Evaluation of Effectiveness of Thermal Insulation Paints

The purpose of the work was to evaluate the thermal (energy) and economic efficiency of using thermal insulation paints as a substitute for traditional thermal insulation materials. A comparison of the paint parameters declared by the manufacturers (thermal conductivity coefficient) with the maximum possible parameters (from the standpoint of the theory of thermal conductivity) makes it possible to give an objective assessment of the scope and energy efficiency of using heat-protective paints in the construction industry and the energy sector. The data of theoretical calculations of the thermal conductivity coefficient of paints using the Schwerdtfeiger formula are presented, which are in good agreement with experimental data obtained by other authors. It is shown that the coefficient of thermal conductivity of paints has a minus of the second order and is not lower than the coefficient of thermal conductivity of traditional thermal insulation materials. The thermophysical parameters of thermal insulation paints claimed by manufacturers do not correspond to reality and, in principle, cannot provide effective thermal protection of engineering structures. To assess energy efficiency, two main characteristics of thermal protection from the compared materials were calculated; the degree of increase in thermal resistance and the degree of decrease in heat flow of the insulated object. It is shown that it is not possible to achieve the required degree of thermal protection of objects using the proposed paints. The economic assessment of the effectiveness of using thermal insulation paints both separately and in combination with traditional thermal insulation has shown their complete lack of competitiveness. To achieve the same thermal effect when using “thermal insulation paints” one needs to spend, on average, 100 times more just on materials. With the combined use of “thermal insulation paints” together with traditional thermal insulation materials (in particular, mineral wool), the cost of achieving an equal thermal effect increases, on average, by a factor of 6, with an increase in thermal resistance of only 1.04 times. The general conclusion is that thermal insulation paints cannot be used for thermal protection of objects and energy saving in the form advertised by manufacturers.

A.F. GALKIN¹, Doctor of Sciences (Engineering), Professor (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.);
V.Yu. PANKOV², Candidate of Sciences (Geology and Mineralogy), Docent (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

¹ Melnikov Permafrost Institute SB RAS (36, Merzlotnaya Street, Yakutsk, 677010, Russian Federation)
² North-Eastern Federal University (58, Belinsky str., Yakutsk, 677027, Russian Federation)

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