Recovery Act - High-Temperature Industrial Insulation Utilizing Aerogels

Industrial high-temperature furnace insulation materials currently consist of either carbon or graphite in various forms. Due to these limited materials choices, the results include significant heat loss, expensive maintenance costs incurred due to frequent replacement of the carbon insulation, and long lead times due to supply tightness of carbon fibers. End-users need to reduce expensive energy and maintenance costs. Significant advancements have been made in the field of aerogel materials in recent years, and these materials have great potential to lead to significant energy savings across various industries. The proposed work seeks to determine the technical and economic feasibility of utilizing a carbon felt-encapsulated aerogel insulation for use in high-temperatures furnaces and will focus on characterization of high-temperature thermal properties and determination of the economic benefit from energy-efficiency improvements and reduced maintenance costs. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: There is significant potential to dramatically lower the thermal conductivity of industrial carbon insulation materials by utilizing encapsulation of carbon aerogels. Use of these flexible carbon felts can result in major improvements in high-temperature furnace insulation and increase energy efficiency.