Insulated structure including cavities holding aerogel connected to a vacuum sustaining unit

Abstract

A thermal insulation system includes an evacuated structure having an internal space filled with an aerogel layer, in which a vacuum is sustained by a vacuum pump operating when it is determined that a pressure within the internal space has risen to a predetermined level. For example, such a system is used within a dome structure extending over and around a heat receiving structure within a solar heating system or within a system providing thermal insulation for a building structure, a refrigerator, or a railroad car.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This is a continuation-in-part of a copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 592,085, filed Nov. 19, 2009. This application claims the benefit of a prior-filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 395,886, filed May 18, 2010 and of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 463,703, filed Feb. 22, 2011.FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not ApplicableBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]1. Field of the Invention[0004]This invention relates to thermal insulation systems, more particularly to such systems including evacuated structures, and yet more particularly to the use of such systems to allow heat retention within solar heat collectors, and to the use of such systems to prevent a transfer of heat into or away from an interior space.[0005]2. Summary of the Background Information[0006]A solar heat collector typically includes a heat receiving structure through which a fluid, such as water, is circulated to be heated by solar radiation....

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016]Various difficulties and shortcomings of prior-art thermally insulating systems including evacuated spaces are overcome through the use of the present invention. A dome-shaped central space within a thermally insulating system is provided for holding the heat-receiving portion of a solar heating system. The mechanical weakness of panels extending adjacent evacuated spaces is overcome by providing aerogel layers within the evacuated spaces to keep the panels from being pulled together as the spaces are evacuated. Aerogels are manufactured materials having the lowest bulk density of any known porous solid, being derived from a gel in which a liquid component is replaced by a gas, resulting in an extremely low density porous solid that is particularly affected as a thermal insulator. Because of the porosity of the material, a vacuum can be readily achieved within an aerogel layer. The use of a vacuum instead of air or another gas within the porous layer further enhances the thermal insulation properties of the layer. In applications where transparency is not needed, a strong and resilient material, such as a metal, is used in place of the glass. The reliable, long-term use of large thermally insulating systems is achieved through the use of vacuum sustaining units to make the systems tolerable of small leaks.

Problems solved by technology

However, the use of structures including evacuated spaces for thermal insulation has been the brittleness and relatively low strength of the glass materials generally used and by a lack of reliability of such structures in large thermally insulating systems because small leaks result in a loss of vacuum.

However, the size of the insulated glass member is limited by the forces, principally caused by the air pressure acting on the two glass sections, and possibly additionally by manufacturing and transportation difficulties associated with handling and forming large pieces of glass.

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