Date: Jan 15, 2011 Author: by Joan M. Zimmermann Source: MDA (
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by Joan M. Zimmermann/jzimmermann@nttc.edu
With an SBIR funding boost from MDA, Aspen Aerogels (Northborough, MA) has developed a family of lightweight insulation materials now used in areas ranging from undersea pipelines to specialized outerwear. The materials, a line of silica aerogels with unique multilayer insulation (MLI) properties, grew out of SBIR projects supported in part by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, now MDA. Aspen Aerogels' government-funded work focused on developing materials for potential use in space-based platforms for missile defense.
Aerogels have been around since the 1930s, when they began to evolve from a simple colloid, a little like Jell-O with a variety of particles suspended in a semi-solid medium. In the older formulations, water was drawn out of the medium, leaving behind minute air pockets. In new-generation aerogels, a variety of complex chemical solutions are used to create the gel, and the liquid portion is removed to yield nanometer-sized void spaces that provide aerogels their unique properties such as light weight coupled with very high thermal insulation values.
In its R&D work for MDA starting in 2002, Aspen took aerogel properties a step further by adding the unique, patent-protected ability to laminate and stitch the material to enable the fitting of blanket-type insulation into tight spots and corners on satellites and instrumentation. The SBIRs aimed to address the thermal and mechanical insulation requirements for weight-sensitive launch vehicles and space-based platforms. The company also developed high-volume manufacturing methods to reduce the overall costs of aerogel production.
Space operations, conducted in conditions of extreme heat and cold, require some thoughtful insulation planning. Satellite surfaces exposed to the sun can climb well past the boiling point of water, and sensitive electronics often need protection from such unfriendly thermal environments.
Aspen's agile, silica-based aerogel blanket insulation fits the bill by being thin and easily shaped over virtually any form. Less weight and bulk mean lower launch freight costs, too. MDA's investment in Aspen Aerogels also has stretched into other corners of the Defense Department, and the company is now an OEM supplier for both military and commercial aerospace customers.
Beyond defense, Aspen has expanded its aerogel product line to suit a wide range of needs. For Earth-based applications such as home insulation, Aspen manufactures an aerogel-based, fiber-reinforced insulation product called Spaceloft®, which provides up to five times the thermal performance of competing insulation materials, while also being a fraction of the thickness of conventional materials. Spaceloft can be cut with commonly used textile tools and is "green" enough to be reused or disposed of in landfills. It also repels water while allowing gases to pass through the porous aerogel matrix. Because Spaceloft is so thin compared to other insulation materials, Aspen estimates that builders can reduce their shipping and warehousing costs significantly as well. For building applications, Spaceloft provides the highest R-value of any solid insulation material, a measurement of a material's resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the better the insulator performs at keeping heat out, or in.
Aspen's insulation materials also are widely used in offshore platforms, petroleum refineries, and in liquid natural gas (LNG) operations to keep the LNG at cryogenic temperatures. In the offshore oil industry, Aspen addresses hostile environments such as those encountered in subsea pipelines. In these areas, Aspen's Spaceloft Subsea® insulation, which can be used in a wide temperature range (from -170°C to 200°C), has found a home in various international waters.
To date, Aspen's thermal insulation materials have been installed in more than 150 miles of subsea pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Brazil, offshore Angola, and the North Sea. Another product for subsea use is called Cryogel® Z, used for so-called pipe-in-pipe (PIP) applications at temperatures ranging from -100°C to 177°C. In addition, the company also is busy designing new insulation materials for electrically heated pipe-in-pipe applications, new flexible LNG transfer lines, and cryogenic valves that are used in the oil and gas industry.
Aspen's Pyrogel®XT, as its name implies, is meant for higher temperature applications up to 650ºC, which includes operating conditions in refineries and petrochemical and gas processing plants. Pyrogel®XTF is a variant that provides extreme fire protection and is targeted for use in applications where thermal insulation and structural fire protection need to be combined in a single space. The Pyrogel®XT family of products features durable water repellent properties and is extremely effective at mitigating corrosion under insulation (CUI), a major issue in outdoor industrial process installations. According to Aspen, the XT aerogel product is the most effective, easiest to install insulation available for high-temperature industrial applications, while also being two to five times thinner than competing products.
Aspen is extending its reach into the outdoor enthusiast market, developing aerogel insulation for products that can be used from the floor of Death Valley, where temperatures commonly reach past the century mark, to the cold peaks of the Himalayas. The company is working with many outfitters to incorporate aerogel insulation into clothing and footwear, and is hoping to make permanent inroads into that market.
