Organic Aerogel Vacuum Insulation for Fast-Evacuating Thermal Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal insulation devices, such as refrigerators, face challenges with long evacuation times and high demands on shell material density due to the use of conventional insulating materials like closed-cell foams, which hinder industrial implementation due to complex manufacturing, high energy consumption, and insufficient thermal conductivity at low pressures.
Innovation Solution
A dynamically evacuable device with a coherently evacuable region comprising at least 20% of the total volume occupied by organic aerogels or xerogels, which allows for active vacuum maintenance and reduced thermal conductivity at pressures between 1 to 10 mbar, enabling shorter evacuation times and lower shell density demands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If conventional closed-cell foam insulation materials are used, then thermal insulation is achieved, but evacuation time becomes excessively long and shell material density demands increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses open-cell foam materials with controlled pore structures that allow rapid evacuation of gas while maintaining thermal insulation performance. The porous structure enables vacuum penetration and quick removal of atmospheric gases, reducing evacuation time from hours to minutes while preserving insulation effectiveness at low pressures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the foam material by creating open-cell structures with specific pore sizes and distributions. This allows the material to transition from being suitable for atmospheric pressure insulation to being optimized for vacuum conditions, enabling fast evacuation while maintaining thermal performance across different pressure regimes
2Loss of energy
If vacuum insulation panels are used to reduce thermal conductivity, then insulation performance improves, but manufacturing complexity and device assembly complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the insulation material and evacuation chamber into a single integrated structure. The open-cell foam itself forms the vacuum-containing structure, eliminating the need for separate VIP panels, adhesive bonding steps, and complex assembly procedures. This merging reduces manufacturing complexity while achieving comparable or superior thermal insulation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the vacuum function from separate VIP panels and integrates it directly into the foam insulation structure. By taking out the need for additional VIP components and their complex integration, the system achieves vacuum insulation through the foam's inherent open-cell structure, simplifying both manufacturing and assembly
3Stability of the object's composition
If high density shell materials are used to maintain vacuum pressure, then vacuum stability improves, but device weight and material consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The open-cell foam structure provides mechanical support and vacuum containment through its cellular architecture rather than requiring dense solid materials. The interconnected pores and cell walls distribute stress evenly, maintaining vacuum stability with lighter materials that would otherwise be insufficient for pressure containment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The use of organic aerogels or xerogels in the coherently evacuable region significantly reduces evacuation time, lowers thermal conductivity, and allows for complex geometry formation without additional processing steps, enhancing the efficiency and practicality of thermal insulation devices.
Implementation Method 1
a coherently evacuable region which makes up at least 20% by volume of the total volume which is occupied by a porous and/or cellular insulating material in the device, and which comprises at least one organic aerogel and/or organic xerogel
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a dynamically evacuable, electrically operated device comprising a coherently evacuable region and a temperature-controllable useful region, which is thermally insulated from the ambient temperature by the coherently evacuable region, and also a means for actively maintaining a vacuum, such that the pressure in the coherently evacuable region of the device is constantly within a defined pressure range, said coherently evacuable region making up at least 20% by volume of the total volume which is occupied by a porous and/or cellular insulating material in the device, and said coherently evacuable region comprising at least one organic aerogel and/or organic xerogel.