A review of vacuum insulation research and development in the Building Materials Group of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Technical Report · Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6077306· OSTI ID:6077306

Kollie, T G; McElroy, D L; Fine, H A; Childs, K W; Graves, R S; Weaver, F J

This report is a summary of the development work on flat-vacuum insulation performed by the Building Materials Group (BMG) in the Metals and Ceramics Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) during the last two years. A historical review of the technology of vacuum insulation is presented, and the role that ORNL played in this development is documented. The ORNL work in vacuum insulation has been concentrated in Powder-filled Evacuated Panels (PEPs) that have a thermal resistivity over 2.5 times that of insulating foams and seven times that of many batt-type insulations, such as fiberglass. Experimental results of substituting PEPs for chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) foal insulation in Igloo Corporation ice coolers are summarized. This work demonstrated that one-dimensional (1D) heat flow models overestimated the increase in thermal insulation of a foam/PEP-composite insulation, but three-dimensional (3D) models provided by a finite-difference, heat-transfer code (HEATING-7) accurately predicted the resistance of the composites. Edges and corners of the ice coolers were shown to cause the errors in the 1D models as well as shunting of the heat through the foam and around the PEPs. The area of coverage of a PEP in a foam/PEP composite is established as an important parameter in maximizing the resistance of such composites. 50 refs., 27 figs,. 22 tabs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6077306
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-11703; ON: DE92004908
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
HEAT FLOW
FLOW MODELS
HEAT TRANSFER
H CODES
REFRIGERATORS
THERMAL BARRIERS
THERMAL INSULATION
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORNL
SCALE MODELS
COMPUTER CODES
DATA
ENERGY TRANSFER
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
STRUCTURAL MODELS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
320106* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Building Equipment- (1987-)