LIGHTWEIGHT AEROGEL BEAD INSULATION

摘要

Production of aerogel under bead form at Aspen Aerogels Inc. has made possible utilization of this materialrnin various forms, such as pourable, formable, and sprayable insulation with excellent versatility in a varietyrnof applications with critical low weight requirements. Flowable aerogel insulation showed lower thermalrnconductivity with decreasing the bead size, increasing the packing density and at lower pressures. Formablernbead binder panels showed superior thermal performance compared to the bead foam insulation, while thernlatter showed superior mechanical strength, outperforming the Sprayed on Foam Insulation (SOFI) used onrnthe External Shuttle Tank. Sprayed aerogel insulation has lower thermal conductivity than the SOFI foamrnat various temperatures and has good mechanical integrity under high enthalpy at 100℃. Aerogelrninsulation showed improved thermal and dimensional stability compared to polyurethane foams atrncryogenic conditions and after heating at 200℃.