초록 ▼

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 s

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.

대표청구항 ▼

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 ab

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 10-3 to 10-4 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.