An-Gels of Insulation

The Northwest experiences cold harsh winters and hot dry summers. These weather conditions dictate a large demand for heating and cooling during various times of the the year. One proposed way of reducing the required power generation is to employ aerogel and its extremely high insulation properties, into residential homes as well as commercial buildings. Before an installation effort is made, data must be gathered to show whether or not the increased cost of aerogel is worth the energy savings.

Problem Definition
In 2015, about 40% of total U.S. energy consumption was consumed in residential and commercial buildings. Most existing buildings in the US were built before building energy efficiency was a concern, and most of these buildings will still be in use for quite some time. They are not built with energy savings in mind. It is of great interest to decrease their heat loss in the least intrusive and least expensive way possible. A probable, and perhaps inexpensive way to lower the heat loss of buildings is to retrofit them with improved insulation, such as aerogel. The alternative is to overhaul a buildings HVAC network, which can be expensive and intrusive. This team aims to characterize the performance of aerogel as an insulation as compared to current insulation methods.

Background
Aerogel is a lightweight, porous substance created by evaporating a solvent from a silica base. Aerogel contains around 50%-99.8% air while maintaining a rigid structure. The end result is a material that has very low thermal conductivity.

Due to the low thermal conductivity and low density, aerogel appears to be an effective method of increasing the thermal resistance of a building. A previous study was implemented at the University of Kansas to investigate the effects of aerogel insulation in a simple panel versus a different form of insulation. The results of their experiment indicated that heat loss could be lowered by about 16 percent of a more traditional polyester insulation.

Methodology
Temperature gradients will be observed in a simulated room model using aerogel as well as fiberglass insulation. Hobo temperature sensors [Insert Data sheet link] will be used to measure and record the temperature at several points both within and without the simulated wall. Measurements will be taken in one minute intervals. The simulated room will be left open to room temperature until the start of the experiment, at which point, it will be sealed and then placed in a lower temperature environment. The heat within the box will flow towards the lower temperature outside. After data collection, the temperatures of a point can be plotted versus time. These temperature profiles can be compared for the various insulation materials and conclusions can be drawn to help characterize their performance.

Deliverables
The team will deliver several different things from this study. First, a reusable box with easily removable panels will be delivered the the University of Idaho Department of Mechanical Engineering for further use in other experimentation classes. Second, temperature data taken over time will be used to compare the performance of aerogel versus other common residential insulation's.