Questions tagged [thermal-insulation]

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Insulating value

The level of vacuum (rough, high, etc) in a vacuum insulating panel determines its insulating value (typically measured in U or R value). Does the VOLUME matter? That is, for the same level of vacuum ...
John Hume's user avatar
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Secondary glazing 16 to 20cm away from double glazing

I have double glazing (optimized for sound protection) on a 2m-by-2m window. What would be the effect (sound insulation and thermal insulation) of an additional layer of glazing about 16cm away from ...
H A Helfgott's user avatar
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Minimizing heat transfer to the contents of a non-airtight pipe

Consider the following simple (half)pipe setup: The grey part is a galvanized-steel half-pipe. The green part consists of the ABS plastic non-airtight top lid and an internal layer of ABS plastic ...
Noideas's user avatar
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What is the ideal theoretical construction for an insulative box to keep my frosty beverages frosty?

What is the ideal construction for an insulative box to keep my frosty beverages frosty? I am interested in finding the theoretical maximum as well as the practical maximum. I was sitting on my back ...
William Edmondson's user avatar
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How to correctly use the thermal conductivity coefficient formula?

I'm trying to help a friend. We are trying to use the formula below to calculate the thermal conductivity coefficient of a composite material (styro-bamboo). Q=100 Watts, d (or thickness)= 20mm, A= ...
カイル's user avatar
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How to calculate the thermal conductivity of a composite material

Very new to thermal conductivity calculations, so I'm aware there are already queries on here that may cover this, but I'm struggling to apply them to this instance. I'm trying to calculate the U-...
newuser2967's user avatar
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Thermal performance

Which is higher thermal performance: R15 effective wall calculated per ASHRAE90.1-16 or an R15 effective wall calculated per the Thermal Bridging Guidelines?
Sean Czerwnka's user avatar
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U-value for suspended ground floor

I'm about to finish U-value calculation for a house (an assignment for the Sustainable Technology for Buildings module) but I can't understand the formula. I've got all the data except from "ln&...
Przemek's user avatar
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heat flow in a annular cylinder of insulating material

Maybe this belongs in DIY, because ... I'm trying to analyze the amount of heat required to prevent water supply pipes from freezing. The pipes would be protected by electrical heating tape and ...
RustyShackleford's user avatar
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1 answer
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Heat insulation thickness needed for a truck box conversion

I'm starting to work on a project of converting a truck box to a motor-home, and one of the key components for me is heat insulation. I'm from a sunny country with temperatures that in summer can go ...
Simon's user avatar
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Calculating Glass Wool Insulation Thickness

I intend to calculate required thickness of glass wool insulation for a hot vessel. I know the temperature inside the vessel, the acceptable temperature at the surface of the vessel (after insulation),...
usman qadir's user avatar
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How to design a peltier heat pump?

I'm trying to design a cold air blower system to cool something periodically - can't attach peltiers directly, and can't use a condenser like a fridge etc, the system needs to be small, and dry ...
Oliver Walters's user avatar
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High thermal conductivity in soft, fleece-like textiles

Fleeces typically exhibit low thermal conductivity, and are often used in winter clothing for their insulating properties. I am seeking a material for a radiant heat application that is soft to the ...
Matt Voda's user avatar
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Combining reflective insulation and conventional (cellulose-based) insulation

I'm working with an architect to insulate an apartment (most of a small house) from the 1930s, with limited space. She has hit upon what seems like a good solution for the north-facing courtyard side -...
H A Helfgott's user avatar
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2 answers
193 views

Heat Loss from Domestic Oven Door

Our kitchen electric oven has a large glass door approx 530 x 440mm, overall thickness 35mm. There is a front and back glass pane, no insulation and the air cavity is open at the bottom. I'm wondering ...
Albacore's user avatar
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What is the thermal conducivity of Air between two plates?

What is a rough cut figure I could use to determine what the thermal conductivity of 10mil and/or 20mil of air sandwiched between two plates (perfectly conducting)? I understand that convection dies ...
Voltage Spike's user avatar
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How much a 0.1 mm air gap between 2 materials will affect heat transfer rate?

