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A developed model for predicting effective thermal conductivity of VIP with porous nano-aerogel core

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Abstract

Aerogel is currently known to be one of the ideal core materials for vacuum insulation panels. The thermal performance of aerogel is discussed in detail. Thermal performance of nan-aerogel is sharply affected by its nanostructure. The nanostructure model of aerogel was reframed by the random generation method (RGM). A developed Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for predicting the effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of nano-granular materials was proposed. The accuracy of the method was experimentally verified. The results revealed that the simulation results and experimental data were in excellent accordance, which indicated, the method could be introduced for predicting the ETC of granules. The effects of granule diameter, internal pressure and density on ETC were analyzed in detail. Additionally, it was readily possible for granular porous material with a small diameter to keep a low ETC under high pressure. The ETC of aerogel increases rapidly versus temperatures increasing, particularly at high temperatures. In addition, an optimal density value of about 120 kg/m3 was recommended for maintaining low thermal conductivity. It was also found that there existed an optimal doping content that can minimize the ETC of aerogel.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Abbreviations

A :

Heat transfer area (m2)

n :

Number of points

T :

Temperature (K)

Q :

Heat flow (W)

Φ :

Heat transfer per unit time (W)

R :

Radius (nm)

c :

Pseudo sound speed

w :

Weight coefficient

Δ:

Difference

λ:

Thermal conductivity

δ:

Thickness (m)

τ:

Relaxation time

β :

Extinction coefficient

ξ :

Weighting factor

σ :

Boltzmann constant

ε :

Emissivity

ϕ :

Porosity

c :

Cold plate

h :

Hot plate

r :

Radiative transfer

s :

Solid transfer

g :

Gaseous transfer

op :

Opacifiers

f :

Fibers

RGM:

Random generation method

ETC:

Effective thermal conductivity

LBM:

Lattice Boltzmann method

SEM:

Scanning electron microscopy

VIP:

Vacuum insulation panel

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to render thankfulness to Jiangsu Shanyou Dior energy saving new material Co., Ltd. for the materials supply. The article and experiment were guided by Wangwei from Shanghai Maritime University, and the authors thanked her sincerely.

Funding

The work was supported by the joint fund of National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (grant numbers: U2167214).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Merchant Marine College, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, 201306, People’s Republic of China

    Qiaoling Zhang, Ankang Kan & Jiaxiang Zhang

  2. College of Material Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 211106, People’s Republic of China

    Zhaofeng Chen

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  1. Qiaoling Zhang
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Correspondence to Ankang Kan.

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Qiaoling Zhang and Ankang Kan contribute equally.

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Zhang, Q., Kan, A., Zhang, J. et al. A developed model for predicting effective thermal conductivity of VIP with porous nano-aerogel core. Heat Mass Transfer 59, 1229–1242 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-022-03328-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-022-03328-6

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