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ADVANCED INSULATIONS FOR REFRIGERATOR/FREEZERS: THE POTENTIAL FOR NEW SHELL DESIGNS INCORPORATING POLYMER BARRIER CONSTRUCTION
Citation:
Griffith, B. AND D. Arasteh. ADVANCED INSULATIONS FOR REFRIGERATOR/FREEZERS: THE POTENTIAL FOR NEW SHELL DESIGNS INCORPORATING POLYMER BARRIER CONSTRUCTION. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-93/009 (NTIS PB93-146991), 1993.
Impact/Purpose:
information
Description:
The report examines domestic refrigerator/freezer (R/F) design alternatives which may offer greater increase in thermal performance than is possible with panel/foam composites. (NOTE: Current efforts to design and build R/Fs with high performance insulation technology are directed at using vacuum panels in a composite with polymer foam to improve performance; however, certain restrictions generally enable only relatively small improvement in thermal resistance using these techniques.) These design alternatives involve basic redesign of the R/F and use of alternative materials of construction. One design alternative includes use of a polymer outer shell material component that incorporates in its construction an advance insulation technology that reduces thermal bridging and edge losses. omputer modelling of a R/F door incorporating this concept shows a doubling of effective thermal resistance over conventional R /F designs. he report also addresses materials and manufacturing technologies needed to fabricate polymer-barrier advanced insulation components for R/Fs.