Ceramic Insulating Paint

Discussion in 'All Things Boats & Boating' started by RCardozo, May 1, 2007.

  1. RCardozo
    Joined: Oct 2006
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    Location: Columbia, Maryland

    RCardozo RCardozo

    Does anyone have any experience with these paints. Supposedly they were developed w/ NASA and involve ceramic microspheres that retard conduction and reflect radiant heat. They are talking R10 at 10 mil thickness. If true this would be the perfect steel hull coating. Companies are Insul-Add, Hy-Tek and Supertherm. Any real world experience would be helpfull.
     
  2. Poida
    Joined: Apr 2006
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    Location: Australia

    Poida Senior Member

    During my time in the paint industry, we were contemplating marketing an insulating paint using ceramic.

    We go them tested at a university and the results were not good.

    The head of the thermal department, I can't remember if that was the correct name of the department said he had tested many paints of this nature and didn't find any of them any good.

    Most of the prevention of heat transfer was due to the paint used is always white and there was no thermal difference between white paint and ceramic paint. So the reflective property of the paint is the main source of thermal protection. White paint being a common paint for boats for that reason.

    What NASA uses is unknown to me, but it would appear that paint manufacturers are using bits of ceramic in paint to make the claim that ceramic insulates, so therefore the paint must insulate.

    As was pointed out to me, if ceramic could insulate effectively why do coolrooms, refrigerators etc. use 50mm (2") of foam when a coat of paint would suffice.

    Since my involvement in paints I have been to shows where they have stands marketing this wonder paint. They have hot lights set up over unpainted steel and steel coated with the insulated paint with thermometers underneath showing the difference in temperature. The difference is significant. But they never show you the difference between white paint and their insulating paint, because there would be no difference.

    Also for hulls of a boat, all the coatings that I have seen are not smooth, ie lumps of ceramic in them and would not sand smooth, because ceramic is hard. Too much friction lots of extra fuel.

    Poida
     
  3. tsimshianman
    Joined: Mar 2008
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    Location: Canada

    tsimshianman New Member

    Choosing the right ceramic coatings is key

    I have been working independently with ceramic coatings over the past 8 years. I am also consulting with a local distributor that distributes several specialized coatings for fire protection, thermal control, corrosion control and water protection. The original primary focus was fire protection coatings and training services. Whenever they came across a product that performs well under testing for fire they would research further to see if this was a suitable product to introduce to their customers. Under NASA testing it has a Class A fire rating of (0 – Flame and 0 – Smoke ) which means it does not contribute to a burn nor does it off-gas. What was equally of interest was the fact that the coating would also provide a degree of protection to the substrate from thermal shock during a fire. Many fires generate a tremendous amount of heat which can weaken the substrate before any flame makes contact. This then significantly contributes to the rate of fire spread.

    Upon further investigation it was found that the manufacturer is constantly developing ceramic coatings that will effectively address various temperature ranges and not just during a fire. The early stages did indeed involve a minimum two year consultation process in the early 90s with NASA engineers at the Marshall Space Centre who helped to identify the most effective ceramics to utilize in this type of product as there are hundreds of different types that will react or behave differently when introduced to heat. This is perhaps the most important point to consider when making a selection. Choosing two of the most highly reflective ceramics as well as a ceramic that will not absorb heat led to the first true insulation coating that was not just a sacrificial reflector which is what most of these products on the market are.

    Almost all of the “paint” products out there use a single reflective ceramic which is often referred to as microspheres or hollospheres. Some are not ceramic at all and are glass beads made by 3M. Most if not all are of a water base acrylic which is not considered as long term as acrylic and urethane. Unfortunately many of these companies have marketed their product with a wide range of performance claims which includes high R Values and high percentage reductions in utility costs without any testing to support their claims. Needless to say this has resulted in giving the industry a black eye making people skeptical for good reason. Here is an example of one of these companies that was brought before the Federal Trade Commission : http://www.ftc.gov/os/2002/06/krytoncmp.htm
    This is apparent as you can see they all base their claims on the same one single test that was not done independently nor by a certified testing lab specializing in heat transfer where the manufacturer actually designed and directed the testing throughout. Many of these knockoff companies have come and gone. You will find many different names for the same product utilizing the same so called testimonials as the parent company has allowed for private labeling of the same product. .

    The bottom line here is the magic bullet or one horse wonder simply does not exist. This should not however discount those products that do exist and do perform as stated. If you value your own reputation as do I, my rule of thumb is to ensure the testing supports the stated performance, period. The testing labs MUST be third party and FULLY CERTIFIED. Which means they must specialize in heat transfer testing as per ASTM requirements and other governing bodies such as International Code Council, ASHRAE 90.1 Code Compliance and DNV Certification.

    An example of such certification might include:
    ASTM - C 177 Standard Test Method for Steady-State Heat Flux Measurements and Thermal Transmission Properties by Means of the Guarded-Hot-Plate Apparatus
    or:
    ASTM -C-236 (C236-89(1993)e1) - Standard Test Method for Steady-State Thermal Performance of Building Assemblies by Means of a Guarded Hot Box - Testing for measuring R-values

    Choosing the right ceramic coating is as important as understanding how and where they are best applied. And yes they can be applied to freezers, ice arenas and more. Think about this, 2" of foam does NOT stop heat from transffering through the substrate, it merely slows it down. It traps and stores it just as fiberglass does. This means you have a constant blanket of heat against the walls and yes, transferring through.

    I will gladly provide some real world projects at your request.
     
  4. RCardozo
    Joined: Oct 2006
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    Location: Columbia, Maryland

    RCardozo RCardozo

    Ceramic paints

    I have used a product called supertherm. Have you heard of it? website is www. supertherm.us
     
  5. tsimshianman
    Joined: Mar 2008
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    Location: Canada

    tsimshianman New Member

    Yes I have heard of ST, the website you posted is a distributor website or at least it was.
    The manufacturer no longer shows this website as a distributor.
    The one I deal with is in Canada under Eagle Specialized Coatings.
     

  6. RCardozo
    Joined: Oct 2006
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    Location: Columbia, Maryland

    RCardozo RCardozo

    Does their testingb past muster? It seemed to to me but thermodynamics is not my specialty.
     
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