Development of Vacuum Insulation Panel Systems

Abstract

Rigid polyurethane foam is one of the most effective practical thermal insulation materials used in applications ranging from buildings to the domestic refrigerator. However, owing to the need to eliminate the CFC blowing agents that are hazardous to the environment, an advanced insulation must be developed. One of the most effective forms of thermal insulation, as employed in the walls of the refrigerator, is the vacuum insulation panel (VIP). VIP insulation consists of the core materials that are encapsulated at low pressure in a very thin, low gas permeability and low conducting barrier. This paper focuses on a unique panel design based on the evacuated, 100% open cell rigid polyurethane foam with getters encapsulated in laminated films under various conditions. A series of studies of the effect-factors of the batch manufacture efficiency and the thermal conductivity performance of the VIPs are discussed. Those effect-parameters are rigid polyurethane foams cell size, drying pretreatment, evacuation pressure, with or without getters and encapsulation barrier.