Vacuum Insulation Panel Core Using Pulverized Recycled Foam
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) face issues such as environmental pollution, health hazards from glass fibers, high density, difficult recycling, and high energy consumption due to the use of glass fibers or fumed silica cores, and loss of insulating capacity upon encasement damage.
Innovation Solution
Using recycled foam material, such as low-density rigid polyurethane or phenolic foam, pulverized into fine particulates with a low closed cell content and mixed with a binder, to form the core of VIPs, which are then encapsulated in a multilayer film to maintain vacuum and reduce thermal conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If glass fibers or fumed silica are used as core material, then thermal insulation performance is improved, but health hazards and environmental pollution increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from glass fibers/fumed silica to pulverized foam material particulates. This substitution maintains the porous structure needed for vacuum insulation while eliminating the health hazards associated with glass fibers, resolving the contradiction between insulation performance and safety
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the previously harmful glass fiber material into a safe alternative by using pulverized foam material that can be handled without health risks. The pulverized foam maintains the necessary porosity for vacuum insulation while being safe for handling and environmentally friendly
2Reliability
If glass fibers or fumed silica are used as core material, then thermal insulation performance is improved, but density increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the density parameter by substituting heavy glass fibers with lightweight pulverized foam material. The foam material maintains the required porosity for vacuum insulation while significantly reducing the density of the core material
3Reliability
If glass fibers or fumed silica are used as core material, then thermal insulation performance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables easy recovery and recycling of the core material by using pulverized foam that can be easily removed from the encasement. The material can be discarded or recycled without complex processes, unlike glass fibers which are difficult to remove and recycle
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material form from fibrous glass to pulverized foam particulates, which fundamentally alters the manufacturing and recycling characteristics. The pulverized foam can be easily handled, removed, and recycled, simplifying the manufacturing process
4Reliability
If glass fibers or fumed silica are used as core material, then thermal insulation performance is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the processing energy requirement by using pulverized foam material that requires less energy to handle and process compared to glass fibers. The foam material can be pulverized and handled with lower energy input
5Object-affected harmful factors
If encasement is damaged, then handling safety is improved, but insulating capacity is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potential harm of encasement damage into a benefit: if the encasement is damaged, the pulverized foam core material can be safely handled and removed without creating health hazards from glass fibers, while the insulating capacity loss is localized to only the damaged area
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 solution provides VIPs with at least twice the insulation performance of original materials, reduced density, improved handling safety, and easier recycling, while minimizing environmental risks and energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
the core is placed in a vacuum chamber for removing gases, wherein the core is positioned in correspondence with a film arrangement that will, when closed by sealing, keep said core under vacuum
Implementation Method 2
the film is sealed by applying heated clamping surfaces that seal by welding it along overlapping edges at controlled temperature and pressure
Implementation Method 3
the transmission of heat by conduction or by contact between a solid constituent and the adjacent one, is greatly reduced due to the configuration of the contact zones which form very thin thermal bridges
Implementation Method 4
The main remaining mechanism of heat transmission, which can reach percentages from 65% to 85% of the total, is by convection and is due to the presence of air in the interstices of the porous materials
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The present invention is directed to vacuum insulated panel comprising a thermally insulating core within an evacuated multilayer film encasement, characterized in that the core comprises at least 80 weight%, based on the total weight of the core, particulates of pulverized foam material of rigid or semirigid thermosetting and/or rigid or semi-rigid thermoplastic foam material having foam cells with an average cell size from 50 µm to 800 µm before pulverizing the foam material and being intermixed with binder material, wherein the pulverized foam particulates have a closed cell content of less than 2 volume%, wherein the particle size D95 of the pulverized particulates, for which 95% weight% of the pulverized particulates are smaller than D95, is less or equal to eight times the average cell size of the foam material before pulverizing. The invention is further directed to a method for making such vacuum insulated panels.