DK201470428A1 - Insulation bag and method for its use - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention disclose an insulation bag, made from an organic, flexible and moisture permeable material, usually of cellulose origin, where said bag is substantially filled with a loose fibrous material, usually of cellulose origin, and a method of insulating a structure, using one or more insulation bags where a surface of the structure to be insulated is provided with a first layer of bags arranged such that adjacent bags slightly squeezes neighbouring bags, and where any empty space is left, not covered by a bag, loose material from a further bag is arranged in said empty space, and where optionally further layers of bags are arranged on top of the first layer until a desired insulation thickness is achieved, where bags in successive layers are displaced relative to the bags in the preceding layer.

Description

Insulation bag and method for its use Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed at an insulation bag as well as a method of insulating a structure using such bags.

Background of the Invention

It is quite common to insulate structures, in particular homes, offices, other building etc. The structures are typically insulated in order to avoid heat loss or in order to avoid heat ingress, especially in warm climates and for cold storage facilities etc.

For these purposes a wide variety of insulation materials are commonly used, such as for example glass wool, mineral wool (rock wool), expanded polystyrene, polyurethane based foams, paper strips/wool, and as a more expensive solution vacuum insulation etc.

Worldwide the dominating solutions are glass wool and mineral wool solutions. Glass wool or fiberglass insulation is man-made from fibres of glass arranged into a texture similar to wool. Glass wool is produced in rolls or in slabs (bats), with different thermal and mechanical properties.

Mineral wool, mineral fibres, or man-made mineral fibres are fibres made from natural or synthetic minerals. The term "man-made mineral fibres" is generally used to refer solely to synthetic materials including stone or glass wool. Mineral wool is also produced in rolls or in slabs (batts), with different thermal and mechanical properties.

Industrial applications of mineral and glass wool include thermal insulation and other applications.

Common to mineral and glass wool is that they are mainly made and sold as bats. One drawback of glass and mineral wool is that they have a tendency to create and release dust and small fibres. This causes nuisance for the installers, whom may feel a tendency to itch or scratch if exposed to glass or mineral wool without wearing protective cloves and work-wear.

For these reasons protective work-wear is recommended when insulating with mineral or glass wool.

Furthermore both types of material may allegedly release very small particles/dust of glass and mineral which can cause substantial health problems (respiratory and lung problems, diseases, and in some instances induce cancer) for people working with these materials.

In a number of countries there are in addition very strict requirements relating to the type of protective equipment, ventilation etc. which is to be used in connection with handling these types of very common insulation materials.

Finally to fit the rolls or slabs (batts) into the building structure, the rolls and slabs have to be cut using tools. This does not prevent mineral and glass wool from being installed by non-educated installers (“do-it your-self’), but the requirements for proper work-wear, tools, ventilation and the issues related to dust and itching together mean that this is not perceived as a user-friendly DIY product.

In addition to shortcomings related to the user-friendliness, both types of insulation causes a significant C02 emission when being produced, as they are made by heating certain stone types and glass, to more than 1300 °C. This requires a significant amount of energy which again will lead to high C02 emissions.

Alternatives to the mineral and glass wool includes among other expanded polystyrene and polyurethane based foams. These are made from polymer based materials, and may be designed with various characteristics. Typically these types of insulation materials are relatively stiff/hard. For insulation of attics and interior walls in buildings these types of materials are relatively expensive and consequently do not find widespread use. These solutions are not burdened with the dust problem of mineral and glass wool, but they also do not have good fire resistance properties, which limit their application in many respects.

Like with mineral and glass wool the C02 emissions from the production of this type of insulation is significant, caused by the fact that they are oil-based and the formation into polymers in addition requires the application of significant amounts of heat. Loose blown-in cellulose wool insulation is another alternative insulating material. It is not new as it has been in use in the US for more than 100 years.

Cellulose wool is made from recycled paper or cardboard which is shredded and fiber-ized creating a fluffy insulation material with low density consisting of fine cellulose fibres, which is then blown in to cavities such as attics and the like. To increase the resistance to fire, fire retarders are added to the fibres. To lower transport cost, the fiberized material are compacted into bales with a density of app. 150 kg and put into packaging bags prior to transport from the production site.

When being installed, these bales of compacted cellulose fibres are fed into a special decompactor and blower unit. The decompacter loosens the cellulose material into a low density fibrous material which the blower blows into the attic or into the wall. Installation without such a machine is virtually impossible, as the wool needs to be decompacted and made fluffy again to achieve the insulation capabilities desired.

During the installation a significant amount of dust is released while the insulation is blown in as some of the fibres are so fine that they float very easily in the air. Different from the other insulation materials mentioned above, the production of cellulose wool insulation is much more C02 friendly as the raw material used is recycled newspapers and the production process mainly involve mechanical processing. The C02 emission from cellulose wool production is thus 5-10% of the emissions from the other insulation materials mentioned.

