Research Proposal

Is aerogel the most effective and environmentally friendly insulation material on the market?

Abstract

Area of interest

The general area of interest of my research project is the thermal performance of buildings. Specifically, I want to look into aerogel insulation and how it can be used to achieve the optimal thermal performance.

Brief background

Aerogel is a state of the art material, not only used in the building construction industry, but also in oil and gas pipelines, refinery operations, as well as defence, aerospace and apparel, etc. It is almost transparent, and the lightest solid material known at the moment (up to 99.8% air). Additionally, aerogel is one of the leading materials in low thermal conductivity, reaching as low as 0.014W/mk, which is the lowest known thermal conductivity in a solid object. Due to its properties, NASA has begun using the material in space shuttles in order to protect them from the intense heat during the re-entry into the atmosphere (Jonathan Root, 1998). The material has been very expensive for the last 75 years, however it is slowly making its way into commercial use, as more and more companies are starting to use aerogel products.

My interest in the area

The materials that I’ve read about the subject have piqued my interest into it. Due to its properties and potential to improve energy efficiency, I think (and it is also predicted by experts) that it has the potential to be widely used and can play a big role in climate change issues that the world faces, and I am eager to see where this will lead in the following years.

Literature Review

Materials that I have read for the proposal:

Jonathan Root. (1998) Technology Transfer. Volume 6 (Part 5) Full article available at: http://ipp.nasa.gov/innovation/Innovation65/protective.htm

The author explains what aerogel is and how it works. He also explains how pure aerogel is too fragile and cannot be easily handled. However, they’ve integrated it into the insulation panels used for the space shuttles in order to protect the shuttle from extreme temperatures. This was one of the examples that impressed me the most and made me choose this topic, as it shows how well the aerogel can insulate.

Bjørn Petter Jelle. (2011). Traditional, state-of-the-art and future thermal building insulation materials and solutions – Properties, requirements and possibilities. Energy and buildings. (Part 43), 2549–2563.

The ‘Traditional, state-of-the-art and future thermal building insulation materials and solutions’ journal shows information and a few minimal comparisons between different insulation materials, one of which is the Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP). It is one of the leading state of the art insulation materials, alongside the aerogel. Both of them are more costly than the traditional insulation materials, however they have the lowest thermal conductivity among them.

Ruben Baetens, Bjørn Petter Jelle, Arild Gustavsen. (2011). Aerogel insulation for building applications: A state-of-the-art review. Energy and buildings. (Part 43), 761–769.

This journal explains how aerogel is created and goes through the properties of the material. It also states the uses of the material in building construction, however it touches on the fact that it is still more expensive than traditional insulation materials.

(2015). Thermablok® Aerogel insulation technology. Available: http://www.thermablok.co.uk/about-thermablok. Last accessed 4.11.2015.

Thermablok is one of the companies that manufacture aerogel insulation products (other examples being Svenska and Aspen). On the website link provided above, they provide information on the technology, classing the material as “Super Insulation”. If more companies start to manufacture aerogel products, the costs might go down due to competition and, over time, cheaper methods of production.

What is Aerogel Insulation? Available: http://www.lowenergyhouse.com/aerogel-insulation.html. Last accessed 4.11.2015.

This website briefly explains what aerogel is and how it is produced, as well as a use for aerogel in glazing units. This information is relevant, as for my major project I intend to use curtain walling/floor to ceiling glazing as well.

Aerogel - Environmentally Friendly. Available: http://www.aerogel.se/technology/environmentally-friendly/. Last accessed 4.11.2015.

As climate change is a big issue at the moment, all materials used in construction should be environmentally friendly. As the website states, scientists predict that by 2050 aerogel will be commonly and widely used. Svenska aerogel has been named a “Climate Solver” by the WWF due to its potential to improve energy efficiency.

Materials that I intend to read:

Gaosheng Wei, Yusong Liu, Xinxin Zhang, Fan Yu, Xiaoze Du. (2011). Thermal conductivities study on silica aerogel and its composite insulation materials. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. (Part 54)

Michel A. Aegerter, Nicholas Leventis, Matthias M. Koebel (2011). Aerogels Handbook. Springer Science & Business Media.

Pieter de Wilde, Wei Tian. (2012). Management of thermal performance risks in buildings subject to climate change. Building and Environment. (Part 55)

Ibrahim Dincer, Adnan Midilli, Haydar Kucuk (2014). Progress in Exergy, Energy, and the Environment. Springer Science & Business Media.

Ellann Cohen (2011). Thermal Properties of Advanced Aerogel Insulation. Massachusets: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Apart from the materials listed above, I also want to look more into the Passivhaus standard. (http://www.passivhaus.org.uk/)

Research question or hypothesis and primary aim

Research question: Is aerogel the most effective and environmentally friendly insulation material on the market?

My aim is to prove that aerogel provides the best thermal performance over time out of the revolutionary insulation materials available (even if at the moment it is more expensive). Also, that by doing so, the carbon emissions and energy spent on heating and cooling a building due to unwanted heat loss and gain will drastically lower.

Objectives

-How does aerogel compare to traditional insulation materials?

-How does aerogel compare to state-of-the-art insulation materials? (Vacuum Insulation Panels in particular)

-Look at the environmental impact that aerogel has, including production, transport, etc.

Research Methods and integration into the Major Study Project

My proposal for the major study project is a mixed-use building on the Nottingham Central Fire Station site. It will incorporate office and conference space and a comic book and videogame themed café/hub on the ground floor.

I will integrate aerogel insulation into my building and compare the thermal performance that it achieves compared to other insulation materials, at the time of installation and over time.

As a research method, I will use information from case studies, books, journals to put the necessary data together and also try to use a software package or plugin in order to test it on my project building.

References

Jonathan Root. (1998) Technology Transfer. Volume 6 (Part 5) Full article available at: http://ipp.nasa.gov/innovation/Innovation65/protective.htm

Bjørn Petter Jelle. (2011). Traditional, state-of-the-art and future thermal building insulation materials and solutions – Properties, requirements and possibilities. Energy and buildings. (Part 43), 2549–2563.

Ruben Baetens, Bjørn Petter Jelle, Arild Gustavsen. (2011). Aerogel insulation for building applications: A state-of-the-art review. Energy and buildings. (Part 43), 761–769.

(2015). Thermablok® Aerogel insulation technology. Available: http://www.thermablok.co.uk/about-thermablok. Last accessed 4.11.2015.

What is Aerogel Insulation? Available: http://www.lowenergyhouse.com/aerogel-insulation.html. Last accessed 4.11.2015.

Aerogel - Environmentally Friendly. Available: http://www.aerogel.se/technology/environmentally-friendly/. Last accessed 4.11.2015.