Replies

1. 
   ClaysWorld | Jul 19, 2009 01:31am | #1

   And to add a little reference
   http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/05/husk_insulation.html

1. 
   Luka | Jul 19, 2009 02:13am | #2

   It's not actually rice husk, being used.It's the ash from burned rice husks.The biggest part of the insulative value comes from the fact that there is a vacuum in the panels.In real life, not a lab, I wouldn't expect that vacuum to hold perfectly, for any real extended amount of time. Especially once the panels are mass-produced. Easy enough to make a perfect panel, and keep it that way, for testing. But in real life, the panels are not going to all be perfect in the first place. Then there is the fact that not all of them will be installed perfectly. Maybe not many...Last, the fact that conditions can not be expected to remain optimal, let alone perfect, for much more than maybe a decade. A nail. An insect. Rot/moisture. Glue letting go. Any one of many things can cause the loss of the vacuum.Once the vacuum goes away, what kind of insulative values do these panels hold ?..I'm not worried, I'm curious...You are always welcome at Quittintime

2. 
   ClaysWorld | Jul 19, 2009 02:38am | #3

   Well not to be on your case or anything.
   I guess I'll just get their phone # and cancel the research and development. Oh and maybe return the 200,000 thou.
   Yea and I wish they would stop saying you can seal systems of refrigeration. Always having to recharge that darn AC.
   And those darn leaky insulated windows. Never will get those to work. Humph.
   Well now we got all that cured I'm feeling much better.
   Back to my bed of isocyanurate.
   http://www.gcrio.org/USCCAP/case_kitchen.htmlhttp://www.newsdata.com/enernet/conweb/conweb19.html#cw19-1
   http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/publications/energy_casestudies/section1.pdf
   Well Orville do you really think that sucker will fly?

1. 
   Luka | Jul 19, 2009 02:47am | #4

   I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that this was a discussion where one was only allowed to sing praises of the product in question.Don't you think you're overreacting ?..I'm not worried, I'm curious...You are always welcome at Quittintime

1. 
   ClaysWorld | Jul 19, 2009 03:06am | #5

   No I was just thinking it was a nice day and stuff is Ok.
   I just thought it was some good stuff and I don't see that it is any thing but good to offer peeps.
   From some of what I read about it they are going target the refrigeration initially and when you look at what that can do for China and the world it gives me some hope.
   And besides I have been trying to figure out for the last 20 years how I was gonna get r-40 in my 2x4 ,90 year old roof.
   It has a lot of possibilities.
   Orville what is that 777.

1. 
   coonass | Jul 19, 2009 04:32am | #6

   Easy to get R40 in your roof. Just use aerogel. Ain't gonna be cheap! Cool stuff.
   http://aerogel.jpl.nasa.gov/about_aerogel.htmKK

1. 
   ClaysWorld | Jul 19, 2009 09:24pm | #7

   Just got the time to read your link. Wow that's some neat stuff.
   Here's some of the bogle .
   Currently the popular insulation material is fiberglass. Three-inch thick fiberglass insulation has an R value of 13 while six-inch has an R value of 19. However, only a half-inch thick piece of silica aerogel will have an R value of 40. Both are are made of silica, but with radically different structures, yet this structural difference makes a drastic difference in thermal insulation performance.What are the costs involved in manufacturing aerogel?
   The primary reason that aerogel has not been used widely commercially is the cost. Aerogel is made through a batched fabrication process. As its industrial continuous fabrication process is developed, the usage of aerogel will be wider than window glass. Few could afford to use window glass in their house when it was first available; now no house is without glass.

3. 
   PedroTheMule | Jul 20, 2009 01:55am | #8

   Hi ClaysWorld,

   I didn't get a real clear picture of how they set this material up. If they are sandwiching it like a window and producing the vacuum then I agree with Luka. It's inefficient enough to replace windows every decade or two. To have to somehow know that one of these things has failed behind the wall and tear off siding to replace it is not worth the effort IMO.

   If however the process used to create this stuff is some form of encapsulated microscopic bead where a vacuum is produced in each bead during manufacture, then maybe it has a place in a packaged panel.

   Did I miss something in the read detailing this or do you have further info?

   Sometimes ideas like this may not necessarily be cost effective for long term usage by the typical homeowner, but such things often spawn other workable solutions.

   Pedro the Mule - Look forward to additional info if available

1. 
   Clewless1 | Jul 20, 2009 02:21am | #9

   The value of the research is definately good stuff. But for us on the practical side, it is nothing more than 'very interesting'. It may lead to other ideas, but the concept isn't particularly new and is in fact quite simple ... although the researchers in this case took it to a new level.

   It's all good stuff.

2. 
   ClaysWorld | Jul 20, 2009 03:00am | #10

   The reason I posted it as I said in the first post, it caught my attention as I was reading the JLC July 09 issue page 15 In the News section.
   I wasn't aware of super insulation stuff.
   I see one of the links isn't working for me. But if you look at the note from coonass and the info on the airogel at R-40 per 1/2" well now.http://aerogel.jpl.nasa.gov/about_aerogel.htm
   One thought leads to more info and I got some which is great, and if you look at some of the programs that incentivize the development of the tech then it's at least hope for some good in the future.
   When you look at the structure of the sandwich we may just need to be looking at the evolution of the layers to be ? more like foam instead of insulated glass.
   The group were impressive enough to take 200,000$ so somebody thinks they have something going on. And if you go to the web site you can see it almost looks like they are pulling in the cash at every event they compete in.
   It just appears to me that the amount of energy involved is on the front burner and this issue will be front and center.
   From the airogel site "the usage of aerogel will be wider than window glass" May be huffing but it's all in the soup.
   The target of the Husk group is gonna be refrigerators for the start at savings of ?40% and 25% the original insulation size. And since they know where the money is I bet they are coming our way. And I can tell ya I am boggled at the thought of R-40 per 1/2".
   And it's way more fun than thinking how Goldman draws air made $100,000,000 a day for 34 days. Sucking the life out of America.
   CS.

1. 
   Clewless1 | Aug 02, 2009 05:44pm | #11

   Well that link was ... IMO not too much use for the lay person trying to gain an understanding of what aerogel is all about. Lots of jargon that only those in JPL understand. Wow ... not a very helpful or inviting article. It whets your whistle and then doesn't follow through. Maybe it's just that it's too early in the morning today for me? I'm fairly technically savvy and this left me asking more questions than providing answers.