Study on Fire Prevention of Wall Insulation Organic Materials

In order to solve the shortcomings of the traditional organic thermal insulation material, the ordinary portland cement is modified firstly. Although organic insulation material is lighter in texture and better in thermal insulation, it is very flammable. In addition, the insulation property of inorganic insulation material is insufficient. When the content of high alumina cement is 20 parts and the content of Li2CO3 is 3 parts, the initial setting time of the high alumina cement – ordinary portland cement composite system is the shortest. The time is 12min and 22min, which is close to the gas-bubble stabilization time. Then the effect of polypropylene addition on the properties of composite cement is studied. The results show that the optimum performance of the cement foam insulation material is best when the polypropylene fiber content is 2%. The compressive strength is 0.619MPa, the bulk density is 285kg/m3, the water absorption is 15.4%, and the thermal conductivity is 0.079w/mk. In conclusion, this kind of material belongs to grade A non-combustible material.

The use of performance, application status and existing problems of organic and inorganic thermal insulation materials, which are commonly used in the external walls of the building, are described in detail in this paper. Organic thermal insulation materials with low thermal conductivity, good thermal insulation performance, but with the flammable, low fire rating, poor safety, then it needing for flame retardant treatment. However, Inorganic thermal insulation materials with flame retardant, high fire rating, good safety performance, but poor thermal insulation properties than the organic insulation materials, so it needs to develop a low thermal conductivity of inorganic insulation materials.In the end, we pointed out that the inorganic insulation materials with low thermal conductivity and excellent comprehensive properties are expected to be the first choice for building thermal insulation materials.

Primary Energy Implications of different Wall Insulation Materials for Buildings in a Cold Climate

Preserving the temperature of the indoor environment within the acceptable limits during the cold weather using a minimal amount of energy consumption is an important factor in the modern housing systems and green buildings. Therefore, this study aims to provide eco-friendly insulation material (organic material). The utlised organic material in this study was Lignocellusic Biomass (it is also known as Poaceae common reed, and Phragmites australis) and straw. The insulation efficiency of this organic matter was evaluated via testing its performance under controlled conditions. The experimental work included three types of insulation, namely organic insulation (straw and reeds), industrial insulation material (fiberglass), and bricks (without insulation). The insulation level was monitored using an infrared camera. The thermal profile was created for each insulation scenario. The results showed that the efficiency of the organic insulation was similar to the fiberglass; only a 0.84% difference was noticed between the industrial and the organic insulation materials in terms of efficiency, which proves that the Lignocellusic Biomass is a potential eco-friendly alternative for the industrial insulation materials.

건축용 단열재는 에너지 절약을 목적으로 적용되며 불연 및 내화성능이 요구되는 부위는 무기계 섬유를 주재료로 사용하는 미네랄울 및 글라스울 소재가 적용된다. 하지만 무기계 소재인 미네랄울이나 글라스울은 특성상 수분에 취약하여 뭉침 및 처짐 현상 등이 발생하여 단열효과가 떨어지며 유기계 소재인 폴리스티렌폼이나 우레탄폼 등은 화재에 취약하고 일산화탄소 발생에 의한 가스유해성 등으로 적용에 한계를 갖고 있다. 본 연구에서는 폐유리분말과 플라이애시를 사용하여 가볍고 열전도율이 낮은 무기계 경량 발포소재를 제조하고 물리적 특성을 분석하여 단열용 제품으로서의 가능성을 확인하고자 하였다. 연구결과 폐유리분말과 플라이애시를 사용한 경량 발포소재는 균일한 공극을 형성하며 발포하였고 경량이며 불연재료이므로 불연성능 요구되는 부위에 사용이 가능하다. Building insulation materials use for the purpose of energy saving. Insulation materials can be classified inorganic and organic insulation materials. Inorganic insulation is used for fire resistive performance parts and organic insulation is used for thermal performance parts. Meanwhile, organic insulation is due to toxic gas emission in fire. Inorganic insulation is too heavy and low thermal performance than organic materials. This study is focused on evaluation of the physical properties of inorganic foam material using industrial by-products such as waste glass powder and fly ash. From the test result, inorganic foam materials for the applicability of fire-resistance and insulation light-weight materials.

