Aerogel insulation blanket is an advanced thermal insulation material composed of aerogel. Aerogel is a highly porous and lightweight substance produced by replacing the liquid component of the gel with gas. Its structural framework is usually composed of silica, so silica aerogel is often referred to simply as aerogel. This material is an excellent insulator due to its extremely low thermal conductivity.
Aerogel insulation blankets are soft, blanket-like insulation materials made by embedding aerogel in a fiber matrix. Common fiber matrices include glass fiber or other synthetic fibers, making these blankets flexible and easy to handle and install. This advanced material not only providesExcellent Thermal Insulation Performance, but also has waterproof capabilities and can withstand both high and low temperature environments. It is suitable for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications, including the oil and gas industries, construction engineering, aerospace, and other fields.
So, do you know what properties and advantages aerogel insulation blankets have?
Insulation performance is 2~5 times that of traditional materials, achieving the same or even better insulation performance with minimal insulation thickness.
Water repellency and air permeability help prevent corrosion under insulation (CUI).
Compression resistance and rebound allow thermal performance to be restored after being compressed.
Make the performance stable for a long time while providing fire protection for the object.
Can be easily cut on site with traditional cutting tools to fit any specific shape or geometry.
The volume required for insulation material is smaller, greatly reducing the volume and cost of storage and transportation.
No respirable fiber content, direct landfill disposable.
After understanding the performance and advantages of Aerogel, do you know how aerogel is made into insulation blankets?
Generally speaking, there are two common production methods for aerogel insulation blankets:
1. Supercritical drying method
The supercritical drying method is the traditional method for producing aerogel, including for the production of aerogel insulation blankets. The process starts with a sol-gel process, where a silica precursor is mixed with a solvent and a catalyst to form a gel. The gel is then aged to strengthen its structure. After aging, the gel undergoes supercritical drying.
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What does supercritical drying mean? It involves placing the gel in a supercritical fluid (usually CO2) environment, where the solvent is removed without causing the gel structure to collapse. This step is essential to maintaining the highly porous structure of the aerogel, which gives it insulating properties.
The next step then requires integrating the aerogel into a fiber blanket, which is usually made of materials such as glass fibers. The aerogel fills the pores within the fiber matrix, forming a soft insulating blanket. This is the complete supercritical drying process for producing an aerogel insulation blanket.
2. Ambient pressure drying
Ambient pressure drying is a more cost-effective alternative to supercritical drying. In this method, after the gel is formed and aged, it undergoes a surface modification process to strengthen the gel and reduce capillary forces that may cause the structure to collapse during the drying process. Surface modification usually involves treating the gel with chemicals, such as silanizing agents, which can change the surface tension of the gel pores and allow the liquid inside the gel to evaporate at ambient pressure without causing serious damage to the structure.
The gel is then dried at ambient pressure, usually at a high temperature, to remove the solvent. The resulting aerogel is then combined with fiber blanket materials to form an insulating blanket.
Both production methods have their own advantages. The supercritical drying method produces aerogels with excellent thermal properties and consistent structure. The supercritical drying process ensures the highest quality of aerogels with minimal shrinkage or porosity loss. The ambient pressure drying method is lower in cost and more scalable, making it suitable for large-scale production. However, the thermal conductivity of the resulting aerogel may be slightly lower than that of aerogels produced by supercritical drying.
Both methods are widely used in the industry, with the choice of method often depending on the specific application requirements and cost considerations. As a purchaser, you only need to choose the right supplier that meets your needs for Aerogel Insulation Blankets. Given that the production processes in modern factories are quite mature, aerogel insulation blankets typically meet various standards and requirements. You can ensure the quality of the products through certifications such as SGS and COA, so there is no need to worry excessively about the production method.
Generally, the aerogel insulation blankets purchased by enterprises from factories are mainly used in the following industries:
A comparison of Aerogel Insulation and other insulation materials demonstrates why Aerogel material has been fast gaining a favourable reputation as the material of choice for industrial insulation and is rapidly gaining market share. This article describes briefly the key differences between Aerogel type insulation and conventional insulation.
Below we discuss in a bit more detail the benefits, limitations and properties of Aerogel insulation and other insulation materials to help users select the appropriate insulation materials for their requirements.
Aspen Aerogels (Aspen) is a leading manufacturer of Aerogel insulation blankets and their hot insulation product is Pyrogel. Typically Aerogel insulation blanket is made of silica aerogel on a woven E-glass blanket and the key properties that sets it apart from the other insulation products are as follows :
Unlike calcium silicate, perlite and microporus materials that are supplied in pre-formed moulds and slabs, aerogel products are produced as flexible blankets and supplied in standard roll sizes. These blankets can be easily cut into various shapes and sizes at site to apply on any equipment. This makes Aerogel insulation easy to procure and reduces complexity in inventory management as well.
Organic binders are used in rockwool and other fiberous insulation materials. The purpose for such binders is to hold the fibres together in its supplied form. However at temperatures above 200⁰C these binders break down the fibers tend to come loose. This can often be seen, when the external cladding is removed during maintenance etc where the fiberous insulation begins to sag towards the bottom or becomes brittle making them unusable once removed. However, in the case of Aerogel there is no organic binder which keeps it thermally and physically stable even at high temperatures.
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