Particularly for this reason cellulose wool has increased in popularity as the focus on sustainable products has increased. However, as the materials require special equipment to install many home owners have been looking for a DIY solution. This has led some manufacturers to produce batts (removing the need for blowing equipment) from cellulose wool, but due to the inherent cost and required C02 emissions for making such batts, the cellulose wool batts have not gained any significant market share.

Object of the Invention

The present invention accordingly provides a new type of insulation solution which addresses and overcomes the drawbacks of prior art insulation, and at the same time provides an affordable and C02 friendly insulation material which can easily and safely be handled by anybody without any hazards. No tools, special machines or protective work-wear will be required when applying this insulation, and thus the invention is suitable for professionals as well as DIY homeowners.

Description of the Invention

The invention achieves this by providing an insulation bag, where the bag which forms an integral part of the insulation is made from a flexible, organic and moisture permeable material, typically paper, where said bag is substantially filled with a loose fibrous non-hazardous material, for instance cellulose fibres.

The bag makes it possible to easily handle (carry and place) the insulation in its proper position. As the bag is flexible and the insulation contents are loose fibres, the bag can be pressured into various form and shapes, removing the need to cut the bag to make it fit. Hence a bag that for instance is 90 cm wide (and 10 cm tall), can easily be squeezed such that it when installed fits into a 70 cm wide space. The consequence of the squeezing is merely that the height of the installation will be increased somewhat above the 10 cm the bag was bom with.

As the bag is made from an organic, usually a cellulose based material, and the fibres likewise is made from non-hazardous, usually a cellulose based material there is no health hazards associated with the insulation material. Furthermore cellulose based materials are readily available, is a renewable source and environment friendly.

The bag effectively encapsulates the insulation material, sufficiently to avoid any dust generation, and consequently, handling the bags is safe and easy, also if the insulation materials within the bag itself are dusty, not pleasant to work with or touch, or have a visually unattractive appearance. The bag sufficiently covers up the material with a nice clean surface pleasant to work with, which further prevents any dust from the insulation material to be released.

Due to the permeability of the bag, usually assured by making the bag of low density paper, any moisture in the air can be captured and released again as required. This feature is in many applications very important. The use of vapour barriers is increasingly being used, and one of the important aspects when using vapour barriers is to know exactly where the barrier is located in the construction in order to control the moisture movement and the associated dew point. By making the bags permeable such that the bag does not act as a “second” vapour barrier, the moisture control and especially the dew point is not affected by the bag material or its filler material compared to other insulation systems, making it possible/easier for the engineer to precisely calculate the dew point, and thereby safely design the construction without any moisture problems - stemming from the use of insulation bag, as the permeability of the bags provide the same freedom of moisture movement as other types of loose or open insulation materials .

In a further embodiment of the invention the cellulose based fibrous insulation material is made from recycled paper, which paper has been shredded and fiberized prior to being filled in the bag.

Although shredded and fiberized paper-based insulation is known per se, the traditional method for use of this insulation material is to blow the fiberized fibres into place, requiring expensive equipment and trained personnel. The blowing process, as already mentioned above, generates a substantial amount of dust. With the insulation in bags anyone can handle and place the insulation correctly without the use of expensive equipment or tools. Furthermore with the blowing technique the space into which the insulation is to be placed must be prepared and delimited by wind-breakers etc., which is not the case with the present invention.

In a further embodiment the bag is perforated with micro-holes to increase its flexibility and permeability, without allowing the possible dust inside the bag to escape.

In a further embodiment the bag is provided with an integrated spout, said spout allowing the bag to be filled by blowing equipment and the contents of the bag to be dispersed outside the bag. This aspect is important where the spaces to be insulated are irregular or otherwise make it difficult or uneconomic to fit whole bags. The spout makes it possible to in a controlled manner pour out some or all of the contents of the bag, and place the loose insulation material in the required space. Alternatively a bag has to be ripped open, potentially spilling the contents, and the not used material discarded, creating an unwanted waste.

Further advantageous features are disclosed in the further dependent claims.

In embodiments of the invention the loose cellulose or otherwise based fibrous material as well as optionally the bag are additionally treated with a fire retardant agent, typically ammonium based compounds, and/or a biocide typically a fungicide, such as for example Sodium Benzoate or the like.

A biocide is a chemical substance or microorganism which can deter, render harmless, or exert a controlling effect on any harmful organism by chemical or biological means.

Biocides can be antibiotics, pesticides and/or anti-bacterials. Pesticides include fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, algaecides, molluscicides, miticides and rodenticides. Anti-microbial includes germicides, antibiotics, anti-bacterials, anti-virals, anti-fimgals, anti-protozoals and anti-parasites.

The invention is also directed at a method for insulating a structure, using one or more insulation bags as described above, where a surface of the structure to be insulated is provided with a first layer of bags arranged such that adjacent bags slightly squeeze neighbouring bags, and where any empty space is left, not covered by a bag, loose material from a further bag is arranged in said empty space, and where optionally further layers of bags are arranged on top of the first layer until a desired insulation thickness is achieved, where bags in successive layers are displaced relative to the bags in the preceding layer to avoid thermal bridges.

