Würzburg, 16 February 2023: Rectangular objects, such as transport boxes, can be insulated well with rectangular insulation panels. However, many objects and areas that require insulation are complex, such as those in vehicles, hot water tanks, or refrigerators. These application areas require insulation materials with curves and cut-outs for pipes and connections. Without proper insulation in these areas, a significant amount of energy is lost.
The va-Q-pro is a vacuum insulation panel that can be specially customized for these complex applications. The manufacturing process is completely automated, similar to printing for example. Thus, a customized va-Q-pro can be mass-produced. In combination with the free forms such as circular shapes, angled 3D formats, folding boxes, cut-outs, and passthroughs, the va-Q-pro is a unique high-performance insulation on the market. Due to the tailor-made shapes and the highly efficient vacuum insulation, maximum insulation coverage of complex areas is possible. This enables, for example, a higher range for electric vehicles or the highest energy efficiency classes for household appliances like refrigerators and hot water tanks.
Higher range for electric vehicles
While thermal discharge is abundant in combustion engines, heating in an electric car uses a lot of energy from the battery. This comes at the expense of the cars available driving range. VIP insulation increases the possible driving range of an electric car by about 45 percent, as shown in the application example. In all seasons, for both heating and air-conditioning, high-performance insulation saves a significant amount of energy by minimizing the amount of heat or cold loss released into the environment.. With the tailor-made shapes of the va-Q-pro panels, maximum coverage of vacuum insulation can be achieved and adapted to the existing vehicle design.
High energy efficiency classes for refrigerators
The principle of maximum coverage with the va-q-pro panels saves another 15 percent of energy for refrigerators compared to conventional vacuum insulation. With the va-Q-pro technology, insulation is maximized in places of a refrigerator-freezer combination where rectangular vacuum panels do not fit due to outlets or other complex surfaces. For example, compressor niches, interfaces and refrigerator doors with integrated displays or ice cube dispensers can be insulated and a larger area coverage is achieved with vacuum insulation panels, as shown in the application example.
Highest efficiency of hot water storage tanks
Insulating a hot water tank with va-Q-pro technology can save more than 30 percent of energy due to minimized heat loss. With this, the energy labels A or A+ can be achieved. Additionally, the electricity saved in a household in one day could power a a 60-watt light bulb for twelve hours and an LED lamp for almost four days. Thus, this application has a great potential, as further shown in the application example. va-Q-tec manufactures the panels specifically according to customer requirements, allowing for easy integration of the va-Q-pro technology into existing tank designs.
A hot water storage tank insulated with va-Q-plus as well as with va-Q-pro, will be on display at the ISH from March 13 to 17, 2023 at the va-Q-tec booth, Hall 9.0, Booth E09. The experts from va-Q-tec will be happy to exchange information here about other areas of application.