This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Glicksman, L. R. Articles by Torpey, M. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Factors Governing Heat Transfer through Closed Cell Foam Insulation

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 02139

M. Torpey

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 02139

The factors governing the heat transfer through foam insulation are reviewed and a predictive model is presented. Heat transfer takes place by conduction through gas within the foam cell, by conduction through the solid polymer and by thermal radiation. The gas conductivity is a function of the local gas composition. A given volume of polymer in a cell wall transmits twice the heat as the same volume in a strut. Radiation can be accurately predicted by assuming the cell walls are trans parent and the struts are opaque. The radiation heat transfer is proportional to the square root of the foam density and inversely proportional to the cell diameter to the first power. Addition of metal flakes to the polymer shows promise in reducing the transparency of the cell walls.

Key Words: foam • heat transfer • conductivity • radiation

Journal of Building Physics, Vol. 12, No. 4, 257-269 (1989)
DOI: 10.1177/109719638901200403


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?