Determination of physical properties of fibrous thermal insulation

The objective of this study is to characterize both experimentally and theoretically, conductive and radiative heat transfer within polyester batting. This material is derived from recycled bottles (PET) with fibres of constant diameters. Two other mineral and plant fibrous insulation materials, (glass wool and hemp wool) are also characterized for comparative purposes. To determine the overall thermophysical properties of the tested materials, heat flux measurement are carried out using a device developed in house. The radiative properties of the material are determined by an inverse method based on measurements of transmittance and reflectance using a FTIR spectrometer and by solving the equation of radiative heat transfer. These measures are compared to results of numerical simulations.