Vacuum Insulating Panel Framework with Low-Conductivity Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal insulation systems using vacuum insulating panels (VIPs) face challenges such as fragile barrier envelopes, increased thermal conductivity due to perforations, and reduced performance from large panel sizes and spacing issues, leading to inefficiencies in building insulation.
Innovation Solution
A thermal insulation system comprising vacuum insulating panels with a framework of rigid profiles that fix the panels in rows, using thermally insulating materials with low conductivity to minimize thermal bridges and maintain airtightness, allowing for easy assembly and adaptation to irregular wall surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If vacuum insulating panels with thin barrier envelopes are used to achieve high thermal performance, then thermal conductivity is reduced, but the panels become fragile and susceptible to perforation damage
Solution Approach 1:
A protective layer is applied to the vacuum insulating panels before installation to prevent perforation damage during handling and installation. This cushioning layer absorbs mechanical stresses and protects the thin barrier envelope from sharp objects and impacts, maintaining the vacuum integrity while allowing the panel to achieve its full thermal insulation potential.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum insulating panel is combined with a protective envelope and sealing framework to create a composite structure. The protective envelope provides mechanical strength and damage resistance, while the vacuum core maintains low thermal conductivity. This composite approach allows the system to simultaneously achieve high thermal performance and structural reliability.
2Loss of energy
If large-sized panels are used to reduce the number of joints and improve airtightness, then thermal bridge effects are minimized, but handling and installation become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum insulating panels are manufactured in modular sizes that balance thermal performance and handling ease. The sealing framework is also segmented into manageable components that can be assembled on-site. This segmentation allows workers to handle and install panels more easily while maintaining large enough surface areas to minimize the number of joints and thermal bridges.
Solution Approach 2:
A sealing framework acts as an intermediary element between adjacent panels, providing a robust sealing mechanism that maintains airtightness without requiring perfectly precise panel alignment. This intermediary sealing system compensates for minor installation variations and ensures continuous thermal insulation performance even when panels are installed by workers with varying skill levels.
3Strength
If rigid protective structures are added to protect the panels, then mechanical strength is improved, but the overall thermal insulation performance decreases due to increased thermal bridges
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible protective envelope is used instead of rigid protective structures. This thin film envelope provides sufficient mechanical protection during handling and installation while maintaining thermal insulation performance. The flexibility of the envelope allows it to conform to the panel shape without creating significant thermal bridges, unlike rigid protective structures would.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal conductivity parameter of the protective structure is carefully selected to be as low as possible. The sealing framework uses materials with thermal conductivity significantly lower than traditional rigid protection materials, ensuring that the mechanical protection provided does not compromise the overall thermal insulation performance of the vacuum insulating panel system.
4Loss of time
If standard assembly methods are used for vacuum insulating panels, then installation time is reduced, but airtightness at junctions is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing framework is pre-assembled with integrated sealing elements before panel installation. This preliminary action ensures that sealing components are correctly positioned and configured, allowing for quick panel installation while guaranteeing airtight connections. The pre-prepared sealing structures eliminate the need for complex on-site sealing operations that would compromise airtightness.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary sealing framework is positioned between adjacent panels to ensure airtight connections. This sealing intermediary provides a dedicated sealing interface that maintains the vacuum integrity and prevents air infiltration at junctions, while the modular design allows for rapid assembly without compromising the sealing effectiveness.
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 system provides optimal thermal performance and airtightness while reducing assembly time and costs, maintaining the integrity of the VIPs and minimizing thermal bridges, thus achieving insulation performance close to that of standard panels.
Implementation Method 1
elementary panels (3) of the PIV type with a plate shape, each having four sides of which two parallel opposite sides, each of the panels comprising a porous material resistant to compression and a gas-tight barrier envelope (3b), closed under vacuum, which encloses the porous material
Implementation Method 2
a framework (2) for fixing the panels (3) in said layer, the framework comprising a plurality of rigid profiles parallel to the rows and structuring the layer, which make it possible to border two parallel sides of the panels in the rows; wherein the panels are held in the rows by fitting into a pair of rails defined by the profiles, each of the profiles having a thermal conductivity less than or equal to 0.6 W m-1
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3D
AI summary
The heat insulation system (1) has, built therein, a layer of vacuum insulation panels (3) distributed through the use of an easy-to-mount framework (2) that significantly reduces the spaces between the panels. A plurality of thin profile elements (10, 10', 11, 12) is used to structure the layer of panels while defining respective cavity pairs, wherein two parallel opposite sides of at least one panel (3) are held. Each cavity of the pair completely covers the side surface, facing the panel, so as to obtain airtightness between the panels. The heat conductivity of each of said profile elements is low. Rigid bearing devices (5, 6), each contiguous to at least one of the profile elements, complete the framework and hold an outer facing (8), remote from the panels, so as to define a free space between a front surface of the layer and the outer facing.