Description of the Drawing

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 illustrates a bag according to the invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates the fibrous material according to the invention;

Fig. 3 illustrates the bag of fig 1 but with its spout folded out;

Fig. 4 illustrates a cross section through a structure insulated with bags of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In fig 1 is illustrated an insulation bag 1 according to the invention. The bag 1 is manufactured from a cellulose based material, for example like traditional paper bags. Inside the bag 1 is placed a loose cellulose or otherwise based fibrous material 10, illustrated in fig. 2.

The bag 1 is typically manufactured from a single or multi-layered sheet, which in a bag-forming machine is provided with glued ends. Such bag forming machines are state of the art, and are widely used for the manufacture of paper based bags for various purposes, such as cement, fertilizer etc.

The bag 1 may be of the type having a spout 2 (see fig. 3). The spout 2 is integrated in one or both of the end flaps 3 created during the manufacture of the bag. The spout 2 provides access to the interior of the bag, the purpose of which will be explained below.

The cellulosed based material from which the bag is made shall be air/moisture permeable to such a degree that the fibrous material is able to be in equilibrium with the ambient air. Consequently the moisture content in the fibrous material will fluctuate like the ambient conditions in which the bag is placed.

The bag is filled to such a degree that it may easily be handled and deformed, but the content remains loose in order to provide good insulation properties. Typically the insulation properties are comparable or better than mineral or glass wool, i.e. in the order of 0.0036 to 0.0042 W/m2*s.

The fibrous material illustrated in fig. 2 may be recycled paper which has been subjected to a shredding and fiberizing process, making long thin, mostly fluffy fibres, able to retain a substantial amount of air, and withstand compression to a certain degree. The material may be subjected to a fungicide and/or fire-retardant treatment prior to being filled in the bags.

The fibrous material can contain dust, but the bag contains it, such that handling of the bags does not create respiratory problems, which other insulation products such as glass or rock wool are allegedly known to cause.

Turning to fig. 4 a vertical cross-section through a ceiling provided with thermal insulation in the shape of insulation bags according to the invention is illustrated. In the attic 11 is arranged two layers of insulation bags 1,1’. The lower bags 1 in this example have a greater thickness than the uppermost bags 1 Naturally any number of layers of bags and any thickness may be used, but for the present embodiment two layers are used.

The bags 1,1’ are arranged relative to each other such that possible voids 12 between adjacent bags are covered by the upper insulation bag 1 ’ layer.

When placing the first layer of insulation bags 1 on the ceiling 11, they are squeezed slightly in order to minimize the voids and to maintain the thickness of the insulation layer. As already explained above the insulation fill in the bags is relatively loose and may over time be slightly depressed, reducing the insulation thickness. This is also avoided by squeezing them slightly together.

Part of the roof construction in the shape of a strut 13 is also illustrated. As is the case in the illustrated example, it is difficult to arrange bags immediately adjacent the strut 13. As the bags, at least in one embodiment of the invention are provided with a spout, loose insulation filler material 10 is poured from one bag onto the ceiling. As the insulation material is treated by fungicide and a fire retardant even the loose insulation fibres provide excellent insulation.

In some instances half size bags may be used in place of the loose filler 10, but it is more rational to only use full size bags and supplement by emptying loose filler material 10 into places/spaces not entirely filled by a bag, or hard to reach places.

The invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, but the skilled person will realize further advantages, and the invention shall therefore only be limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. Insulation bag, where the bag is made from a flexible, moisture permeable material where said bag is substantially filled with a loose fibrous insulation material.

2. Bag according to claim 1 wherein the fibrous insulation material is made from recycled paper, which paper has been shredded and fiberized prior to being filled in the bag.

3. Bag according to claim 1 or 2 made from paper .

4. Bag according to claim 1 and 2 where the bag is perforated by micro-holes to increase the flexibility and permeability of the bag.

5. Bag according to any preceding claim wherein the bag is provided with an integrated spout, said spout allowing the insulation materials to be blown into the bag during production and the contents of the bag to be dispersed outside the bag by the installer.

6. Bag according to any preceding claim wherein the bag has a width of between 20 to 150 cm, a height of from 5 to 40 cm and a length of from 20 to 150 cm.

7. Bag according to any preceding claim wherein the density of the loose cellulose based fibrous material is between 20 kg/m3 and 80 kg/m3.

8. Bag according to any preceding claim wherein the heat conductive coefficient of the bag is in the range 0,034 to 0,048 W/(m * K).

9. Bag according to any preceding claim wherein the fibrous insulation material and optionally the bag are impregnated with a biocide and/or fire retardant agents.

10. Method of insulating a structure, using one or more insulation bags according to any of claims 1 to 8, where a surface of the structure to be insulated is provided with a first layer of bags arranged such that adjacent bags slightly squeezes neighbouring bags, and where any empty space is left, not covered by a bag, loose material from a further bag is arranged in said empty space, and where optionally further layers of bags are arranged on top of the first layer until a desired insulation thickness is achieved, where bags in successive layers are displaced relative to the bags in the preceding layer.