Compact vacuum insulation

Patent · Thu Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:868618

Benson, David K ^[1]; Potter, Thomas F ^[2]

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1. Golden, CO
2. Denver, CO

An ultra-thin compact vacuum insulation panel is comprised of two hard, but bendable metal wall sheets closely spaced apart from each other and welded around the edges to enclose a vacuum chamber. Glass or ceramic spacers hold the wall sheets apart. The spacers can be discrete spherical beads or monolithic sheets of glass or ceramic webs with nodules protruding therefrom to form essentially "point" or "line" contacts with the metal wall sheets. In the case of monolithic spacers that form "line" contacts, two such spacers with the line contacts running perpendicular to each other form effectively "point" contacts at the intersections. Corrugations accommodate bending and expansion, tubular insulated pipes and conduits, and preferred applications are also included.

• Research Organization: MIDWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• Assignee: Midwest Research Institute (Kansas City, MO)
• Patent Number(s): US 5175975
• OSTI ID: 868618
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/52/428/
accommodate
apart
applications
beads
bendable
bendable metal
bending
ceramic
ceramic spacer
ceramic spacers
chamber
closely
closely spaced
compact
compact vacuum
comprised
conduits
contacts
corrugations
discrete
edges
effectively
enclose
essentially
expansion
form
form essentially
glass
hard
hold
included
insulated
insulation
insulation panel
intersections
line
line contact
line contacts
metal
metal wall
monolithic
nodules
panel
perpendicular
pipes
preferred
protruding
running
sheets
sheets closely
spaced
spaced apart
spacers
spacers hold
spherical
spherical beads
therefrom
tubular
ultra-thin
ultra-thin compact
vacuum
vacuum chamber
vacuum insulation
wall
wall sheets
webs
welded