Vacuum Insulation Panel (VIPs) constitute a type of vacuum-based thermal insulation material.
They are fabricated by laminating a core filling material with a vacuum-sealing outer layer.
By effectively preventing heat transfer caused by air convection, VIPs achieve a drastic reduction in thermal conductivity reaching values between 0.002 and 0.004 W/m·K which is merely one-tenth the thermal conductivity of traditional insulation materials.
As a form of vacuum insulation, VIPs effectively eliminate heat transfer driven by air convection, thereby significantly lowering thermal conductivity.
A VIP primarily consists of a core material, a barrier film, and a getter (adsorbent); among these components, the core material is the critical factor determining the panel’s insulation performance.
Common core materials include granular, foam, fibrous, and composite types; notably, fibrous core materials offer distinct advantages such as low density, fine fiber diameter, and inherently low thermal conductivity.
VIPs are primarily utilized for thermal insulation applications, such as in household refrigerators, yacht refrigerators, mini-fridges, car refrigerators, deep freezers,
electric water heaters, vending machines, cold storage boxes, refrigerated containers, building wall insulation, and LNG storage and transportation.
Refrigeration Equipment Applications
Refrigerators Utilizing VIP Insulation
Incorporating VIP (Vacuum Insulation Panel) technology into refrigerators not only enables energy savings of 10% to 30%,
but also simultaneously increases effective internal storage capacity by 20% to 30%, while extending the product’s service life by 7 to 10 years.
This effectively reduces the overall weight of the refrigerator and minimizes its overall footprint.
For lightweight structures and thin-walled components, the application of VIP insulation technology offers significant technical and economic value.
Cold Storage Containers Utilizing Phase-Change Materials
If standard PU or PF foam is used as the thermal insulation material, the effective thermal retention period is limited to just 1 to 2 days.
However, by switching to Vacuum Insulation Panel (VIP) materials, this retention period can be extended to 4 to 5 days.
Thanks to this extended duration, it becomes possible to switch from air freight to ground transport, thereby significantly reducing shipping costs.
Insulated Cold Storage Boxes
When comparing containers holding an identical payload of temperature-sensitive items:
(1) A container utilizing PU foam insulation features external dimensions of 57 cm × 50 cm × 50 cm, an insulation layer thickness of 3.8 cm, and requires 21.8 kg of coolant to maintain a holding time of 120 hours;
(2) A container utilizing VIP insulation features external dimensions of 33 cm × 46 cm × 28 cm, an insulation layer thickness of 2.5 cm, and requires only 7 kg of coolant to maintain a holding time of 200 hours.
The overall volume of the insulated container was reduced by 70%, and the refrigerant consumption was decreased by 68%, while the effective thermal retention duration was extended by 66%.
Types of Core Materials for Vacuum Insulation Panel:
1. Glass Fiber: Possesses excellent thermal insulation and high-temperature resistance properties, making it suitable for thermal insulation in high-temperature environments.
2. Polystyrene Board: Exhibits good thermal insulation and compressive strength, making it suitable for building insulation applications.
3. Polyurethane: Offers excellent thermal insulation and moisture-resistance properties, making it suitable for applications such as refrigeration equipment and water heaters.
4. Polyimide Film: Characterized by extremely low thermal conductivity and excellent compressive strength, making it suitable for thermal insulation in high-temperature environments.
5. Honeycomb Ceramics: Possesses excellent thermal insulation and compressive strength, making it suitable for thermal insulation in high-temperature environments.
Core Material Classification
Advantages
Compared to other materials, VIPs (Vacuum Insulation Panel) are distinguished by their exceptionally low thermal conductivity.
When meeting identical thermal insulation requirements, they offer the distinct advantages of a thinner insulation layer, reduced volume, and lighter weight.
Consequently, they are ideally suited for products with stringent energy-saving demands and hold significant technical and economic value.
Core Material Classification
The core materials used in VIPs primarily fall into two categories: powder-based cores and fiberglass-based cores.
VIPs utilizing powder-based cores typically composed of silica exhibit a relatively higher thermal conductivity and are predominantly applied in building wall insulation.
In contrast, VIPs featuring fiberglass-based cores possess a lower thermal conductivity and are primarily utilized for energy-efficient thermal insulation in appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerated transport vehicles.
