Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D23/00—General constructional features
  • F25D23/06—Walls
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16L59/00—Thermal insulation in general
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16L59/00—Thermal insulation in general
  • F16L59/06—Arrangements using an air layer or vacuum
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16L59/00—Thermal insulation in general
  • F16L59/06—Arrangements using an air layer or vacuum
  • F16L59/065—Arrangements using an air layer or vacuum using vacuum
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D2201/00—Insulation
  • F25D2201/10—Insulation with respect to heat
  • F25D2201/14—Insulation with respect to heat using subatmospheric pressure

Definitions

• the invention relates to thermal insulation elements comprising vacuum insulation panels, refrigeration appliances produced from these thermal insulation elements and a process for producing the thermal insulation elements and also refrigeration appliances produced therefrom.
• the energy saving potential when using VIPs is about 10-40% compared to conventional, closed-celled rigid polyurethane foams.
• Such vacuum insulation units generally comprise a thermally insulating core material, for example open-celled rigid polyurethane (PUR) foam, open-celled extruded polystyrene foam, silica gels, glass fibers, loose beds of polymer particles, pressed milled rigid PUR foam or semirigid PUR foam or perlite, which is packed in a gastight film, evacuated and heat sealed in so as to be airtight.
• PUR rigid polyurethane
• WO 97/36129 describes VIPs which have an edge length of at least 40 cm and can be installed in refrigeration appliances.
• EP 434 225 describes VIPs and their installation in refrigeration appliances.
• the VIP is arranged between the covering layers and surrounded with foam.
• WO 99/61503 describes VIPs which are installed in refrigeration appliances. Here, they are fixed to the side facing the interior of the refrigeration appliance by means of an adhesive and the hollow space between the covering layers is then filled with a rigid polyurethane foam system.
• VIPs enables, owing to their lower thermal conductivity, a reduction in the thickness of the insulation of the refrigeration appliances to be achieved. In this way, an increase in the interior space and thus the useful volume of the refrigeration appliances is possible at the same dimensions of the refrigeration appliance.
• thermal insulation elements comprising
• the covering layer a) can comprise metal, for example, steel sheet.
• the covering layer a) comprises polymers, in particular thermoplastic polymers. Preference is given to using polystyrene or ABS polymers as polymers.
• the metal covering layers have a thickness of from 0.2 to 0.5 mm, preferably at least 0.25 mm and in particular 0.3 mm, and not more than 0.4 mm. In the case of polymer, a thickness of 0.7-1.0 mm is preferred.
• the covering layer a) can be covered by a plurality of vacuum insulation panels, but preferably by only one vacuum insulation panel.
• the vacuum insulation panels preferably have an edge length of at least 40 cm, preferably 60 ⁇ 20 cm ⁇ 160 ⁇ 40 cm, and a thickness of at least 5 mm and at most 50 mm.
• the size of the vacuum insulation panels is preferably adapted to the size of the refrigeration appliances and should, as described, be such that at least 60% of the covering layer a) is covered by only one vacuum insulation panel.
• the advantage of using only one vacuum insulation panel b) per thermal insulation element is, in particular, that the diffusion of water vapor and the thermal conductivity can be reduced as a result of the gap-free covering of the covering layer a) and any gaps which can occur at the outer skin at the boundary between two vacuum insulation panels are avoided. Due to the size, this embodiment can be used, in particular, when the thermal insulation elements are used for producing refrigerators or freezer chests.
• vacuum insulation panels and the materials used for this purpose are known.
• core materials preference is given to using, as described, open-celled rigid polyurethane foams or foamed melamine-formaldehyde condensation products.
• a process for producing the foamed melamine-formaldehyde condensation products is, for example, described in EP 220 506.
• the foamed melamine-formaldehyde condensation products can comprise up to 50% by weight of other thermoset formers which have been cocondensed. These are preferably condensation products of compounds comprising amine, amide, hydroxyl and/or carboxyl groups with aldehydes, in particular formaldehyde.
• thermoset formers are condensation products of substituted melamine, urea, urethanes, aliphatic amines, amino alcohols, phenols and their derivatives with aldehydes.
• the foamed melamine-formaldehyde condensation products can comprise further additives such as organic or inorganic fillers.
• additives it is possible to use fibers, inorganic powders such as metal powders, kaolin, quartz, chalk, further dyes and pigments.
• foamed melamine-formaldehyde condensation products have only cell struts and no cell walls, they are very easy to evacuate. Preference is given to using rigid melamine-formaldehyde condensation products.