The insulation in buildings is very important. Insulation used in the building is largely divided into organic and inorganic insulation by its insulation material. Organic insulation materials which are made of Styrofoam or polyurethane are extremely vulnerable to fire. On the other hand, inorganic insulation such as mineral wool and glass wool is very weak with moisture, while it is nonflammable, so that its usage is very limited. Therefore, this study developed moisture resistance applicable to mineral wool and glass wool and measured the thermal conductivity of the samples which are exposed to moisture by exposing the product coated with moisture resistance and without moisture resistance to moisture and evaluated how the moisture affects thermal conductivity by applying this to inorganic insulation.

This paper presents material parameters for theoretically estimating the necessary density of granular loose-fill insulation in walls in order to ensure volume stability. Various parameters including the friction coefficient, the horizontal stress ratio, the elastic modulus, instantaneous plastic strain and instantaneous elastic strain together with strain–time behaviour and progressive strain caused by an alternating relative humidity are determined. Parametersrelated to strain are determined from creep tests where the insulation material is exposed to a constant load. These characteristics describing the material behaviour are combined with theories describing creep of the material, thus providing a better understanding of the material behaviour of granulated loose-fill materials used as thermal insulation in walls. The theory used is outlined in ‘‘Modelling Settling of Loose-fill Insulation in Walls, Part I’’.

The selection of insulation material and the determination of the optimal insulation thickness are very important for saving energy and ensuring thermal comfort. There are numerous studies in the literature for determining the optimum insulation thickness. In these studies, the thermal conductivity coefficient (k) of the insulation material is taken directly from the standardized tables and the optimum insulation thickness is calculated. In real applications, the k value of the insulation material varies depending on the production conditions, density and temperature. For this reason, the density of the insulation material and the operating temperature should be considered when determining the optimum insulation thickness. In this study, expanded polystyrene (EPS), extrude polystyrene (XPS), glass wool and rock wool with different densities were used as insulation materials, coal and natural gas were used as fuel. For Konya and Sivas provinces, which are in the 3rd and 4th climate zones of Turkey, a comparison was made using the degree-day method as a function of energy cost, and the insulation thicknesses were determined as a function of density and temperature. As a result of the calculations for the k value of the insulation material for Konya, which is in the 3rd climatic zone, the optimum insulation thickness was found to be 0.076 m for EPS with a density of 30 kg·m−3, 0.037 m for XPS with a density of 30 kg·m−3, 0.082 m for glass wool with a density of 100 kg·m−3, 0.051 m for rock wool with a density of 150 kg·m−3. When coal is used as fuel, the optimum insulation thicknesses for EPS, XPS, glass wool and rock wool are 0.092, 0.061, 0.104, and 0.078, respectively. As a result of the calculations for the k value of the insulation material for Sivas province, which is in the 4th climate zone, the optimum insulation thickness for EPS with density of 30 kg·m−3 was found to be 0.086 m, for XPS with density of 30 kg·m−3 was found to be 0.044 m, for glass wool with density of 100 kg·m−3 was found to be 0.092 m, for rock wool with a density of 150 kg·m−3 was found to be 0.058 m. When coal is used as fuel, the optimal insulation thicknesses for EPS, XPS, glass wool and rock wool are 0.098, 0.069, 0.106, 0.081, respectively. When comparing the insulation materials, although the unit price of the XPS material is higher, its optimal thickness is lower than that of the other insulation materials in all situations due to its low thermal conductivity.

