Laboratory tests of high-performance thermal insulations

Abstract

These days the use of the traditional (conventional) insulation materials requires greater thicknesses (e.g., up to 25 cm) in order to reach significant reduction in the heat loss and in the emission of the greenhouse gases. In some cases the use of these thicknesses cannot be implemented. In the last decade, a new direction was designated in order to decrease the insulating thicknesses furthermore, to increase insulating capability. For this the era of the nano-technological/super/advanced insulation materials started. In this article, thermal conductivity measurements carried out on advanced insulation materials (vacuum ceramic hollow micro-spheres, vacuum insulation panels, and graphite expanded polystyrene) with Holometrix Lambda 2000 type heat flow meter will be presented. These measurements will be completed with scanning electron microscope tests, and in one case with an optical microscope test. The reached thermal conductivity values give promising applicability limit of the materials.