Thermal Insulation Using Foams

Static ioading = force/area = (mass x g)/area So, area = (mass x g)/static ioading 

in addition to being useful as cushioning, can be used to provide thermal insulation for products. A frozen product, for example, might be packaged with ice (or dry ice or gel packs) to provide cooling, and encased in a foam container to help reduce the conduction of heat from the surroundings into the container. Often the temperature inside and outside the container can be regarded as relatively constant, and the heat transfer process can considered essentially one-dimensional. In such cases, Fourier s law of heat conduction reduces to its one-dimensional steady-state form  

Plastics are, in general, good insulators. Gases are much better insulators than solids, so in a foam, the combination of the plastic and the gas pockets within it provides very low thermal conductivity. Each phase, gas and solid, contributes an amount roughly proportional to its volume fraction. Thermal conductivities of some common packaging foams are given in Table 13.1. 

These values can be used to calculate the length of time that a product in a given package can be expected to remain at a safe temperature, as shown in the following example. 

A 1 kg product that must be kept at a temperature of 0°C is packaged with 2 kg of ice in a 1.5 cm thick expanded polystyrene container, with inside dimensions measuring 0.4 m x 0.4 m x 0.6 m. How long will the product be protected The thermal conductivity of the polystyrene foam is 0.030 w/m K. The outside temperature is constant at 25°C. 

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The ingredients for polyurethane flexible foam are Freon 11, polyether polyol-triol, polyurethane and TDI. Polyurethane fire-resistant rigid foam is produced from Freon 11, polyether polyol-hexol, polyether polyol-phosphorus, polyisocyanates and polyurethane. MDI foam has advantages over TDI foam, particularly in that it is easier and safer to handle, and for this reason is widely used as a thermal insulation. Flexible foams account for over 60% of the consumption of polyurethanes31,32. 

Conversely, pouring a foamable plastic is useful for gap filling, light weight, and thermal insulation. Use of hollow glass or plastic spheres can encapsulate closed-cell bubbles in syntactic foam, which is useful for low dielectric constant and loss and for compressive resistance such as deep-sea immersion. 

The lower molecular weight polymers of propylene oxide and propylene oxide adduct copolymers are used as surfactants, hydraulic fluids, and machine and metal-working lubricants. Propylene oxide adducts of polyhydroxy compounds, such as glycerine, trimethylolpropane, or pentaerythritol or sorbitol, are principal polyols used in making polyurethane elastomers, rigid thermal insulation, flexible foams, and coatings. 

Polyurethane. SmaU quantities of polyurethane film are produced as a tough mbber-like film. Polyurethane is more commonly used to produce foamed sheet, both flexible and rigid. The flexible foam is used as cushioning in furniture and bedding the rigid foam is widely used for architectural insulation because of its outstanding thermal insulation efficiency (see Urethane POLYMERS). 

MoistureResista.nce, Plastic foams are advantageous compared to other thermal insulations in several appHcations where they are exposed to moisture pickup, particularly when subjected to a combination of thermal and moisture gradients. In some cases the foams are exposed to freeze—thaw cycles as well. The behavior of plastic foams has been studied under laboratory conditions simulating these use conditions as well as under the actual use conditions. 

Other. Because a foam consists of many small, trapped gas bubbles, it can be very effective as a thermal insulator. Usually soHd foams are used for insulation purposes, but there are some instances where Hquid foams also find uses for insulation (see Eoamed plastics Insulation, thermal). Eor example, it is possible to apply and remove the insulation simply by forming or coUapsing the foam, providing additional control of the insulation process. Another novel use that is being explored is the potential of absorbing much of the pressure produced by an explosion. The energy in the shock wave is first partially absorbed by breaking the bubbles into very small droplets, and then further absorbed as the droplets are evaporated (53). 

A low (<0.4 W / (m-K)) thermal conductivity polymer, fabricated iato alow density foam consisting of a multitude of tiny closed ceUs, provides good thermal performance. CeUular plastic thermal insulation can be used in the 4—350 K temperature range. CeUular plastic materials have been developed in... 

Flame Resistance. Traditionally, small-scale laboratory flammabiUty tests have been used to initially characterize foams (38). However, these do not reflect the performance of such materials in bulk form. Fire characteristics of thermal insulations for building appHcations are generally reported in the form of quaHtative or semiquantitative results from ASTM E84 or similar tunnel tests (39). Similar larger scale tests are used for aircraft and marine appHcations. 

Extruded Rigid Foa.m. In addition to low temperature thermal insulation, foamed PSs are used for insulation against ambient temperatures in the form of perimeter insulation and insulation under floors and in walls and roofs. The upside-down roof system has been patented (256), in which foamed plastic such as Styrofoam (Dow) plastic foam is appHed above the tar-paper vapor seal, thereby protecting the tar paper from extreme thermal stresses that cause cracking. The foam is covered with gravel or some other wear-resistant topping (see Roofing materials). 

Foams. Sulfur can be foamed into a lightweight insulation that compares favorably with many organic foams and other insulating materials used in constmction. It has been evaluated as thermal insulation for highways and other appHcations to prevent frost damage (63) (see Eoamed plastics Insulation, thermal). 

Polyurethane. Polyurethanes (pu) are predominantly thermosets. The preparation processes for polyurethane foams have several steps (see Urethane polymers) and many variations that lead to products of widely differing properties. Polyurethane foams can have quite low thermal conductivity values, among the lowest of all types of thermal insulation, and have replaced polystyrene and glass fiber as insulation in refrigeration. The sprayed-on foam can be appHed to walls, roofs, tanks, and pipes, and between walls or surfacing materials directly. The slabs can be used as insulation in the usual ways. 

Thermal Insulation. Foamed plastics (qv) are used as thermal insulation for aU types of constmction because of their low heat- and moisture-transmission values. Polystyrene is used either as foamed board or expandable beads. The foam may be faced with a stmctural surfacing material, eg, a kraft liner-board, to form a panel for insulating mobile homes. These foams can dupHcate the appearance of wood and be used as trim. Foams can also be used as backing, for example, on aluminum siding, to provide heat and sound insulation. Foamed beads can be incorporated in concrete to reduce its density and provide some thermal insulation. 

Foam Insulation Since foams are not homogeneous materials, their apparent thermal conductivity is dependent upon the bulk density of tne insulation, the gas used to foam the insulation, and the mean temperature of the insulation. Heat conduction through a foam is determined by convection and radiation within the cells and by conduction in the solid structure. Evacuation of a foam is effective in reducing its thermal conductivity, indicating a partially open cellular structure, but the resulting values are stiU considerably higher than either multilayer or evacuated powder insulations. 

Thermal insulation is available over a wide range of temperatures, from near absolute zero (-273 C) ( 59.4°F) to perhaps 3,(1()0°C (5,432°F). Applications include residential and commercial buildings, high- or low-temperature industrial processes, ground and air vehicles, and shipping containers. The materials and systems in use can be broadly characterized as air-filled fibrous or porous, cellular solids, closed-cell polymer foams containing a gas other than air, evacuated powder-filled panels, or reflective foil systems. 

To meet the 2001 U.S. energy standards and the 2003 phase-out of HCFCs, there is a great incentive to develop a significantly better thermal insulation. The most dramatic approach would use vacuum panels for insulating the cabinet. A number of U.S. and Japanese manufacturers have developed such panels and placed these kinds of refrigerators in homes. The panels consist of multilayer plastic envelopes filled with precipitated (fumed) silica. The claimed thermal conductivity is one-fourth that of polyurethane foam. The two major obstacles are cost and the maintenance of vacuum for twenty years. 

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