Rapid aerogel production process
AssigneeAspen Aerogels, Inc.
InventorsKang P. Lee, Redouane Begag, Zlatko Altiparmakov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods of more rapidly producing aerogel products by means of a rapid solvent exchange of solvent inside wet gels with supercritical CO2 by injecting supercritical, rather than liquid, CO2 into an extractor that has been pre-heated and pre-pressurized to substantially supercritical conditions or above. Preferably, pressure waves are applied to the supercritical CO2 to enhance the solvent exchange. The rapid solvent exchange process is followed by depressurization, optionally with a gas exchange. Preferably, pressure waves are used to speed up the depressurization. The process greatly reduces the time for forming aerogel products.
Claims16
A method for reducing the time required to exchange a solvent liquid located within a gel with a supercritical extracting fluid in a means for performing the exchange during the preparation of an aerogel, comprising providing the solvent liquid within the gel at a temperature no more than 10° C. below the critical temperature of the supercritical fluid before the supercritical fluid contacts the solvent liquid and further comprising applying pressure pulses of two different frequencies to the gel, the solvent liquid and the supercritical extracting fluid during the exchange.
A method for rapid depressurization of a supercritical fluid within and around an aerogel porous medium, the method comprising exchanging the supercritical fluid with a non-reacting, non-condensing gas before or during the depressurization and further comprising applying pulses of two different frequencies.
A method for rapid depressurization of a supercritical fluid within a porous medium in a device, the method comprising supplying heat into the device through injection of a heated supercritical fluid down to just below its critical pressure and thereafter injection of a heated gas down to about atmospheric pressure.
A method for decreasing the time required for preparing an aerogel in an extractor wherein the aerogel is filled with a supercritical fluid, the method comprising exchanging the supercritical fluid with a non-reacting non-supercritical gas, followed by depressurization.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.