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US 5,027,574 AGranted
Thermally insulating structure
OwnerBradley L. Phillipinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermally insulating panel structure (2, 60) is created by filing the space (16, 67) between two panels (4, 6, 61, 62) with a gas exhibiting low thermal conductivity at a moderately low pressure so to substantially eliminate convection heat flow through the insulating region but not so low as to substantially reduce conduction heat flow through the insulating region. Doing so greatly increases the thermal insulating qualities of the structure without the problems associated with evacuating the region to extremely low pressures. The seal (14, 50, 66) at the edges (10, 12, 64, 65) of the panels can define one or more barrier regions (44, 46) which reduce air leakage into the insulating region.
Claims36
A thermally insulating structure comprising:
- an enclosure including first and second spaced-apart panels;
- an edge seal sealably connecting the panels to define a sealed insulating region between the panels;
- and
- a first gas filling the insulation region at a first pressure of about 100-200 torr to about 10.sup.-3 to 10.sup.-4 torr, which is sufficiently low to substantially eliminate convective heat flow through the insulating region but not so low as to substantially reduce conductive heat flow through the insulating region, the thermal conductivity of the first gas at said first pressure being substantially less than that of air.
1 more element
A thermally insulating structure comprising:
- a window enclosure including first and second panels defining an insulating region;
- a gas filling the insulating region at a first pressure of about 100-200 torr to about 10.sup.-3 to 10.sup.-4 torr, which is sufficiently low to substantially eliminate convective heat flow through the insulating region but not so low as to substantially reduce conductive heat flow through the insulating region, the gas having a thermal conductivity at said first pressure less than one half of that of air;
- an edge seal sealably connecting the first and second panels;
- and
- the edge seal including a buffer region defined between outer and inner sealing elements and the first and second surfaces, the buffer region containing the gas at a second pressure to act as a barrier between the ambient atmosphere and the gas in the insulating region.
2 more elements
A method for making a thermally insulating structure comprising the following steps:
- positioning first and second panels parallel to one another at a chosen separation to define an insulating region therebetween;
- sealing the insulating region by placing an edge seal between the first and second panels;
- selecting a first gas;
- choosing a first pressure of about 100-200 torr to about 10.sup.-3 to 10.sup.-4 torr, which is sufficiently low to substantially eliminate convective heat flow through the insulating region but not so low as to substantially reduce conductive heat flow through the insulating region, the thermal conductivity of the first gas at the first pressure being substantially less than that of air;
- and
- filling the insulating region with the first gas at the first pressure.
3 more elements
A thermally insulating structure comprising:
- an enclosure including first and second spaced-apart panels and an edge seal sealably connecting the panels to define a sealed insulating region between the panels;
- the edge seal including out and inner sealing elements and have a buffer region define between the outer and inner sealing elements and the first and second panels;
- a first gas filling the insulating region at a first pressure, the thermal conductivity of the first gas at said first pressure being substantially less than that of air;
- and
- the buffer region containing the first gas at a second pressure to act as a barrier between the ambient atmosphere and the first gas in the insulating region.
2 more elements
A thermally insulating structure comprising:
- an enclosure including first and second spaced-apart panels and an edge seal sealably connecting the panels to define a sealed insulating region between the panels;
- the edge seal including outer and inner sealing elements and having a buffer region defined between the outer and inner sealing elements and the first and second panels;
- a first gas filling the insulating region at a first pressure, the thermal conductivity of the first gas at said first pressure being substantially less than that of air;
- and
- the buffer region contaIning a second gas at the first pressure to act as a barrier between the ambient atmosphere and the first gas in the insulating region.
2 more elements
A thermally insulating structure comprising:
- an enclosure including first and second spaced-apart panels and an edge seal sealably connecting the panels to define a sealed insulating region between the panels;
- the edge seal including outer and inner sealing elements and having a buffer region defined between the outer and inner sealing elements and the first and second panels;
- a first gas filling the insulation region at a first pressure, the thermal conductivity of the first gas at said first pressure being substantially less than that of air;
- and
- the edge seal including an intermediate sealing element positioned within said buffer region to define outer and inner buffer regions containing third and fourth gases at third and fourth pressures respectively.
2 more elements
A thermally insulating structure comprising:
- a window enclosure including first and second panels defining an insulating region;
- a gas filling the insulating region at a first pressure, the gas having a thermal conductivity at said first pressure less than one half of that of air;
- an edge seal sealably connecting the first and second panels;
- and
- the edge seal including inner and outer buffer regions defined between outer and inner sealing elements and the first and second surfaces, the inner and outer buffer regions containing the gas at about the pressure of an ambient atmosphere and at about the first pressure respectively to act a barrier between the ambient atmosphere and the gas in the insulating region.
2 more elements
A method for making a thermally insulating structure comprising the following steps:
- positioning first and second panels parallel to one another at a chosen separation to define an insulating region therebetween;
- sealing the insulating region, the sealing step including the step of placing an edge seal between the first and second panels;
- the edge seal placing step including the step of positioning outer and inner spaced-apart sealing elements between the first and second panels to define a buffer region therebetween;
- and
- filling the insulating region and the buffer region with a first gas at a first pressure, the thermal conductivity of the first gas at the first pressure being substantially less than that of air.
2 more elements
A method for making a thermally insulating panel comprising the following steps:
- positioning first and second panels parallel to one another at a chosen separation to define an insulating region therebetween;
- sealing the insulating region, the sealing step including the step of placing an edge seal between the first and second panels;
- the edge seal placing step including the step of positioning outer and inner spaced-apart sealing elements between the first and second panels to define a buffer region therebetween;
- the sealing element positioning step including the step of positioning an intermediate sealing element between the first and second panels and between and spaced-apart from the outer and inner sealing elements to define outer and inner buffer regions therebetween;
- filling the insulating region with a first gas at a first pressure, the thermal conductivity of the first gas at the first pressure being substantially less than that of air;
- and
- filling the outer and inner buffer regions with third and fourth gases at third and fourth pressures.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.