Can Aerogel Insulation cut down our energy bills?

sun is the birthplace of some of the world's best known inventions the Hadrian collider which is the world's largest particle accelerator anti-matter the world wide web and large-scale production of airgel airgel is the world's lightest solid around 99.8 percent of this material is air making it an excellent insulator aerogel nanotechnology has been used in spacecraft and space suits on a Mars Rover and it's even been used to capture Comet dust Aspen aerogel's embedded tiny particles of airgel into fibers to create flexible insulation blankets for buildings this material is five times better than standard insulation so how does this fascinating material work can we use this to build super insulated structures to cut down our energy bills will it revolutionize construction or are there barriers preventing Mass adoption foreign gels are solid gels with pockets of Air instead of water it's often called Frozen smoke because of its translucent blue appearance silica air gels made of four main ingredients tetramethyl orthosilicate or tmos methanol a volatile colorless and flammable liquid deionized water which is treated to remove all positive and negative ions and ammonium hydroxide a catalyst that speeds up reactions aerotel is an incredible invention with many advantages it is lightweight elastic it can be formed into any shape and it has Superior thermal and acoustic insulation power however since it's mainly made of air airgel is very brittle and fragile you can see hairline cracks in this airgel sample when it's held up to a light it also easily crumbles into dust which limits its uses in most applications to make aerogel more resilient and versatile for the construction industry tiny silica aerogel particles are embedded into a flexible fabric made of polyester and glass fibers this creates a space Loft insulation blanket these fibers are also called a non-woven batting material they are bonded together with the help of heat pressure or chemical binders they provide a flexible and durable support for aerogel particles and turn a fragile material into a useful product aerochel insulation blankets are sold in two thicknesses five millimeters and 10 millimeters it's stiff but pliable it can be cut on site or in a factory with scissors or razor Snips and it can be easily shaped to fit around pipes ducts wires or other irregular surfaces it's great in complex and tight spaces and even spaces with restricted access it gives off a slight smell of ammonia and it leaves your fingers feeling powdery and dry but it is not toxic in small quantities let's jump into some of the many advantages of airgel insulation air gel insulation has an R value of 10.3 per inch which is much higher than our 2.7 per inch for fiberglass insulation are 3 per inch for Rockwell insulation and are 5 for inch for XPS or extruded polystyrene insulation aerotel is very effective at slowing down the transfer of heat from exterior surfaces to Interior surfaces and vice versa it can stop thermal bridging lower Heating and Cooling costs and reduce energy consumption in buildings if you want to increase the value of the wall you can simply add more layers on top of the first layer air gel actually has a higher R value than air this is because of the nutsin effect when gas is trapped in very small pores its thermal conductivity Falls below what it would be in free environments space love aerogel blankets are treated with compounds to make them super hydrophobic or water repelling when I poured water on the sample it beat it up and slid right off not a single drop of water was absorbed this water repellency prevents rust and the growth of mold and mildew another Advantage is its thin space saving profile I spoke to an engineer recently that used airgel insulation on a building in New York because the architect forgot to include insulation in their construction drawings since they couldn't rip out the walls and start over the most economical choice was airgel airgel insulation is also fire resistant and has a Class A fire rating it can withstand temperatures from -200 degrees Celsius or minus 390 degrees Fahrenheit to 200 degrees Celsius or 390 degrees Fahrenheit air gel blankets can be used on internal and external walls floors Terraces curved walls balconies roofs and more it is compatible with most building materials it can be glued to the underside of wood plank flooring it can be attached straight to drywall without another membrane decorative metal finishes can be added to the Wall Systems for interior walls it can also be glued directly to structural solid wood framing members one of the most important advantages of air gel insulation is its breathability it is vapor open meaning that it allows water vapor to pass through both ways which makes it ideal for historic buildings it has been used on curved surfaces on historic old mills in Switzerland a multi-family house a church country house and more of course like every building material and system it has some disadvantages before we discuss them I'd like to introduce the sponsor of this portion of the video Brad Hedges is an architectural sales consulting company based in Georgia they help design a specified Terrazzo stair threads railings pavers and resin wood laminates for architectural applications they specialize in high-end residential and Commercial projects like the ascent Beech Tree in Atlanta Georgia warm and highly durable Park Lex flooring was used in the lobby areas to complement the wood removable pavers from Hanover were used in the outdoor areas head to bradhedges.com to check out their detailed Exquisite work and contact them for your next project let's end this video with the disadvantages of space Loft airgel insulation first off it is very dusty it is not toxic in small quantities and it can be easily washed off your skin and clothing however inhaling large amounts of this silica dust can cause irritation of your throat and lungs you must use gloves eye protection and a dust mask while installing this product the other disadvantage is the cost the exact price depends on your location and the quantity being purchased but in general it costs around seven dollars to twenty dollars per square foot much more expensive than traditional insulation like Rockwell which costs around two dollars per square foot this is the biggest hurdle to mass adoption air gel insulation is a novelty specialized product like we discussed in this video it has Superior thermal performance it is resistant to compression despite being flexible it's also resistant to moisture and fire and it can lower Heating and Cooling costs it is perfect for historic renovation projects and Industrial applications but not for standard Construction scientists are trying to lower the cost of airgel with new ingredients and processes so watch out for Innovations in this space I came across an all-natural air gel inspired by wood a transparent air gel for Windows and even bricks filled with airgel I can make another video on those Innovations if you're interested so let me know in the comments below also check out my dedicated video on airgel I'll link it in the description and up here I'll also link my patreon page in the description if you can support me I'd really appreciate it a big thank you to everyone already supporting me don't forget to hit the like button subscribe button and the notification bell too thanks for watching see ya foreign [Music]

Channel: Belinda Carr

Views: 63,514

Keywords: construction, aerogel, architecture, design, insulation, energy, energy efficiency, green building, stem

Id: DGz7smGPdBw

Length: 8min 18sec (498 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 20 2023