Controlling heat transfer and ensuring optimal efficiency

1886 is regarded as the year of the birth of the modern automobile with the granting of a patent to Karl Benz. 1908 saw the introduction of the Model T Ford, the first mass produced motor car. Today, more than a century later, cars and commercial vehicles are everywhere and an integral part of our daily life.

Promat and road transport
Promat has two main automotive application areas:

Temperature control of vehicle exhaust systems for reduction of harmful emissions
Temperature control of refrigerated delivery vehicles and cold chain packaging

In each application, a Promat insulation solution controls heat transfer and ensures that the vehicle operates at optimal efficiency.

Road vehicles and the environment

Internal combustion engine efficiency has steadily improved with advances in engine design, more precise ignition timing and electronic ignition, more precise fuel metering, and computerized engine management. Although the developments in engine and vehicle technology continually reduce the toxicity of exhaust leaving the engine, this has not been sufficient to meet emissions goals. Additional detoxification of the exhaust is essential to meet emissions control legislation. The catalytic converter is a device placed in the exhaust pipe, which converts hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and NOx into less harmful gases by using a combination of platinum, palladium and rhodium as catalysts.

It is a hot chemical reaction in which temperature is critical and Promat has developed innovative insulation solutions to limit heat loss and improve the efficiency of the chemical cleansing.

Application solutions

Vehicle exhaust systems

Why are Promat products so good for exhaust applications?

Microtherm® microporous insulation is thermally the best performing insulation in the world at temperatures up to 1000 °C. It is completely non-combustible as are all of the products from the Promat range that are offered for exhaust applications. Microtherm® is available as flexible insulation and also as FREEFLOW®, a granular pourable microporous product that is ideal for filling difficult voids and spaces. All covering materials are certified for zero spread of flame. Exhaust products are robust for the rigours of the application and resistant to the presence of water. We do not compromise in any way on quality and we believe that our "engineered solutions" represent the best dependability of performance and value for money you will find.

The challenges
Size, weight, and performance are all critical in design for exhaust applications. Any insulation used must meet the following design criteria:

Best performance – lowest thermal conductivity
High temperature capability
Smallest volume – lightest weight
Not affected by thermal shock
Dimensionally stable at all temperatures. No shrinkage or other deterioration with time
Resistant to damage by vibration
Available in a wide range of specifications including water resistant
Capable of being shaped to close tolerances
Availability of factory pre-shaping, cladding, and partial assembly into other components
Cost effective solutions for high volume economies in production

Promat – thermal management in motor vehicle exhausts

Gas temperature at the engine exhaust manifold can be up to 1000 °C for a modern petrol engine and between 500 °C and 600 °C for a diesel engine. For both types of engine the exhaust gas temperature when released to the atmosphere is generally below 150 °C. The cooling takes place within the exhaust system. Apart from being exposed to, and cooled by, ambient temperatures, an exhaust system is also subject to forced draught cooling from the movement of the vehicle along the road. The higher the road speed, the greater the cooling effect. To offset this cooling of the exhaust in order to maintain gas temperature into and through the catalytic converter, Promat hase created several cost effective insulation solutions.

MICROTHERM® QUILTED encapsulated in stainless steel as wrap around blanket
Benefits:

More flexible panel – less tendency to cracks – keeps flexibility in insulation
Easier to fit
Lower density
Resistant to compression
No deterioration during installation
Better thermal performance due to lower density
Good resistance to thermal shock. If required, alu laminated cloth available for resistance to condensation

Annular cavity of double skinned exhaust filled with FREEFLOW®
Benefits:

Totally resistant to differential movements – keeps flexibility in insulation
Easy to fit – easy fill with FreeFlow granules
Low density
Resistant to compression
No deterioration during installation
Good thermal performance due to lower density microporous insulation
Good resistance to thermal shock

Combined MICROTHERM® QUILTED and FREEFLOW®

Refrigerated delivery vehicles

A cold chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain. An unbroken cold chain is an uninterrupted series of storage and distribution activities which maintain a given temperature range. It is used to help extend and ensure the shelf life of products such as perishable foodstuffs, chemicals, medical supplies and pharmaceutical drugs. Transport within a cold chain is primarily by refrigerated delivery vehicles, often with the items being delivered contained in specialised packaging. Insulated shipping containers have a wide variety of applications where vulnerable goods must be delivered around the world. Typically, temperature sensitive products such as pharmaceutical substances, blood and vaccines require storage within a narrow temperature range, usually between -2 °C and 8 °C and this for up to 72 hours. Safe transport is critical. If a vaccine is subjected to a temperature above the safe storage range it may render it useless or even potentially harmful.

The challenges
Size, weight, and performance are all critical in design for vehicles:

Best performance – lowest thermal conductivity at all ambient temperatures
Smallest volume – lightest weight
Robust – easily installed
Dimensionally stable
Resistant to damage by vibration
Available in a wide range of sizes
Capable of being manufactured to close tolerances
Cost effective solutions for high volume economies in production

Promat can design an "engineered solution" that will meet all these design challenges. Our product portfolio is based on the very best performing insulation products with the lowest thermal conductivity including SLIMVAC®, a "superinsulation" designed for refrigeration applications. A Promat system is cost effective and cannot be beat on performance.

Promat – thermal performance solutions for refrigerated delivery vehicles
Microtherm SLIMVAC® panels are the perfect insulation system for the construction of refrigerated delivery vehicles. They offer the best performance ensuring minimum insulation thickness. They also offer a working life of many decades in normal use. The use of SLIMVAC® in the construction of cold delivery vehicles maintains the optimum thermal efficiency of the structure while ensuring maximum possible internal storage volume. Because of the very low heat ingress into the vehicles, operating costs for the refrigeration system are kept to an absolute minimum and the cold chain continuity is maintained over long periods of time.
Benefits:

Best insulation performance with minimum thickness
Maximum internal storage volume
Long working life and dependability
Optimum economies for movement of goods

Cold chain packaging

Promat – optimised insulation solutions for cold chain delivery boxes
A cold chain delivery box requires the best possible insulation performance. This has the additional benefit of a potential increase in capacity of the box as insulation thickness can be minimised. SLIMVAC® is a “superinsulation” with an insulation performance up to eight times lower than conventional insulation such as expanded polystyrene (EPS). This means that the thickness of SLIMVAC® for equivalent thermal protection is only 1/8 of that necessary with EPS. Because of its very low thermal conductivity, its use in a temperature controlled container will ensure the ultimate level of thermal protection for any precisely controlled refrigerated storage of high value commodities or medical/pharmaceutical goods.

Benefits:

Best insulation performance with minimum thickness
Reduction of insulation thickness by factor 5 to 8
Option of maximum internal storage volume
Possible reduction of overall container size and weight
Smaller packages/less weight = less shipping costs
Reduction of amount of refrigerant by factor 2-3 (dry ice or PCM)
Long working life and dependability. Silica based insulation formulation ensures longest working life without the need for getters
Tailored products ensure fast installation
Dependability of temperature control during extended transportation
Microtherm® products contribute to an improved environment by the use of environmentally friendly materials with no known health risk

Selected products

Click into one of the circles to choose your desired application and see a selection from our customised product portfolio. Then click on the desired product image to get detailed information. Contact your national Promat company for tailormade solutions to suit your own specific requirements!

FREEFLOW® Pourable microporous powder for motor vehicle exhausts

DALFRATEX® Inorganic fibres and textiles for motor vehicle exhausts

ALSIFLEX® High temperature wool blankets for motor vehicle exhausts

MICROTHERM® QUILTED-1000R Flexible microporous insulation panels for motor vehicle exhausts