Aerogel - Spaceloft Insulation for Fridge / Freezer

[Weyalan]

Does anyone have any experience of / comments about the use of Spaceloft insulation material for a fridge / freezer application?

All opinions welcomed.

[GordMay]

Tho' not advertised for this application, it looks good, to me.

Why not ask the manufacturer, Aspen Aerogels?
ASPEN AEROGELS, INC.
30 Forbes Road, Building B
Northborough, MA 01532
USA
Tel: 1.508.691.1111
Fax: 1.508.691.1200
➥ ASPEN AEROGELS | CONTACT

[witzgall]

I have been meaning to ask Lauren Buchholz, onboard Pico (out boat's sistership) how he thinks his is working out. He replaced his insulation with the stuff some time ago.

Here is their blog:
TOWARDS THE PACIFIC

They are on the way to the Marquesas right now, so don't expect any responses for a few weeks at least.

Chris

[Weyalan]

I have read, on Mr. Kollman's site that the Spaceloft material is that the base Aerogel is relatively hygroscopic… that is to say it absorbs moisture like a desiccant… so, if this property is carried through to the Spaceloft derivative, we are going to have to be very careful to provide appropriate moisture barriers.

I have e-mailed Aspen Aerogels for comment. I shall post any relevant comms here.

[GordMay]

Aspen Aerogel Cryogel “x201" or “Z” for refrigeration

➥ http://www.aerogel.com/Aspen_Aerogels_OEM.pdf

➥ http://www.aerogel.com/products/pdf/Cryogel_x201_DS.pdf

➥ http://www.aerogel.com/products/pdf/Cryogel_Z_DS.pdf

➥ http://www.pacorinc.com/pdf/Aspen-Pacor.pdf

"Spaceloft" is intended for building construction.

[Weyalan]

Originally Posted by GordMay

"Spaceloft" is intended for building construction.

Sure, but that doesn't necessarily preclude it from other applications. I am in communication with the Australian Importer. I haven't heard back from Aspen yet.

[Richard Kollmann]

Insulating a pleasure boat’s refrigerator box with the right amount and correct type insulation is a confusing task. The only person that can answer questions about how an insulating material will perform in a particular application is a chemist specializing in insulation testing. Insulation on a boat’s refrigerator is exposed to unusual environmental conditions not normal in other refrigerator applications. When uncommon experimental insulations are being considered for your boat’s refrigerator here are a few of the questions to ask a qualified applications engineer:

• How will insulation stand up under the dynamic flexing of a boat in rough seas?

Experience shows that Vacuum Panels fail with any abrasion in protective coating.

• If exposed to 90% to 100% humidity for long periods of time will insulation remain free of moisture and still retain at least 95% of original R value for 15 years?

We know hygroscopicmaterial is one which attracts moisture from the atmosphere. Most insulation material is designed for heating industry where moisture migration into insulation is less of a problem.

• With an 80 degrees F Delta T temperature difference from inside refrigerator box to outside ambient air temperatures how much of this insulation do you recommend? With that recommended thickness of insulation what will be the estimated skin temperature of outside layer of insulation?

Condensation will form on insulation’s exterior if its skin temperature is more than 5 degree colder than surrounding air. Outer insulation temperature when box interior is at desired temperature is final conformation that box insulation is adequate for a particular climate condition. A good exterior skin temperature to achieve would be 4 degree F or less than ambient air surrounding box.

[Weyalan]

Thanks for your comments, Richard. For what it is worth, I placed an on-line order for your book about a week ago. I am delaying any major decisions pending its areival and my subsequent perusal amd consideration.

I have had no response from Aspen yet.

[SV Demeter]

Based on this sheet it sounds like this material is suitable for refridgeration use: http://www.aerogel.com/Aspen_Aerogels_OEM.pdf

Can anyone comment on an R-value for this material and does anyone have direct experience using it in a boat's fridge? Im leaning the traditonal blue board route but this looks interesting.

[ventured]

I've been researching this myself, although I didn't realize my friend Lauren on Piko had used it right under my nose.

I believe the R Value of an inch of Aerogel is about 10. I've managed to get in touch once with Anchor Insulation Welcome | Anchor Insulation - home and commercial insulation services, Providence, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire but they aren't very good about answering their phones or returning calls. From my notes they sell Cyrogel for $4.89 a square foot, plus a 20% charge for cutting a small size rather than selling a full industrial role.