I have a disc with drilled holes with a 0.1 mm tolerance. The plate is 6061 T6 Aluminum and I want to insert a polyethylene tube with water in it that is frozen. Assuming some tubes are in full ...
Jonathan's user avatar
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Figuring out power requirements of pool heater elements powered directly by solar panels (panel efficiency & sun,evaporation, insulation, ), etc.)

EDIT 1: firstly, thank you for the comments and the input In this calculations the panels are already involved from the start as being the source (due to other connections to other systems when not ...
ivanantuns's user avatar
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Thermally insulate roof windows

I have two 3 by 4 foot roof windows facing south and want to keep the heat out in summer. What I did on the hottest days was I opened them a bit and strapped cardboard on top. That way a bit (hot) ...
megasega's user avatar
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Heating an uninsulated campground building with high ceiling and radiant floor in New England

We have a beautiful dining hall designed for summer camp use, which we want to keep warm enough for group activities in the winter. The chosen heat is radiant floor, hoping to keep temperatures ...
user3794294's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
368 views

More efficient to use LED lighting than to open blinds for light and thereby lose heat when very cold outside?

Currently here it is 9 degrees Farenheit. My home is heated by electric resistance heating (not a heat pump, just plain heating coils). Am I correct in believing that it's more energy efficient to ...
Paul's user avatar
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What is the ideal gap between two panes of glass for insulation

I have two panes of glass, about a 3/8" thick (.95 cm). Space efficiency and aesthetics ignored, how far apart should they be spaced to maximize heat insulation, assuming the gap contains regular ...
gunfulker's user avatar
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What is the white fiber in the copper wire of headphones?

I got a pair of in-ear headphones, broke the left earphone, bought another set, broke the right earphone, and joined the leftovers of both. I found white, grey, or beige fibers near the copper of the ...
miguelmorin's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
236 views

Trapping sun heat the most - greenhouse

Greenhouse have recently caught my attention lately, which yesterday I posted in Why greenhouse's inside temperature never been infinitely hot? From what I understand recently, greenhouse gases traps ...
gijoe's user avatar
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Cheap material and construction to insulate balcony during the winter?

It's a long shot, but I was wondering whether there is any material I can wrap around my balcony to be able to use it like a sun room during the winter. A plastic-like material that I could span ...
Yuri Borges's user avatar
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1 answer
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What material might by used to 'staple' coils down in this stovetop element?

I have the stovetop element shown in the image below. If you look at the coils, they're fixed down by what look like little staples. I'm wondering what material those staples might be. The surface ...
gkeenley's user avatar
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Increase in internal energy and temperature

A banquet hall (150 m3) is to be used for a formal dinner for 20 persons. Each person occupies 0.075 m3 of space and has an average heat transfer rate of 500 kJ/hr. If the AC system fails, determine ...
Millie's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
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Heat loss calculation and Energy Balance

The image shows the CAD model of the annealing zone in a galvanization simulator. The zone is electrically heated with a AC current of 5597A at 2.09V. This whole zone is surrounded by insulating ...
Selvaprakash Vijay's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
191 views

How are the electronics and chips inside the microwave protected from the microwave radiation/energy?

Let's say I put in an endoscope like camera with the lens at the inside edge of the box and the wire behind metal sheet. Here's a mockup: Could use microwave reflecting or absorbing wrap to wrap the ...
tigertiger's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Simulation of temperature in insulated box

I have a box outside that I want to insulate such that the temperature inside the box doesn't drop below 10°C given outside temperatures of (in the most extreme case - at night) -10°C. Inside the box ...
Daniel Jour's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
254 views

How to calculate the volume of air required to keep electrical box cool?

I have a steel electrical box that is 15 cm x 15 cm x 10 cm. The weight of the box is 1kg. Inside the box is a relay that loses 30 Watts of heat while in operation (it's attached to a heat sink that ...
Wise Shepherd's user avatar
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2 answers
275 views

Time to change temperature inside the box

I have an interesting problem here. I have a box of certain dimensions. Inside of the box is some insulation and another box, from the same material as the outer box. I know everything possible about ...
Tesela's user avatar
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1 answer
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In a warmer/sunnier climate, window (or roller shutters) superior to curtains?

