Using Ceramic Insulation Coating + Traditional Insulation to Leverage Radiant Barrier + Conductive Heat Resistance on Ships

Above - Overhead on Tug - CIC on 100% of surfaces and foil-backed foam board on flat panels. NOTE: Spray-on Dendamix (rock wool & silicone binder) allows lower installation cost because pins are not required and spraying is faster. 

Ships are improving insulation performance and reducing installation costs by using Ceramic Insulation Coating (CIC) insulation on 100% of surfaces and Dendamix (www.ASFIUSA.com), mineral fiber or foam board on flat plate. This controls condensation and improves overall insulation performance because the system leverages radiant barrier characteristics of the CIC and the heat retention conductivity characteristics of the mass-based materials. 

Radiant barrier insulation (ceramic coating) works by blocking heat transfer, using very small particles to diffuse infrared-based heat radiation. Ceramic Insulation Coating uses multiple thin layers of hollow ceramic micro-beads in this way to diffuse or block infrared-based heat. A good analogy is thin, oxide-based coatings used on Low-E glass to block sun's rays on car windows.

Mass-based insulation works by reducing the speed of heat transfer across low density particles. Low density materials do not conduct heat and activate neighboring molecules as effectively as closely packed, thick and heavy molecules. That's why we use cast iron pots to boil water and hold onto them with thick cloth-based oven mitts. 

Radiant barrier coatings work by blocking  "x" percentage of heat transfer and mass-based materials slow down heat transfer. "R Value", or resistance value measures the speed of heat transfer through mass and is measured in inches/25mm's.  Because radiant barriers have little mass and are typically applied in 0.04"/1mm increments up to 0.08"/2mm thicknesses, it's hard to measure performance with R value.

Because both materials resist heat differently (block it or slow it down) they make a good combination for blocking heat in the summer or retaining heat in the winter. Another benefit is that ceramic insulation coating controls condensation by warming cold walls above the dew point to keep mass-based insulation dry and improving it's thermal performance. This works on cold walls in the winter and air conditioned surfaces in the summer. 

Another consideration with mass-based insulation is it's slowing down heat using mass. This is what also makes it a "heat sink" or heat reservoir. That's what you want in the winter, to keep a nice warm blanket of heat wrapped around your house. But, in the summer, the more heat stored inside means the more heat you have to disperse with AC or ventilation. That's why radiant barriers on the hot side help by reducing heat into mass-based material (heat sink) during the summer and block it's escape out of the heat sink (mass) during the winter.

On ships in cold conditions, hybrid marine insulation depends on Ceramic Insulation Coating (CIC) raising cold interior surface temperatures by 25F to 45F with 1mm to 2mm coating thickness. This improves overall performance by controlling condensation allowing any mass-based insulation to retain heat more effectively to improve overall performance.

Hybrid Marine Insulation savings is based on CIC  to insulate stiffeners instead of conventional materials. Stiffeners are usually 30% - 40% of total surface areas on ships. This saves installation time and money and also retains more heat while preventing corrosion under insulation.

• CIC controls condensation, keeping board & blankets dry.
• Dry insulation holds more heat.
• The combined cost is equal or less and installs faster.

Western Towboat Titan Class Tug's main deck cabin insulated with CIC + fiberglass blanket. Finish paneling will fasten to wood planks bolted to the steel stiffeners. 

Hybrid Marine Insulation Application:

• On new construction, spot prime welds and bare steel surfaces only.
• Set pins on flat plate only.
• On refits, water-jet loose scale and clean surfaces. Apply surface tolerant epoxy and cure for 24-36 hours.
• Apply Ceramic Insulation Coating (CICC) at 40 mils/1mm per day for total 80 mil/2mm finish using de-humidification and/or heat.
• Spray Dendamix A60 insulation or pre-cut blanket or board to reduce cutting and waste at site and install.
• Application takes days instead of weeks and greatly reduces yard time.
  
  Western Towboat main deck cabin before fiberglass insulation is added over the ceramic insulation coating (CIC). Wood strips for fastening finish paneling are also shown.