I called Pacor Inc Pacor, Inc., who promptly answered the phone, sent me product sheets (leading me to think Cryogel Z is the best choice) and offered a product sample, but their price looks like about $9 a square foot, I do need to go back and check my math.

My thought is to use drill holes and fill the voids between my liner and cabintery with 2 part expanding foam. Then place a couple layers of 10 mm Cryogel Z, captured with a 1" pink or blue foam board. Then I could glass and paint the blue board, and have a very heavily insulated but slightly smaller ice box. You can't over insulate, can you?

[SV Demeter]

Interesting. R value of 10 per inch sounds spectacular. I'm going to tear off the countertop on mine and rebuild from scratch. Will probably buy a lid assembly from r parts. Just need to figure out if this insulation is too good to be true

[CarlF]

Aspen Aerogels is a really interesting company. Although it's early and a problem could still pop up they have just completed a 140,000 sq.ft. plant in Providence RI to manufacture the stuff. A press release described what they invented:

Aerogels are silica foams with nanoporous cavities that comprise 97% of their volume; thus earning them the name "solid air." Aerogels have been known as extremely fragile and brittle materials. Aspen has succeeded in producing aerogels in the form of thin, flexible mats at acceptable cost. These blankets are more robust than the existing monoliths and spheres, and just as easy to process as any other flexible insulation material.

That came from a press release last fall when BASF led a $21M investment in the company. Pretty nice partner to have.

On June 24 they announced that they would go public. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are their investment bankers. Things must be going OK....

Carl

[beiland]

This is the product I was familiar with for years, but when I looked it up a few moments ago it appears as though they are going to stop supplying it.


Ultra-R™, Glacier Bay’s vacuum super insulation, delivers the maximum insulation
performance available on the market while using less space than traditional foam insulation. Ultra-R, with an R value of R-36, provides 10 times the insulation value of foam, yet is only 1 3/8” thick. These panels rely on moderate vacuum and a special aerogel core material to achieve their insulation value rather than “trapped air” as do conventional insulation materials.
Ultra-R is a rigid, polypropylene-encased vacuum insulation panel custom-made to your dimensions. It can also be pur
chased with an optional fiberglass facing (on one or both sides).
Ultra-R offers many advantages over other thermal insulations including:

• Highest “R” value of any currently available insulation material
• Superior space and energy savings
• Exceptionally light weight
• Long life
• When combined with our ready-to-mount hatch lids, you can easily assemble your own ice boxes.
• Outstanding “R” value even if punctured

Ultra R & dB Insulation - Glacier Bay Technology

[SV Demeter]

Originally Posted by beiland

This is the product I was familiar with for years, but when I looked it up a few moments ago it appears as though they are going to stop supplying it.


Ultra-R™, Glacier Bay’s vacuum super insulation, delivers the maximum insulation
performance available on the market while using less space than traditional foam insulation. Ultra-R, with an R value of R-36, provides 10 times the insulation value of foam, yet is only 1 3/8” thick. These panels rely on moderate vacuum and a special aerogel core material to achieve their insulation value rather than “trapped air” as do conventional insulation materials.
Ultra-R is a rigid, polypropylene-encased vacuum insulation panel custom-made to your dimensions. It can also be pur
chased with an optional fiberglass facing (on one or both sides).

Ultra-R offers many advantages over other thermal insulations including:

• Highest “R” value of any currently available insulation material
• Superior space and energy savings
• Exceptionally light weight
• Long life
• When combined with our ready-to-mount hatch lids, you can easily assemble your own ice boxes.
• Outstanding “R” value even if punctured

Ultra R & dB Insulation - Glacier Bay Technology

Thats just fine as I could never afford vacuum panels anyway. My understanding though was that the material in question here is what they used inside their panels. Can anyone confirm? Im trying to figure out:

1. Is this stuff suitable for marine icebox insulation? If so does it need anything special in the application or can it be used just like blue board foam?

2. Is anyone cruising with a box insulated with this stuff? If so for how long and how is it performing?

3. Where can I actually purchase this material?

[Weyalan]

For what it is worth, we are awaiting delivery of enough Spaceloft for our fridge / freezer project.