):
- US 5813454
- Assignee:
- Varitec Thermal, L.L.C. (Denver, CO)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-83CH10093
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- variably; insulating; portable; heater; cooler; compact; vacuum; insulation; panel; comprising; chamber; enclosed; sheets; metal; glass-like; spaces; disposed; sidewalls; high-grade; apparatus; methods; enabling; disabling; thermal; capability; type; method; hydride; releasing; hydrogen; gas; response; heat; grate; selectively; preventing; allowing; return; variable; emissivity; coating; controllably; electricity; metal-to-metal; contact; devices; actuated; establish; break; paths; circuits; releasing hydrogen; metal contact; vacuum insulation; hydrogen gas; metal hydride; thermal insulating; insulation panel; disabling apparatus; compact vacuum; spaces disposed; metal heat; selectively preventing; break metal-to-metal; allowing return; metal-to-metal heat; chamber enclosed; panel comprising; metal-to-metal contact; metal sidewalls; variable emissivity; emissivity coating; contact devices; heat paths; glass-like spaces; controllably variable; hydrogen grate; high-grade vacuum; insulating capability; metal sidewall; /165/
Citation Formats
Potter, Thomas F. Variably insulating portable heater/cooler. United States: N. p., 1998.
Web.
Potter, Thomas F. Variably insulating portable heater/cooler. United States.
Potter, Thomas F. 1998.
"Variably insulating portable heater/cooler". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/871862.
@article{osti_871862,
title = {Variably insulating portable heater/cooler},
author = {Potter, Thomas F},
abstractNote = {A compact vacuum insulation panel comprising a chamber enclosed by two sheets of metal, glass-like spaces disposed in the chamber between the sidewalls, and a high-grade vacuum in the chamber includes apparatus and methods for enabling and disabling, or turning "on" and "off" the thermal insulating capability of the panel. One type of enabling and disabling apparatus and method includes a metal hydride for releasing hydrogen gas into the chamber in response to heat, and a hydrogen grate between the metal hydride and the chamber for selectively preventing and allowing return of the hydrogen gas to the metal hydride. Another type of enabling and disabling apparatus and method includes a variable emissivity coating on the sheets of metal in which the emissivity is controllably variable by heat or electricity. Still another type of enabling and disabling apparatus and method includes metal-to-metal contact devices that can be actuated to establish or break metal-to-metal heat paths or thermal short circuits between the metal sidewalls.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/871862},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1998},
month = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1998}
}