Transient hot strip measures thermal conductivity of organic foam thermal insulation materials

Insulation materials used for buildings are broadly classified as organic insulation materials or inorganic insulation materials. Foam gas is used for producing organic insulation materials. The thermal conductivity of foam gas is generally lower than that of air. As a result, foam gas is discharged over time and replaced by outside air that has relatively less thermal resistance. The gas composition ratio in air bubbles inside the insulation materials changes rapidly, causing the performance degradation of insulation materials. Such performance degradation can be classified into different stages. Stage 1 appears to have a duration of 5 years, and Stage 2 takes a period of over 10 years. In this study, two insulation materials that are most frequently used in South Korea were analyzed, focusing on the changes thermal resistance for the period of over 5000 days. The measurement result indicated that the thermal resistance of expanded polystyrene fell below the KS performance standards after about 80–150 days from its production date. After about 5000 days, its thermal resistance decreased by 25.7 % to 42.7 % in comparison with the initial thermal resistance. In the case of rigid polyurethane, a pattern of rapid performance degradation appeared about 100 days post-production, and the thermal resistance fell below the KS performance standards after about 1000 days. The thermal resistance decreased by 22.5 % to 27.4 % in comparison with the initial thermal resistance after about 5000 days.

The study aimed to characterize the mineral wools obtained from wastes of the cutting step of marble and granite, in order to evaluate the possibility of their use on an industrial scale. Mixtures of marble and/or granite wastes were prepared in order to reach the chemical composition of rock and glass wools. The batches were melted in an electric arc furnace in laboratory scale at 1450oC and casted with water, in order to obtain a higher cooling rate. Characterization work was performed in batches that formed vitreous material, and with superior incorporation of the residues: 11.7% and 14.6% of marble waste with glass wool and rock wool, respectively; 78.3% and 91.6% of an association of marble and granite wastes with glass wool and rock wool, respectively. Computational thermodynamics was used in order to obtain the main phases at 800oC and determine the liquid and solid content at 1400, 1450 and 1500oC. In addition, the materials obtained were characterized via chemical analysis using X-ray fluorescence, DTA, X-ray diffraction and SEM. The results indicate that the marble and granite waste are composed mainly of CaO (34.7 wt.%) and SiO2 (66.3 wt.%), respectively. An amorphous crystalline structure was obtained in all tests, indicating that this material can be used as an insulation material. The crystallization temperatures were determined around 800oC.

As the offshore industry continues to develop deeper fields, including the use of long tie-backs, all aspects of flow assurance becomes more critical for the successful development of these fields. A key aspect of the flow assurance issue, is the development of efficient thermal insulation systems, which are qualified for the appropriate design conditions. With these new more onerous applications for thermal insulation systems, there is a requirement in the industry for the development of consistent standards for the specification, design, materials, manufacturing and testing of insulation materials and systems. Experience, especially in long-term deepwater service, of the performance of insulation and buoyancy materials is limited. At present, tests for assessing their thermal and physical properties are manufacturer-dependent and, for a purchaser of such systems, need to be interpreted across a range of existing and new materials and manufacturer specifications. The immediate and long term effects of hydrostatic pressure, temperature and environmental exposure need to be understood and test methods identified to allow performance to be qualified. A Joint Industry Project (JIP) commenced in April 2000 to develop a new industry wide standard for insulation and buoyancy materials. Nineteen companies are participating in the JIP, including nine oil companies, eight manufacturers of insulation/buoyancy products, and two contractors. The initial phase of the project included the investigation of performance characteristics of insulation and buoyancy materials, particularly for long-term and deepwater service, a comparative assessment of these materials, and a review of test protocols used for their classification. The latter phase of the project is involved with the development of a standard Specification for Insulation and Buoyancy Materials, as well as a Recommended Practice (RP) for Insulation and Buoyancy Systems both suitable for submission to the American Petroleum Institute (API) for publication as an API standard. This paper discusses the background to the development of the forthcoming specification as well as an overview of the JIP. The scope addressed by the proposed specification as well as an overview of the key areas covered by the standard is presented in the paper. Introduction Recent field developments have triggered the need for insulation systems to operate in more demanding environments, especially vis-Ã -vis water depth and temperature requirements. For example the maximum design temperature of the Ã?sgard field in the North Sea, for which insulation was required for steel flowlines, was 140°C. As with insulation materials, buoyancy materials are being required to function in deeper waters, for example for use on remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). As insulation and buoyancy materials need to meet more demanding conditions the qualification of these materials becomes a more important issue. It has also become more important how the purchaser of such systems define their requirements. The more detail that is specified the more optimized the design can become. Optimization of the design becomes more crucial the harsher the operating environment. Currently specifications for insulation and buoyancy materials are manufacturerdependent. There is therefore a need to develop standardized purchaser requirements and qualification requirements for these materials.

