Thermal insulation

[1] Thermal insulation can be achieved with specially engineered methods or processes, as well as with suitable object shapes and materials.

[3] In thermal engineering, other important properties of insulating materials are product density (ρ) and specific heat capacity (c).

Decreasing the exposed surface area could also lower heat transfer, but this quantity is usually fixed by the geometry of the object to be insulated.

If the outside radius of a cylinder is increased by applying insulation, a fixed amount of conductive resistance (equal to 2×π×k×L(Tin-Tout)/ln(Rout/Rin)) is added.

Gases possess poor thermal conduction properties compared to liquids and solids and thus make good insulation material if they can be trapped.

Convection involves a larger bulk flow of gas driven by buoyancy and temperature differences, and it does not work well in small cells where there is little density difference to drive it, and the high surface-to-volume ratios of the small cells retards gas flow in them by means of viscous drag.

In order to accomplish small gas cell formation in man-made thermal insulation, glass and polymer materials can be used to trap air in a foam-like structure.

Window insulation film can be applied in weatherization applications to reduce incoming thermal radiation in summer and loss in winter.

When well insulated, a building is: In industry, energy has to be expended to raise, lower, or maintain the temperature of objects or process fluids.

[6] Different materials may be used for thermal insulation, including polyethylene aerogels that reduce solar absorption and parasitic heat gain which may improve the emitter's performance by over 20%.

Examples of insulation used on spacecraft include reinforced carbon-carbon composite nose cone and silica fiber tiles of the Space Shuttle.

[9][10][11] Thermal insulation is integral to greenhouse design, enabling controlled environments for plant growth and energy efficiency.

Common insulation techniques include the use of double-layer films and multi-wall polycarbonate panels, which trap air between layers to reduce heat transfer while maintaining sufficient light transmission for photosynthesis.

These measures improve energy efficiency and support year-round crop production, significantly reducing heating costs.