High-Tech
Appliance
Insulation
by Alex Wilson
Last month in this column I
discussed the new restrictions on
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and how
they might affect the way we insulate
our houses and appliances. This
month, we'll look at one technology
being pursued as an alternative to
CFC-blown rigid insulations for
appliances: vacuum panels.
Anyone who has enjoyed a hot cup
of coffee from a thermos bottle, can
appreciate the ability of a vacuum to
insulate. By reducing the number of
air molecules in the evacuated space,
conduction of heat from one molecule
to another is greatly reduced. The
same principal can be applied to
panels used in insulating refrigerators,
freezers, and water heaters.
Two approaches to vacuum panel
insulation are currently receiving most
of the attention: