Study of long-term performance of vacuum insulation panels containing getter materials in building environment

Although the long-term performance of vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) made from glass-fiber-core material and getter can be predicted in a controlled laboratory environment, the validity of a theoretical model of the long-term performance in a realistic environment where temperature and humidity vary significantly has yet to be verified. To determine the on-site performance of VIPs and validate the theo-retical model, the internal pressure of VIPs constructed on site and construction environment was mea-sured. Through measurement of the long-term changes in the internal pressure of a specimen equipped with a special sensor, it was observed that the internal pressure increased and decreased over the course of a day. This behavior can be explained by the temperature dependence of the adsorption isotherms of the getter. Thus, the results indicate that the getter adsorbed and released gas depending on the environ-mental conditions. The temperature dependencies are crucial for stabilizing the long-term performance of glass-fiber-core VIPs. Therefore, this study demonstrates that the theoretical method can be used for the proper material design of VIPs installed in a building environment. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.