EMMA-PIV

The project "EMMA-PIV" is to ensure and improve the employability of the solution of thermal superinsulation of buildings based on vacuum insulation panels (VIPs). In particular, it deals with the prediction of life in real conditions by modeling the involved physical phenomena and by expanding the application areas currently restricted to low temperatures and low humidity. Indeed, given the current state of our knowledge, it is difficult to ensure the efficient functioning of the PIV during lifetimes acceptable for the building (50 years) for applications that are stressed, even for short periods, with high temperatures and humidities. This would progress in two directions: the knowledge of mass transfer through the complex barriers, and the increase of the tightness of these complexes even when exposed to severe conditions. There is a double issue attached to this project. An energy and environmental issue first, as this project aims to develop solutions PIV reconciling the demands of performance and market demand for applications more varied (insulation of roofs, exterior insulation, insulation wall heaters and heat generation equipment, hot water tanks, transmitters, insulation distribution of hot air or hot water, ...). He can afford to offer high thermal performance of new components that without this contribution could not have been built or renovated at this level. A major industrial and social issue as well, because any progress in understanding the behavior and improvement of complex barriers will allow the development of the market for PIV, by extending the field of employment (thus favoring mass production) and creating technical leeway to better control the trade-off performance / cost. The means to achieve this are to run in parallel: - A basic research on the identification and the modeling of physical phenomena of mass transfer operating in the ultra barriers used as the skin of VIPs, paving the way for the prediction of performance in real conditions of 50 years; - An industrial research, exploring the possibilities of improving the sealing envelopes and making them more resistant to highest temperature and humidity encountered in building applications (opaque envelope and energy systems).