To decrease the heating and cooling demand of a building, thermal insulation is a well-known method. The properties of insulation materials are affected by many environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity. In this study, the change of thermal conductivity depending on relative humidity for a cold room was investigated experimentally. Furthermore, glass wool and rock wool were used as insulation materials, and these were compared with each other. Experiments were repeated for different humidity levels for each insulating material, and thermal conductivities of the insulating materials were calculated. Then, the sample cold room application was formed, and cooling load values were determined with changing thermal conductivity. Relative humidity values were determined for dry humidity, 60%, 75%, and 90%. The study found that both insulation materials were significantly affected by relative humidity. The thermal conductivity due to relative humidity increases to the maximum of 21% for glass wool and 27% for rock wool. The cooling load due to relative humidity increases to the maximum of 17.5% for glass wool and 25% for rock wool. This shows that rock wool is affected more by moisture than glass wool.

This study is aimed to create an exemplary project to present the contribution of the new buildings to energy savings when the residential buildings are transformed into green buildings. To create a sustainable built environment in residences, this study emphasizes that low-energy building strategies be combined with efficient and high-performance natural-sourced materials. Our findings show that using a natural-sourced material as the building envelope material has an impact on the use of primary energy and energy costs of the alternatives studied. In this study; In the case of replacing the building external wall components of an existing construction designed with internal insulation in the climatic conditions of Ankara, the change in energy performance has been investigated. The analysis was done with the help of BIM-based Revit Program and “Green buildings studio” where energy simulations were created. In the study, 54 different wall combinations were created by modeling combinations of different construction (porous, gas concrete, and pumice bricks), insulation (glass wool, rock wool, sheep wool, PUR, XPS, and EPS) and, roof (tile, asphalt shingle, and green roof) materials. When the outputs obtained from the analyzes were evaluated, the lowest energy consumption values were observed in the combination of pumice brick wall, green roof, and polyurethane insulation materials. In this scenario, the annual fuel consumption per square meter is determined as 30000.6 MJ/m2. On the other hand, the highest energy consumption values were observed in the combination of porous brick wall, tile roof and sheep wool insulation materials. In this scenario, the annual energy consumption per square meter is determined as 30026.6 MJ/m2. Although there are not high numerical differences between the findings, it has been observed that the results give consistent results with the thermal conductivity coefficients of the materials used in the combinations.

The significant increase in the price of energy resources leads today's society not only to a reconsideration of energy conservation policies but also to the encouragement of architects, builders, and building owners to use thermal insulation and exterior wall finishing systems. The design of thermal insulation for facades is a constructive decision, in which the layer with thermal insulation properties is fixed on the load-bearing side of the walls, with the help of adhesives and/or by mechanical means, followed by the application of a reinforcement and finishing layer. These operations have the role of ensuring the normative values of the thermal indicators specific to the wall structures, their protection against environmental influences, ensuring the optimal microclimate of the interior compartments of the building as well as providing an attractive, aesthetic appearance to the facades and structural elements. Wet exterior cladding or composite thermal insulation systems using polystyrene (ETICS) provide a complete and very cost-effective solution to meet the above-described goals. However, multiple examples of fires in the scientific literature, with the spread of fire on the support of thermal insulation and finishing systems of buildings, indicate their particular danger. This fire risk is directly related to the chosen structural solution for cladding and the type of thermal insulation material used, being also influenced by noncompliance or violation of specific technical regulations or rules on the fire safety of materials and buildings. Through the application of CFD-based computational fire field models, the associated risks for a custom 7-storey building with external cladding were considered in this study. The aim was to observe the fire spread on one side of the building, insulated using the ETICS exterior insulation and finishing system. As an insulating material, two types of expanded polystyrene (EPS) were used, with different fire resistance properties. The study results demonstrate the importance of choosing the right technical solution in terms of fire safety and the need to apply methods to limit the vertical spread of fire.