What is thermal insulation?

Thermal insulation is aspect in the optimization of thermal energy storage (TES) systems integrated inside buildings. Properties, characteristics, and reference costs are presented for insulation materials suitable for TES up to 90 °C.

What is a thermal insulation reference tool?

By providing relevant material characteristics, thermophysical properties, and reference material costs, it aims to serve as a concise reference tool in an endeavor to bring together the many studies available in the literature related to thermal insulation methods for energy storage, energy-efficient buildings and related fields.

Are thermal energy storage systems insulated?

Conclusions Today, thermal energy storage systems are typically insulated using conventional materials such as mineral wools due to their reliability, ease of installation, and low cost. The main drawback of these materials is their relatively high thermal conductivity, which results in a large insulation thickness.

Should thermal insulation be applied on the outside wall of a storage?

Whenever possible, applying thermal insulation on the outside wall of the storage is usually the simplest and most cost-effective option. One of the main advantages of this arrangement is that the thermal insulation is neither subject to the pressure of the storage, nor directly exposed to the hot water reservoir.

How does thermal insulation work?

In conventional insulation materials like glass wool, rock wool or organic foams, the total heat transfer is dominated by the contribution of the gas within the hollow spaces. Alternatively, the thermal insulation can be realized within the wall of the storage as illustrated in Fig. 2 b.

Why is thermal insulation important in the building sector?

In the building sector, thermal insulation continues to receive significant attention in the literature as there is well-established knowledge about the strong correlation between the energy consumption of a building and the characteristics of its envelope , , , .