Plant-Foam Vacuum Insulation Panels That Stay Cuttable
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vacuum-insulated panels (VIPs) face challenges such as high cost, susceptibility to vacuum loss due to punctures, difficulty in cutting to size, and high thermal conductivity due to the use of porous cores and binding agents, limiting their application in building insulation.
Innovation Solution
Vacuum-insulated structures using foam cores formed from delignified plant materials, such as wood or bamboo, with enhanced porosity and mechanical strength, allowing for cuttable designs without significant insulation loss and reduced thermal conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional porous cores (fumed silica, aerogels) are used in VIPs, then thermal insulation performance is improved, but cost increases and vulnerability to vacuum loss occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the core material by delignifying plant materials to achieve porosity of 90-99%, creating a structure that maintains vacuum integrity while providing thermal insulation performance (R-value ≥15) comparable to conventional VIPs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive conventional cores (fumed silica, aerogels costing $10-12/ft²) with inexpensive delignified plant material foams, achieving similar insulation performance at lower cost while improving reliability through natural lignin binding properties
2Loss of energy
If conventional VIPs with open porous structure are used, then thermal insulation is achieved, but difficulty in cutting and onsite adjustment occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite material structure by combining delignified plant material with minimal binding agents (5-20% of total weight), producing a foam that is both insulative and mechanically workable for cutting and onsite adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the mechanical parameters of the core material through controlled delignification and foam formation, achieving a balance between porosity (90-99% for insulation) and structural integrity (enough to allow cutting without significant insulation loss)
3Strength
If wood waste-based foam with high binding agent content (40%) is used, then mechanical strength is maintained, but thermal conductivity increases beyond acceptable levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the composition parameters by reducing binding agent content from 40% to 5-20% of total weight, and modifies the plant material through delignification to achieve sufficient mechanical strength with lower thermal conductivity (<45 mW/(m·K))
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes excess binding agents from the foam structure, retaining only the minimum necessary (5-20%) to maintain mechanical strength, thereby reducing thermal conductivity and improving insulation performance
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 delignified plant material foam cores achieves low-cost, sustainable insulation with R-value ≥15, maintaining insulation performance even after cutting, and reducing thermal conductivity to <45 mW/(m·K) and density to <0.15 g/cm3, while minimizing vacuum loss.
Implementation Method 1
Vacuum-insulated structures employing one or more foam cores formed from a plant material... providing high-performance thermal insulation... thermal conductivity to <45 mW/(m·K)... R-value ≥15
Implementation Method 2
The core has an open pore structure to allow all the air to evacuate, thereby creating a vacuum... sealed at a pressure less than atmospheric pressure... low gas pressures (10−3-10−4 bar)
Implementation Method 3
the plant material has been at least partially delignified, so as to increase a porosity thereof (e.g., having a porosity of 90-99%, inclusive)
Implementation Method 4
foam cores formed from a plant material... density to <0.15 g/cm3... maintain the porous structure and mechanical strength
Data Source
AI summary
A vacuum-insulated structure can have one or more internal cells, one or more foam cores, and an enveloping structure. Each foam core can be formed from a plant material. Each foam core can be disposed within a respective one of the cells. The enveloping structure can seal each foam core within the respective cell at a pressure less than atmospheric pressure.