Insulation System Using High-Temperature Fibrous Insulation Materials

ABSTRACT

In this study, we performed a preliminary research on an insulated sandwich structure using high-temperature fibrous insulation materials. Two types of fibrous materials, Saffil alumina and KCC cerakwool insulation materials, were selected. A sandwich specimen was invented to test the heat-shielding performance of the fibrous materials which were sandwiched by an Inconel plate and a titanium plate. The insulated sandwich structure was heated to 800°C for 2,000 seconds. The temperature profiles of the back side of the titanium plate were measured to compare the heat-shielding performance of the fibrous insulation materials. The microstructure of insulation materials, such as the fiber diameter, fiber orientation, and the parent materials of the fiber, was studied to understand how those characteristics influence the radiative properties of the fiber. The difference in microstructural parameters caused a difference in thermal resistance in the fibrous materials. The Saffil alumina insulation had a better performance than KCC cerakwool insulation because of its small fiber diameter and in-plane fiber orientation. The experimental results confirmed the heat transfer simulation results for fibrous materials done by other researchers. In addition, the reusability of high-temperature fibrous insulation, one of the important issues in real applications, was tested.