High temperature flexible insulation for extreme environments

A high temperature flexible insulation comprising:

• a) an outside layer of an insulation mat, comprising:
• i) a structural component of a high temperature fibers selected from the group consisting of carbon, alumina, silica, mullite, a carbide, a nitride, a boride, and combinations thereof, said high temperature fibers having an average fiber diameter of no more than 25 μm, and a thermal degradation temperature in a non-oxygenated environment of at least 2000° C.;
• ii) an extinction component selected from the group consisting of carbon, alumina, silica, mullite, a carbide, a nitride, a boride, titanium oxide and combinations thereof, having an average size of no more than 25 μm and a thermal degradation temperature in a non-oxygenated environment of at least 2000° C.;
• and
• iii) a binder component of a nano-fibrous binder having a length to diameter ratio of at least 10 and an average diameter of no more than 1 μm
• b) an inside layer of an insulation mat, comprising:
• i) a structural component of a high temperature fibers selected from the group consisting of carbon, alumina, silica, mullite, a carbide, a nitride, a boride, and combinations thereof, said high temperature fibers having an average fiber diameter of no more than 25 μm, and a thermal degradation temperature in a non-oxygenated environment of at least 2000° C.;
• ii) an extinction component selected from the group consisting of carbon, alumina, silica, mullite, a carbide, a nitride, a boride, titanium oxide and combinations thereof, having an average size of no more than 25 μm and a thermal degradation temperature in a non-oxygenated environment of at least 2000° C.;
• iii) a binder component of a nano-fibrous binder having a length to diameter ratio of at least 10 and an average diameter of no more than 1 μm;
• and
• iv) a scrim of a woven material, wherein the insulation matt of the inside layer is formed on opposing sides of said scrim;
• and
• b) an intermediate layer configured between the inside layer and the outside layer, and comprising high temperature fibers, wherein the average diameter of said high temperature fibers of the intermediate layer are smaller in diameter than the average diameter of the high temperature fibers of the inside layer;
• wherein the average diameter of the high temperature fibers of the inside layer is at least 20% greater than an average diameter of the high temperature fibers of the outside layer, thereby producing a gradient in fiber diameter from the inside layer to the outside layer;
• wherein the high temperature flexible insulation has optical properties to produce a transmittance of no more than 5% over a range of temperature from 500° C. to 5000° C.;
• and
• wherein said gradient of fiber diameters enables each of the inside layer and the outside layer to have an emittance and refractive index that corresponds to a gradient in temperature through the high temperature flexible insulation from the outside layer to the inside layer.

A high temperature flexible insulation comprising:

• a) an outside layer of an insulation mat, comprising:
• i) a structural component of a high temperature fibers selected from the group consisting of carbon, alumina, silica, mullite, a carbide, a nitride, a boride, and combinations thereof, said high temperature fibers having an average fiber diameter of no more than 25 μm, and a thermal degradation temperature in a non-oxygenated environment of at least 2000° C.;
• ii) an extinction component selected from the group consisting of carbon, alumina, silica, mullite, a carbide, a nitride, a boride, titanium oxide and combinations thereof, having an average size of no more than 25 μm and a thermal degradation temperature in a non-oxygenated environment of at least 2000° C.;
• and
• iii) a binder component of a nano-fibrous binder having a length to diameter ratio of at least 10 and an average diameter of no more than 1 μm
• b) an inside layer of an insulation mat, comprising:
• i) a structural component of a high temperature fibers selected from the group consisting of carbon, alumina, silica, mullite, a carbide, a nitride, a boride, and combinations thereof, said high temperature fibers having an average fiber diameter of no more than 25 μm, and a thermal degradation temperature in a non-oxygenated environment of at least 2000° C.;
• ii) an extinction component selected from the group consisting of carbon, alumina, silica, mullite, a carbide, a nitride, a boride, titanium oxide and combinations thereof, having an average size of no more than 25 μm and a thermal degradation temperature in a non-oxygenated environment of at least 2000° C.;
• iii) a binder component of a nano-fibrous binder having a length to diameter ratio of at least 10 and an average diameter of no more than 1 μm;
• and
• iv) scrim of a woven material, wherein the insulation mat of the inside layer is attached to a first side of the scrim;
• and
• c) an intermediate layer configured between the inside layer and the outside layer, and comprising high temperature fibers, wherein the average diameter of said high temperature fibers of the intermediate layer are smaller in diameter than the average diameter of the high temperature fibers of the inside layer;
• wherein the average diameter of the high temperature fibers of the inside layer is at least 20% greater than an average diameter of the high temperature fibers of the outside layer, thereby producing a gradient in fiber diameter from the inside layer to the outside layer;
• wherein the high temperature flexible insulation has optical properties to produce a transmittance of no more than 5% over a range of temperature from 500° C. to 5000° C.;
• and
• wherein said gradient of fiber diameters enables each of the inside layer and the outside layer to have an emittance and refractive index that corresponds to a gradient in temperature through the high temperature flexible insulation from the outside layer to the inside layer.