Vacuum Insulation Panel Frame Structure to Minimize Thermal Bridges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vacuum insulation panels are expensive and difficult to handle due to complex production and dimensional inaccuracy, leading to thermal bridges when used in refrigeration appliances, as they do not fit seamlessly into prefabricated hollow-walled housings and require costly adhesives and inferior thermal insulation from polyurethane foam fillers.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum insulation panel design featuring a rigid shell with a porous supporting body enclosed between a flexible film and a frame, where the shell is fastened to a frame with a planar flange, allowing for precise dimensional accuracy and adaptation, and a rigid outer skin for protection and minimal heat conduction, eliminating the need for foamed areas and reducing thermal bridges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If vacuum insulation panels are used in refrigeration appliances, then thermal insulation performance is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase due to complex production and handling difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum insulation panel is segmented into distinct functional components: a rigid shell providing structural integrity, a porous supporting body for vacuum maintenance, and a flexible film for sealing. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured and assembled separately, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while preserving thermal insulation performance.
Solution Approach 2:
A frame structure acts as an intermediary element between the rigid shell and the housing, providing a standardized interface for installation. This frame mediates the connection, simplifying handling and installation processes while maintaining the vacuum insulation effectiveness of the panel.
2Length of stationary object
If vacuum insulation panels are used in refrigeration appliances, then wall thickness is reduced, but dimensional accuracy deteriorates leading to thermal bridges
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid shell is designed with locally optimized features including flanges at specific locations for precise positioning and attachment. These localized structural enhancements provide dimensional accuracy and prevent thermal bridges at critical interfaces without increasing overall wall thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The shell material properties and geometric parameters are optimized to achieve the required dimensional accuracy. By carefully selecting material rigidity and designing flange dimensions, the panel maintains precise fit-in dimensions that eliminate thermal bridges while keeping wall thickness minimal.
3Loss of energy
If vacuum insulation panels are installed in refrigeration appliance housing, then insulation performance is improved, but handling and installation difficulty increases due to gluing and pressing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The frame and flange structures are pre-assembled during panel manufacturing, creating a ready-to-install unit with built-in positioning features. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex gluing and pressing operations during installation, as the panel can be directly mounted using the pre-configured attachment interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex gluing and pressing operations are extracted from the installation process by incorporating self-positioning flanges and frame structures. These features allow the panel to be mechanically secured without requiring separate adhesive application and pressing steps, significantly simplifying installation.
4Volume of stationary object
If polyurethane foam is used to fill residual cavity volume, then cavity filling is achieved, but thermal bridges are created due to inferior insulation properties
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid shell with integrated flanges serves multiple functions: it provides the vacuum containment structure, defines the precise dimensional boundaries for housing integration, and creates the attachment interface. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for additional polyurethane foam filling, as the shell itself fills and seals the cavity volume.
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
Enables cost-effective, dimensionally accurate manufacturing and installation of vacuum insulation panels in refrigeration appliances, minimizing thermal bridges and ensuring efficient thermal insulation without the need for foamed fillers, thus enhancing the overall insulation performance and reducing manufacturing complexity.
Implementation Method 1
the porous support body consists of a pourable, particulate material that only acquires a solid shape after evacuation under the influence of the air pressure compressing it from the outside
Implementation Method 2
Vacuum insulation panels have excellent insulation properties with low wall thicknesses
Implementation Method 3
the thermal insulation effect of the polyurethane foam is significantly inferior to that of the vacuum panel, so that parts of the polyurethane foam that extend past the edges of the vacuum panel over the entire wall thickness of the housing form thermal bridges
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A vacuum insulation element comprises a shell (2) that houses a porous, evacuated support body and a frame (3) which surrounds said support body and to which one edge of the shell (2) is secured. The vacuum insulation element can form, in particular, the door of a refrigeration device.