Insulation materials, thermal loose fill

Nearly all the expanded polystyrene that is not used for thermal insulation is used for packaging. Uses range from individually designed box interiors for packing delicate equipment such as cameras and electronic equipment, thermoformed egg-boxes to individual beads (which may be up to 5 cm long and about 1 cm in diameter) for use as a loose fill material. There is also some use of thin-wall containers for short-term packaging and conveying of hot food from... 

Cellulose insulation commonly refers to a loose fill product produced from ground newspaper. Due to the energy crisis of late 1970s and early 1980s, the use of cellulose insulation in residential markets came to prominence. The appeal of cellulose as an insulation material can be attributed to its good thermal insulation, the relative ease of installation, and the simplicity of its production. Most importantly, it is produced from nonpetroleum-based materials (i.e., recycled newspapers). 

In terms of fire safety, there are no fire resistance requirements and all interior surfaces must comply with the FSI of 200 in the Steiner tunnel test, ASTM E 84,114 or a radiant panel index of 200 in the radiant panel test, ASTM E 162.55 Thermal insulation materials, other than foam plastics, must meet an ASTM E 84 Class A requirement (i.e., FSI < 25 and SDI < 450) and loose-fill insulation must meet the same requirements as the building codes, which are mostly based on smoldering tests (as the materials tend to be cellulosic). Foam plastic insulation must be treated as in the building codes as well (see Table 21.13) it cannot be used exposed (expensive foam that meets the NFPA 286 test is not used in manufactured housing) and must meet an ASTM E 84 Class B requirement behind the thermal barrier. 

Thermoplastic starch can be used to obtain foams useful as effective alternatives to PS in loose-fill protective packaging, and possibly as thermal or acoustic insulating materials. 

For the Zaporozhe NPP, the 3 suction lines of the 3 trains of the low pressure injection system are connected to the containment sump. This sump is filled in normal operation with 630 m of borated water, A test was performed on Units 5 and 6 during which the spray pumps and low pressure injection pumps worked 72 hours to demonstrate that the design has been well adapted. The loss of water due to trapping in certain areas of the containment after spraying situation is estimated to be about 200 m. However the test showed that the filters into the sump should be modified in order to reduce the number of the filter-grids damaged by loose parts and plugged by thermal insulation material. 

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