Environment, Health, Safety & Security

Vacuum insulation

December 1, 2006 | By Chemical Engineering

At Glasstec 2006 (Düsseldorf, Germany; October 24–28), the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research (ISC; Würzburg, Germany; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6519-553) unveiled a prototype for a new vacuum-insulated window that promises to save energy. The window — consisting of two glass panes separated by a vacuum — has a thermal conductivity of 0.5 W/Km2, which is half that of a conventional double-glazed window. To keep the panes from moving together, the researchers insert transparent spacers (less than 1-mm thick) at 4-cm intervals.

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