Modulated thermal conductance thermal enclosure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10593967-B2
Application number	US-201715631187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2017
Priority date	Jun 30, 2016
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

A thermal insulation device includes a first plate, a second plate formed to nest adjacent the first plate with a gap between the first and second plates, a porous material disposed in the gap between the plates, a sealing layer disposed between the first and second plates such that the porous material is sealed from ambient at a pressure less than ambient, and a vapor generating material disposed in the gap.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermal insulation device comprising;
a first plate;
a second plate formed to nest adjacent the first plate with a gap between the first and second plates;
a porous material disposed in the gap between the plates;
a sealing layer disposed between the first and second plates such that the porous material is sealed from ambient at a pressure less than ambient; and
a vapor generating material disposed in the gap.

2. The thermal insulation device of claim 1 wherein the vapor generating material has a pressure vs. temperature relationship that modulates the thermal conductance of the vapor in the gap between the enclosure plates.

3. The thermal insulation device of claim 1 wherein the vapor generating material comprises cyclohexane, 1-Butanol, Cyclohexane, Ethanol, Ethyl acetate, or water vapor.

4. The thermal insulation device of claim 1 wherein the first and second plates comprise a substantially planar portion and sides, wherein the sealing layer is disposed between sides of the first, and second plates.

5. The thermal insulation device of claim 4 wherein the sealing layer comprises a polymer material and a metal layer disposed between the polymer layer and ambient.

6. The thermal insulation device of claim 5 and further comprising an additional layer of polymer and metal.

7. The thermal insulation device of claim 1 wherein the porous material is a nano-porous material comprising an open cell material.

8. The thermal insulation device of claim 1 wherein the porous material is a nano-porous material comprising a low-density mixture of fumed silica, fiberglass, and silicon carbide.

9. The thermal insulation device of claim 1 wherein the porous material comprises a getter material.

10. A thermal insulation enclosure comprising;
a first plate;
a second plate formed to nest adjacent the first plate with a gap between the first and second plates;
a porous material disposed between the plates;
a vapor generating material disposed in the gap;
a sealing layer disposed between the first and second plates such that the porous material is sealed from ambient at a pressure less than ambient;
a duplicate set of first and second plates having a porous material, vapor generating aterial and sealing layer formed to mate with the first and second plates to form a chamber; and
a device disposed within the chamber that is thermally insulated from ambient by the enclosure.

11. The thermal insulation enclosure of claim 10 wherein the first and second plates and duplicate first and second plates comprise a substantially planar portion and sides, wherein the sealing layer is disposed between sides of the first and second plates, wherein the sides of each set of plates align to form the chamber, and wherein the vapor generating material has a pressure vs. temperature relationship that modulates the thermal conductance of the vapor in the gap between the enclosure plates.

12. The thermal insulation enclosure of claim 10 wherein the vapor generating material comprises cyclohexane, 1-Butanol, Cyclohexane, Ethanol, Ethyl acetate, or water vapor.

13. The thermal insulation enclosure of claim 10 wherein the device within the enclosure comprises a fuel cell based power generator and wherein the enclosure includes a path from ambient to allow ambient oxygen to reach the device.

14. The thermal insulation device of claim 10 wherein the sealing layer comprises a polymer material and a metal layer disposed between the polymer layer and ambient.

15. The thermal insulation device of claim 10 wherein the porous material comprises an open cell material including a low-density mixture of fumed silica, fiberglass, and silicon carbide.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Eickhoff Steven J
• Klein Jeffrey Michael

Classifications

• H01M8/04067 Primary

  Heat exchange or temperature measuring elements, thermal insulation, e.g. heat pipes, heat pumps, fins · CPC title

• H01M2250/30

  Fuel cells in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop · CPC title

• H01M8/2475 Primary

  Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/04007

  related to heat exchange · CPC title

• Y02B90/18

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic