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| apathy |
 Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 12:31 pm Post subject: Best thermal insulator |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 20 Nov 2006
Posts: 2
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What is the best thermal insulator (regardless of how redicuously expensive it is)? what is better than fibreglass, foam or the gold insulator they cover satellites in?
thx |
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| bit4bit |
| Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Bachelors Degree
Joined: 14 Jul 2007
Posts: 478
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| Silica and aerogel are the best as far as I know, they're used on the space shuttle to protect against re-entry temperatures. |
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| Zitterbewegung |
| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 3:07 am Post subject: |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 24 Dec 2007
Posts: 67
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I've got to second bit4 on this one. Ridiculously expensive and shitty mechanical properties but the best I've seen so far when it comes to thermal insulation.
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Those who do not know are damned to believe.
Free Tibet! |
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| sunshinewarrior |
| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 5:42 am Post subject: |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 26 Sep 2007
Posts: 825
Location: London
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And, of course, technically speaking a vacuum is the best insulator - avoiding conduction and convection transference of heat (hence, of course, the vacuum flask).
But it would almost certainly be not just ridiculously expensive for a spacecraft, but perhaps just plain ridiculous... (or maybe silvered spaceships are the future?) |
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| bit4bit |
| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:35 am Post subject: |
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Forum Bachelors Degree
Joined: 14 Jul 2007
Posts: 478
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Yeh, in the vacuum of space, you don't have to worry about thermal conduction, only thermal radiation, so the gold/silvered foil they use for satellites is enough to insulate from the radiation. No chance of re-entry though.
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Chance favours the prepared mind. |
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