• Foamed melamine-formaldehyde condensation products are known and are marketed, for example, by BASF AG under the trade name Basotect®. They are usually produced by partly dissolving a pulverulent melamine-formaldehyde condensation product in water comprising salts or surfactants, mixing the resulting paste-like intermediate with a blowing agent, preferably in an extruder, and foaming the resulting product by heating, for example in a hot air oven. The foam can subsequently be heat treated in a heat treatment apparatus. Foaming is preferably carried out in a temperature range from 120 to 180° C., and heat treatment is preferably carried out in a temperature range from 200 to 250° C.
• Suitable rigid polyurethane foams are described, for example, in EP 1512707.
• water and/or hydrocarbons are preferably used as blowing agents.
• open-celled foams based on isocyanate having a cell size of less than 100 ⁇ m are used as core material of the vacuum insulation panels.
• foams can be obtained via aerogels.
• a film is generally used as sheathing material for the vacuum insulation panels.
• Preferred films are composite films, in particular multilayer composite films having a vapor-deposited or laminated-on metal layer, for example of aluminum.
• Suitable films comprise, for example, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, polyolefins such as polyethylene or polypropylene or polyvinyl alcohol.
• the thermal insulation elements of the invention are used predominantly for the production of refrigeration appliances.
• Refrigeration appliances are, for example, refrigerators, freezer chests, upright freezers, cooling containers or superstructures for refrigerated vehicles.
• the thermal insulation elements of the invention can be used both as wall elements and as door elements.
• the refrigeration appliances can be produced in various ways.
• insulation elements whose covering layer a) comprises cardboard or polyolefin, e.g. polyethylene or polypropylene, are used for the rear side where aesthetic considerations naturally do not play a dominant role. Otherwise, these thermal insulation elements have the same structure as described above.
• the compounds having at least two hydrogen atoms which are reactive toward isocyanate groups are usually polyether alcohols and/or polyester alcohols, preferably ones having a functionality of at least 3.
• the polyester alcohols are usually reaction products of polyfunctional carboxylic acids with polyfunctional alcohols.
• the polyether alcohols are usually reaction products of compounds having at least 3 active hydrogen atoms with alkylene oxides, preferably ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide.
• polyfunctional alcohols such as glycerol, trimethylolpropane or sugar alcohols, preferably sucrose or sorbitol, aliphatic amines such as ethylenediamine or aromatic amines such as tolylenediamine (TDA) or diphenylmethanediamine (MDA), usually in admixture with its higher homologues.
• polyfunctional alcohols such as glycerol, trimethylolpropane or sugar alcohols, preferably sucrose or sorbitol, aliphatic amines such as ethylenediamine or aromatic amines such as tolylenediamine (TDA) or diphenylmethanediamine (MDA), usually in admixture with its higher homologues.
• TDA tolylenediamine
• MDA diphenylmethanediamine
• the reaction usually proceeds in the presence of catalysts, blowing agents and auxiliaries and/or additives.
• Water is usually used as blowing agent, most often in combination with inert compounds which are liquid at room temperature and vaporize at the reaction temperature of polyurethane formation, known as physical blowing agents.
• Customary physical blowing agents are alkanes, fluoroalkanes and methyl formate. Among the alkanes, pentanes and in particular cyclopentane have the greatest industrial importance.
• the advantages of the thermal insulation elements of the invention over thermal insulation elements without vacuum insulation panels are the significantly lower thermal conductivity, the lower gas diffusion and the ability to reduce the thickness of the insulation layer and thus save material.
• the process of the invention surprisingly also makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the carbon layer without this resulting in disadvantages in terms of the aesthetics of the refrigeration appliances, the stability and the use properties.
• the residence times in the mold can be reduced by up to 50% as a result of decreasing the thickness of the remaining insulation layer c) when using rigid polyurethane foam as c) in an appropriate design.
• a more useful space can be made available by reducing the layer thickness at the same external dimensions.
• the temperature of the tool or the mold can be reduced down to 23° C.

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Publications (1)

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• 2007
  • 2007-06-15 CN CNA2007800234318A patent/CN101473159A/zh active Pending
  • 2007-06-15 JP JP2009515838A patent/JP2009541673A/ja active Pending
  • 2007-06-15 EP EP07730177.8A patent/EP2035738B1/de not_active Revoked
  • 2007-06-15 ES ES07730177.8T patent/ES2472291T3/es active Active
  • 2007-06-15 KR KR1020087032230A patent/KR20090031534A/ko active Search and Examination
  • 2007-06-15 WO PCT/EP2007/055933 patent/WO2007147779A1/de active Application Filing
  • 2007-06-15 PL PL07730177T patent/PL2035738T3/pl unknown
  • 2007-06-15 US US12/305,687 patent/US20100231109A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-06-15 SI SI200731459T patent/SI2035738T1/sl unknown
  • 2007-06-15 MX MX2008015644A patent/MX2008015644A/es active IP Right Grant

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