Effect of insulation material density on insulation performance
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According to the product samples, the formula for calculating the thermal conductivity of insulation materials does not take into account the density of those materials. However, common densities for insulation materials are 96, 128, 160, and 220 kg/m3. What impact does the density of insulation materials have on their insulating performance? Does a material with higher density result in better insulation performance? The downside is that it increases the load on the pipes and makes the cost higher?
In fact, the difference in load caused by differences in thermal insulation density is minimal, right?
Do you use the density of the insulation material as a calculation factor when determining the insulation thickness/temperature? I don’t think so; the biggest impact is the thermal conductivity λ of the insulation material. As for what determines the thermal conductivity λ? Just by looking at the formula, it’s clear that there is a relationship between the basic thermal conductivity and temperature; I think different density insulating materials have different basic thermal conductivities. So, just ask the manufacturers of insulation materials – you’ll understand what effect different densities of insulation materials have on thermal conductivity.
The density of insulation materials is primarily determined by their material composition. Generally speaking, for the same type of insulation material, those with higher density actually have a poorer insulating effect, as many insulation materials rely on numerous small air pores within them to provide insulation. The most common one is quilts; generally, the fluffier a quilt is, the better its insulating properties.
The bulk density of thermal insulation materials made from the same material determines their strength to a certain extent; however, it’s not the case that a higher bulk density is always better. For example, in the case of glass wool, when the bulk density exceeds 80 kg/m3, the thermal conductivity increases gradually, while when it is below 80 kg/m3, the thermal conductivity decreases as the bulk density increases. The higher the bulk density, the higher the corresponding price, and the greater the load-bearing capacity of the pipe. When selecting insulation materials, factors such as thermal conductivity, bulk density, strength, elasticity, service life, and environmental impact are taken into consideration