Thermal Properties Of An Insulator

ABSTRACT

Energy conservation is an increasingly important issue for the building industry. Therefore, attention towards thermal insulation systems has grown in recent years. Thermal insulation is the reduction of heat transfer (the transfer of thermal energy between objects of differing temperature) between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. In this work, Conductive strength, Resistivity and Permeability as thermal insulation properties shall be studied which is the  main aim of the work

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                           INTRODUCTION

1.1                                 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Insulation in a building provides resistance to heat flow and lowers heating and cooling costs. There are many benefits of building insulation. Insulating will add the comfort to the building, create a healthier home environment, reduce the energy bills and have a positive environmental impact. Adding home insulation to an existing home will regulate the temperature, making the living environment more enjoyable, especially in places of extreme weather. With insulation the home will become more energy efficient. Insulation will keep the home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. This will reduce the amount of heating and cooling appliances that is needed to keep the house comfortable. Because of this, home insulation will reduce the energy bills and the costs of cooling and heating. Adding acoustic insulation will also enhance the sound control. Insulation creates a sound barrier, keeping unwanted sounds out and protecting the privacy by keeping the sounds inside from being audible outside. Insulating the home also creates a moisture barrier, keeping undesirable moisture out and offers much comfortable living environment inside. Insulating the electrical outlets and the corresponding components will protect home against any electrical shock. The benefit of home insulation is not related to the occupants inside the house only but it is also extended to keep the environment out of pollutants. The insulated building will contribute to use less energy for air- conditioning. This will reduce the carbon footprint, and also reduce the amount of chemicals released into the environment from air-conditioning units. Therefore, insulation is a key element in the so-called “green home policy”.

There are many types of insulation materials according to the purpose and the structure. This work focuses on the thermal type of insulator.

Thermal insulation is defined as a material or combination of materials which on application retards the flow of heat and adapted to any size, shape and surface (Khandelwal, 2010). Thus, the insulation is the outcome of performing the process to thermally isolate the system using insulating materials to reduce the heat transfer rate drastically between the system and the adjacent body or the environment. The term ‘thermal insulation’ is applied in the temperature range from -75°C to 815°C and applications below -75°C are termed ‘cryogenic’ while above 815°C are termed as ‘refractory’ [TIAC, 2015]. However, this work discusses the thermal properties of an insulator.

1.2                                        PROBLEM STAEMENT

Nowadays, the insulating of the buildings is a very important act from the point of view of energy saving and minimizing of the emission of the green house gases point of view. Furthermore many types of insulation materials are available which differ in with regard to thermal properties and many other material properties as well as cost. Determining the properties of thermal insulation is always a difficult task. This study was designed to provide possible means of determining the thermal properties of insulator.

1.3                         AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main aim of this work is to carry out a study on the thermal properties of an insulator based on their Conductive strength, Resistivity and Permeability. The objectives are:

1. To discuss thermal insulators in details
2. To understand different types of insulator

• To study the thermal insulating properties of different materials

1.4                                        SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Thermal insulators are meant to reduce the rate of heat transfer by conduction, convention and radiation — the standard methods by which heat transfers. This can be either in order to prevent heat loss or to keep heat out. In order to do this, all insulators share certain properties. The scope of this work is to discuss those properties focusing on the Conductive strength, Resistivity and Permeability.

1.5                                ADVANTAGES OF INSULATION

The primary purpose of insulation is to prevent/minimize thermal energy losses for the conservation of energy. Many direct and indirect advantages of insulation have been reported (Arora et al, 2013). However, insulation helps in several ways as discussed below;

1. It provides more accurate control of process temperatures and protection of the product.
2. It prevents condensation on cold surfaces and the resulting corrosion.

III. It helps in saving of energy and reduction in Green House Gases (GHGs) in environment.

1. IV. It minimizes the formation of condensate in steam pipeline and related
2. V. It provides fire protection and absorbs

1.6                           BENEFIT OF THERMAL INSULATION

Thermal insulation delivers lots of benefits like; reducing over-all energy consumption, better process control by maintaining process temperature, prevents corrosion, provides fire protection and absorbs vibration. Enhanced thermal protection is the most cost-effective way to reduce energy loss and operational costs (Shukla, 2012). Substantial quantity of heat energy is wasted in industrial plants nationwide because of uninsulated, under maintained or under insulated heated or cooled surfaces. Properly designed and installed insulation systems reduce the consumption of energy. Some recent studies demonstrated that application of thermal insulations may result heating and cooling energy savings up to 25% (Feustel, 2015). Some reports also inferred that, insulation materials have the potential to reduce energy consumption between 18-34% depending upon the type of insulation and the ambient temperature (Ipsi KW, 2018).