Custom panels
Aerogel core
What is Barrier Ultra-R and "superinsulation"?
BARRIER Ultra-R is Glacier Bay's trade name for our
newest vacuum super insulation panels. These panels rely on moderate vacuum and a special aerogel core material to achieve their
insulation value rather than "trapped air" as do conventional insulation
materials.
How is Barrier Ultra-R made?
The aerogel core of BARRIER Ultra-R is a proprietary compound of
specially produced aerogel, infrared opacifiers and densifying agents encapsulated in a
special gas and moisture-proof membrane under low pressure - typically .5 torr. This core
assembly is then permanently encased in a tough polypropylene (or optional fiberglass)
housing to provide additional rigidity and protect the membrane from damage.
How much insulation should I have?
The amount and quality of insulation will have a tremendous effect on the
performance your boat's refrigerator and freezer system. Boats cruising in tropical
climates should consider R-20 in the refrigerator and R-30 in the freezer to be the
minimum acceptable. This equates to 4" of closed cell urethane foam in the
refrigerator and 6" in the freezer. With only 1" of Barrier
Ultra-R you will substantially exceed these minimum requirements.
Barrier Ultra-R™
is Glacier Bay's high-performance superinsulation
panel. At R-50 per inch (10x the insulation value of polyurethane foam), it has the
highest thermal insulation performance currently available anywhere.
Barrier Ultra-R is a rigid, polypropylene-encased vacuum
insulation panel that is custom-made to your dimensions. It can also be purchased with an
optional fiberglass facing (on one or both sides) making it an ideal high-performance
insulation liner for retrofit to existing refrigerators and iceboxes. If you're building
an entirely new box, use Glacier Bay Barrier Ultra-R panels
and our superinsulated "Ready-To-Mount" Hatches to make an easily assembled, complete icebox.
Barrier Ultra-R offers many advantages over other thermal
insulations including:
- Highest "R" value of any currently available insulation material
At R-50 per inch, Barrier Ultra-R has 10x the insulation value of
polyurethane foam and 2.5 times the that of other vacuum insulation panels.
- Extremely long life
Other vacuum panel technologies require extremely high vacuum to maintain their “R” values. However, Barrier Ultra-R's unique aerogel core attains an outstanding insulation value with a comparatively modest
vacuum level. Higher pressure inside the panel means less gas permeation through the
membrane. This translates into dramatically increased panel life. In fact, Barrier
Ultra-R is the only vacuum insulation panel to carry a full 25 year
warranty.
- Outstanding "R" value even if punctured
Obviously, vacuum insulation panels need to have a vacuum to maintain their rated R
values. But, what happens if one is accidentally punctured? That depends on the base
insulation value of the core material itself. Typically, foam-based panels will fall to
approximately R-3. BARRIER Ultra-R will still give a full R-9 (3x
that of other vacuum insulation panels).
