Thermal Bridge-Free Insulation Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal insulation assemblies with thermal bridges face inefficiencies in managing heat flux, particularly when temperature differences are significant, leading to incomplete thermal management and challenges in producing large insulating structures, especially at low temperatures where gases liquefy, causing icing issues.
Innovation Solution
The thermal insulation assembly is designed with layers arranged in a specific direction, featuring projections and hollows that redirect heat fluxes to an isotherm, using PIV structures and modular, bent-shaped parts to minimize thermal bridges and optimize heat management, with engagement mechanisms to block heat flows effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If thermal insulation assemblies use conventional flat panels arranged in layers, then assembly simplicity is maintained, but thermal bridges form between adjacent panels causing heat loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by replacing conventional flat panel surfaces with bent and curved geometries. The panels feature protrusions and recesses with curved transition zones that redirect heat flow paths, forcing thermal energy to follow longer, more tortuous paths through the insulation material rather than straight-line thermal bridges between flat panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dimensional complexity by adding protrusions and recesses that extend beyond the simple planar interface between panels. These three-dimensional features create overlapping engagement zones where multiple panels intersect, adding vertical and lateral dimensions to the thermal barrier and disrupting one-dimensional heat flow paths.
2Loss of energy
If thermal insulation assembly uses staggered offset arrangement of panels, then thermal bridge paths are disrupted, but assembly complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the thermal insulation system into modular panel segments, each independently manufacturable with standardized protrusion and recess geometries. This segmentation allows panels to be produced separately using conventional manufacturing processes, then assembled through simple interlocking of the modular units without requiring complex custom fabrication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functional features into integrated panel designs where protrusions, recesses, and bending features are merged into single monolithic components. This merging eliminates the need for separate assembly steps to create thermal barriers, as the thermal management functionality is built-in during panel manufacturing.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional flat panels are used with simple layering, then manufacturing is simple, but thermal insulation effectiveness decreases due to thermal bridges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating geometric complexity only at the interfaces between panels where protrusions and recesses are located, while the main body of each panel remains simple and uniform. This allows the majority of each panel to be manufactured using simple, cost-effective processes, while the critical thermal barrier zones at the joints incorporate the necessary complex geometries to block heat flow.
4Reliability
If thermal insulation assembly uses bent and shaped parts to redirect heat flow, then thermal management effectiveness improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming the bent and curved geometries during the panel manufacturing process itself, rather than requiring field installation or post-assembly adjustments. The protrusions, recesses, and curved surfaces are created as integral features during fabrication, ensuring geometric precision is achieved through controlled manufacturing processes before the panels are installed in the thermal insulation assembly.
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
This configuration significantly reduces heat flow, enhances modularity, and minimizes insulation volume and weight, effectively managing thermal bridges and preventing icing, even at low temperatures, while allowing for efficient thermal management across varying shapes and applications.
Implementation Method 1
a structure where an enclosure is under a 'controlled atmosphere,' that is, either filled with a gas having a thermal conductivity lower than that of ambient air (26 mW/mK), or under a pressure lower than 10^-5 Pa
Implementation Method 2
projections and hollows that redirect heat fluxes to an isotherm, using PIV structures and modular, bent-shaped parts to minimize thermal bridges
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a thermally insulating assembly that is placed between a first volume (7) and a second volume (9) which is to be thermally managed in relation to the first volume, said assembly (10) comprising a series of parts (1) which create thermal bridges between each other and which: - are arranged in a plurality of layers (13a, 13b) along a thickness and a direction running through the first and second volumes; and/or - are offset in pairs transversely from one layer to the adjoining layer transversely to said thickness and direction; and/or - mutually engage each other at least in pairs transversely to said direction and thickness in order to force a thermal flow (F), which substantially follows said direction along the thermal bridges, to change directions so as to flow towards an isotherm (11).