When -on a hot day- the sun is incident on a window covered from the outside by a closed window shutter, the resulting heat is absorbed by the layers of air surrounding the shutter, subsequently ...
Vergilius's user avatar
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3 answers
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Freezing water in bent copper pipe

I would like to make an ice cream machine for home use. That is a mixing bowl which can be stored in the freezer over night and then keeps cold long enough to freeze the ingredients while mixing them. ...
lhk's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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How does concrete perform in an Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) house?

From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4033560/ I can see that concrete can really go bad after a few hundred freeze and unfreeze cycles: If an ICF house has insulation from the inside ...
cirka547's user avatar
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1 answer
503 views

Protecting heat-sensitive media from fire: fire-safe + Thermos?

Protecting paper documents from fire is quite straightforward with, for example, a Sentry fire chest. This product has been tested hold the inside temperature under 177°C (350F) for 1 hour. This is ...
Figaro's user avatar
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Flow of hot gasses around the pipe

I have the following problem: there is a copper pipe getting through a wooden wall. On one side of the wall (hot side), I have elevated temperature which is defined by radiation and convection. On the ...
blackarrow's user avatar
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3 answers
140 views

DIY thermally insulating construction material

I need to thermally insulate two metal (say aluminum) parts, the first of which is at 200-400 °C (473-673 K), and the second one is at room temperature. It should be possible to screw the parts ...
oliver's user avatar
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1 answer
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How cold for lack of heat?

I know that on the moon, while the daytime surface temperature can be above 270° F, in the shade but a few feet above the surface temperature can get quite low. Wondering whether a similar phenomenon ...
GGizmos's user avatar
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5 votes
5 answers
6k views

What colour of tarp will let in the least amount of heat?

Source: Low Tunnel Construction: How to Build a Mini Hoop House I have a small greenhouse that I want to keep as cold as possible in the spring. I plan to cover the greenhouse with a polyethylene ...
User1974's user avatar
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What is the gray-body emissivity value of air

Wonder if anyone would know what is the average thermal emissivity value of air relative to blackbody at near room temperatures? I am looking for that magical number between 0 and 1. Looked everywhere ...
user2820052's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
96 views

Insulator thermal resistance

I have a machine that has power output of 2750 watt, which is blasted to a insulator foam with thermal resistance of 2.1 m2 kelvin/watt where the insulator is 5 cm thick and it drives the heat into ...
ethereal1m's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
7k views

Calculating R-value from temperature differential

A home windows installation rep gave me a quote today and conducted the following temperature differential demonstration. Alice pointed a heat gun (with a surface temperature of 165F) at the interior ...
Mowzer's user avatar
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1 answer
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When does window insulation have more impact than attic?

Is there any way to determine either empirically or by convention a rule-of-thumb when one should spend money on insulating windows rather than insulating the attic of a house or building to keep it ...
Mowzer's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
327 views

Does attic insulation help cool a building?

Given that hot air rises, it's easy to understand how attic insulation can help keep a building warm; say, in the winter, for example. But when winter changes to summer, does the attic insulation help ...
Mowzer's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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How thick do I need to make the insulation in my homemade furnace?

(This is probably a simple question, but I've been staring at it so long I'm not sure I know how to do it any more. I have an Excel spreadsheet with like 3 different ways to calculate this, and they ...
Reid Rankin's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
898 views

Heat Loss in Typical House

I recently looked up the recommended insulation value for my area (7) and was surprised how much lower the wall insulation value was shown to be. As you can see it is almost a third of the recommended ...
Jonathon's user avatar
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transient heat losses approximation, closed chamber

I want to build a small 1x1x1 m insulated (wooden) box, with the purpose of testing an internal coating (the idea is to buy 5 square meters of it instead of 60 for a full scale room). My idea was to ...
smntnz's user avatar
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1 answer
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Best insulation material for pipes @ 500℃

What will be the best thermal insulation material for insulation of pipe lines having temperature of 500℃. Mineral wool and Calcium Silicate can be used but here we have a constraint of both weight ...
Rishi Raj's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
509 views

Suggestions on how to keep electronics cool in high ambient temperature location?

What are the best materials and methods to keep the internal temperature of a device lower then the ambient temperature outside of the device? Based on the following information: Starting temp of ...
Dave's user avatar
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