Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) are high R-value thermal insulators but their high costs and puncture prone polymer/aluminum envelopes have limited their widespread adoption. Thermal Conservation Technologies, a small business in Chicago, IL, has been developing seam-welded stainless steel VIPs to overcome these limitations. To test the viability of annealed 321 stainless steel, an accelerated aging study was conducted. Using a custom-built reaction chamber, a corrosive environment of 80oC and 80% relative humidity was maintained with a saturated potassium chloride solution. Square coupons (2�x2�) of 0.002� seam-welded steel were monitored for evidence of corrosion. Over a five week period, visual evidence of surface oxidation was observed and the mass loss increased and then decreased over a 4 parts per thousand range, Figure 1. These observations suggest that welded 321 stainless steel is a potential VIP material due to its low mass loss. Control experiments with non-welded 321 stainless steel showed negligible corrosion, Figure 1. To explore the potential of other stainless steel grades, similar accelerated aging experiments are currently being conducted with seam-welded and non-welded coupons of 304 annealed, 304 full hard, 309 annealed, and 316 annealed stainless steels. These grades were selected based on composition, corrosion resistance, and price. The results will be compared the corrosion data of 321 stainless steel previously described.  

Accelerated aging of stainless steels for vacuum insulation panel applications

247th National Meeting (2014)

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