This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop an ultra-thin high-R-value robust vacuum insulation panel (VIP). Thermal models indicate that with a ½" thick VIP an R-value of 50 can be achieved with an expected retail cost of ~$4.25/ft2. The technology uses tensile structural elements as thermal impedances and is based on a pending patent which has been licensed from the University of Illinois at Chicago. The VIP is expected to be suitable for installation in industrial and residential structures since it has a stainless steel foil exterior as opposed to current VIP technology, which uses a laminate of polyester and aluminum foil as its vacuum barrier. The aluminum foil creates a thermal short (edge losses) around the current VIPs which can greatly reduce their effective R-value. The use of stainless steel has the additional advantage of significantly reducing edge losses as well as increased puncture resistance.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be a drastic reduction in the energy required to heat and cool dwellings, or to refrigerate trucks used to transport perishable goods. In transportation, a refrigerated hi-cube trailer with 3? of polyurethane foam has an R-value of ~19, and could gain 9% more volume and carry 860 pounds less weight when using a ½" thick VIP with an R-value of 50. Most refrigerated trailers in the US consume up to 1.1 gallons of diesel fuel each hour to keep their loads cold. Since there are ~330,000 refrigerated trailers operating for ~3,000 hours/year, this translates into a fuel savings of 62%, or nearly 2% of the total diesel fuel consumption in this country each year. Compact and inexpensive thermal insulation can make better use of space inside new dwellings, and be used to retrofit existing dwellings with higher R-value insulation. In a 2002 review of VIPs for the residential market prepared by NAHB Research Center for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development Office, low puncture resistance was cited as a key factor slowing the adoption of vacuum insulation panels.
Maintaining a temperature below or above ambient is essential for temperature sensitive products, refrigerators, ovens, and buildings. Since at least 36% of the U.S. energy budget is for cooling and heating, reducing this energy consumption is an important issue for both consumers and industries. Increasing the thermal insulation thickness can reduce the energy consumed, however most thermal insulation is thinner than 3" to maximize the temperature-controlled volume. Thermal Conservation Technologies (TCT) will introduce a ½" thick vacuum insulation panel (VIP) to address this issue. Current VIPs have four problems that limit their widespread adoption: their high costs, a puncture prone aluminum skin, large heat losses at their edges (thermal shorts), and a maximum continuous temperature of 122oF. TCT’s VIPs solves all four problems by having: inexpensive supports, a puncture resistant stainless steel skin, minimal heat losses at their edges, and a maximum continuous temperature over 300oF. Due to the funding, TCT hired Dr. Prateek Gupta as a full-time employee. Dr. Gupta has a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. The phase I & IB SBIR funding also allowed TCT to solve scientific problems associated with the current VIP state of the art, broaden TCT’s customer outreach, verification of our business model and create new vacuum insulation panel intellectual property. 1. Scientific Accomplishments: There have been numerous advancements made in the development of our VIP due to funding of the Phase I SBIR. We have identified three effective ways of thinning and sealing stainless steel foils. The research has allowed us to economically create hermetically sealed stainless envelopes. This alone solves three of the major problems associated with current VIPs: a puncture prone aluminum skin, large heat losses at their edges and a maximum continuous temperature of 122oF. We identified two viable getters. The two getters, titanium and Carbide Derived Carbon (CDC), seem to be feasible however, further research needs to be done to determine the viability and cost effectiveness of both getters. Thermal modeling of using TCT’s VIP was done and presented at the 2011 International Thermal Conductivity Conference (ITCC), "Thermal Model of Area and Edge Losses for Vacuum Insulation Panels using Tensile Supports and a Stainless Steel Foil Exterior." Dr. Feinerman gave an oral and a poster presentation on Thermal Conservation Technologies at the CTSI Defense Energy Technology Challenge in Honolulu, Hawaii on 9/13/11. 2. Customer Outreach and New Employees: TCT identified and created strategic alliances with several companies from a variety of different markets: Gas Technology Institute for cryogenic, high temperature, and transportation Large kitchen appliance manufacturers CertainTeed (a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain), and Fraunhofer for building technology SunDanzer for solar powered refrigerators Transco for nuclear power plant insulation US military for deployable housing and other applications. 3. Business Model Verification: Business model verification was done by submitting our business model to various venture capital groups as well as different business plan competitions. Through the business plan competitions, not only did TCT come into semi-finals for many competitions, but TCT won the 2011 Clean Energy Trust "Business Concept" award of $30k, and was one of the top 10 finalists for the 2011 CTSI Defense Energy Technology Challenge. TCT was an "Early Stage finalist" for the 2012 Clean Energy Trust Challenge and won the 2012 AUTM Venture Forum Business Plan Competition. 4. Creating new Vacuum Insulation Panel (VIP) Intellectual Property: On 6/28/11 the USPTO awarded the University of Illinois (UI) a patent on one of the tensile designs described in the original patent application. The USPTO broke the original application into two different tensile designs and edge sealing designs. UI filed a divisional application on 5/26/11 on the second tensile design and expects a speedy review. The next divisional application to be filed is on our unique edge design for the VIP to minimize edge losses. Thermal Conservation Technologies (TCT) signed an exclusive license from the University of Illinois to pursue the tensile VIP technology with an effective date of 9/15/11.
