Insulation solutions for consumer appliances are required to ensure their safety and longevity. Many consumer appliances are used regularly and they need to be functioning over a long period of time. Millions of households in the UK will have appliances such as hair dryers and toasters, with many also having convection or fan-assisted heaters. The sheer volume of these appliances mean that there is a demand for insulation providers to offer solutions and high quality insulating materials for these products.
Elmelin specialise in mica-based insulation, with strong expertise in mica itself, and decades of experience with industrial insulation. With adaptability and innovation at the forefront of our values, we have developed outstanding mica-based insulation products for a variety of industries and purposes. The manufacturing and selling of consumer goods and appliances is a competitive market, and these products require excellent insulation solutions to improve their end-user safety and performance. Products such as hair dryers and toasters are exposed to high voltages and temperatures in their day-to-day operation, so it’s key that the insulation used is efficient but also long-lasting.
Mica is incredibly versatile, with the potential to be applied to many different products and solutions. From large-scale furnaces, to handheld consumer appliances, mica can be moulded and processed into various shapes and sizes. It is a naturally occurring silica-based mineral and due its unique chemical composition and physical properties, it is often used as an electrical and thermal insulator. Mica’s dielectric and thermal resistance properties make it an excellent choice for industrial insulation, yet it is the smooth surface layers that form the mineral which make it so versatile. The smooth surfaces are formed when mica splits along crystalline planes, which results in perfect basal cleavage. Because of this, the mica is flexible and can be shaped into a variety of products including sheets, rolls and tubes. Here we focus on mica tube insulation, specifically electric insulation.
By 2050, the UK aims to reach net zero with the decarbonisation of all sectors. To meet this ambitious target, industries must adapt to alternative methods for delivering their products and services, from investing in new technologies to entirely redesigning their day-to-day operations. The scale of the challenge is apparent, but one that is being embraced by many businesses, like Elmelin, who recognise the importance of making positive environmental change.
Alternate fuels and energy sources are being invested in by many companies, specifically those in the automotive and manufacturing industries. This movement towards cleaner energy and away from fossil fuels has resulted in a sudden influx of innovative ideas for more efficient renewable sources. These renewable energy sources are becoming increasingly important in the race to replace fossil fuels and thereby driving their demand.
Battery energy storage is a key component of the transition to net zero. Energy production and generation, automotive, aerospace and more all require battery storage technologies to store clean energy. These battery storage technologies are essential for reducing emissions and replacing fossil fuels on a mass scale.
The steel and foundry industry has been a major contributor to global manufacturing, producing a hugely vast range of materials, appliances and products. It’s an enormous industry, and crucial for meeting the intense production demands that exist in the current climate. Industrial furnaces, whether electric arc or coreless induction, reach extremely high temperatures in order to melt down the metals. Steel casting uses moulds to shape and form molten metal into pipes and tube fittings, automotive parts and machinery components.
In 2020, the revenue generated in the iron and steel casting industry was in excess of USD 145 billion. Moreover, even with the detrimental effects of COVID-19, there is still an estimated compound annual growth rate of over 5.4% from 2021 to 2027. In Europe, the CAEF, or The European Foundry Association, is responsible for the overall production of metal castings. Founded in 1953, the CAEF is now an alliance of 23 national foundry associations from 22 European countries. European production accounted for 16.8 million tonnes of the 112.7 million tonnes of castings produced globally.
When discussing furnace safety, this just doesn’t just refer to the health and safety of staff working with them, but also an induction furnace’s operational capabilities as well. These large, expensive pieces of equipment are required on a daily basis working at maximum efficiency and capacity. With the steel and foundry industry being so demanding, it’s crucial to ensure that they operate consistently and avoid breakdowns. Here we’ll discuss the benefits of mica insulation for furnace safety.
Heat insulation within vehicles has seen many improvements that help to improve the safety and efficiency of automotive transport. The high temperatures that can be reached within combustion engines require strong insulating materials that can combat the heat. Similarly, modern electric vehicles also require high grade insulation, as lithium-ion batteries generate intense heat, especially in the event of a battery failure or thermal runaway.
Insulating materials and technologies have advanced over time, with new solutions being offered to reduce the high temperatures and risk of damage to the vehicle itself and harm to the passengers inside.
Ever since the early production of commercial vehicles, thermal management systems and insulation were key aspects of vehicle design. Safety has always been paramount in automotive manufacturing; if a vehicle had severe risk of temperature damage or passenger harm, it simply wouldn’t sell.
The evolution of this thermal protection, from rigid steel heat shields to innovative mica-based solutions, has resulted in consistent levels of safety with the introduction of new vehicle technologies.
Mica is a group of minerals that form in multiple tightly packed layers. This two-dimensional sheet structure is the reason for mica being known as silicate sheets. They are found in all three major rock varieties and have certain chemical properties which lends mica to being incredibly useful for industrial insulation.
Due to the layering of the minerals, mica is suited to being produced as mica papers which can be converted into sheets and flexible roll materials. Two of the key properties of mica rolls and mica sheets is the resistance to high temperatures and its inability to conduct electricity. Mica sheets and rolls use these properties, as well as its chemical resistance and durability, in order to work as a highly efficient insulating and reinforcing agent.
Mica can also be rigid or flexible, with flexible being used mainly for furnace insulation and automotive gasket application due to its fantastic electrical resistance under high temperatures. Rigid mica sheets are used for sheathing passive fire protection and dielectric barriers within multiple applications.
There are two types of mica mineral used by Elmelin, Muscovite and Phlogopite. Muscovite mica has a higher dielectric strength, therefore having greater insulating properties, while also being a very poor conductor of electrical currents. Because of this, muscovite is widely recognised as the best mica type for electrical applications and devices. As well as this, muscovite mica can be highly durable and both flexible or rigid depending on resin composition.
Phlogopite mica is similar to muscovite mica; it is more heat resistant than muscovite, and as well a poor electrical conductor and can be manufactured flexible or rigid depending on use. They are the only two mica minerals that are used commercially,
Here we discuss the major advantages of mica’s thermal, electrical and physical properties for industrial insulation.
We find ourselves in a global transition period that has long since been a major necessity for the natural world. The reliance on fossil fuels, while still apparent, is beginning to decline as the development and production of alternative fuels continues to increase. Technological advancements and years of research are allowing for positive change, as we aim to find suitable solutions to the global fossil fuel problem.
Years ago, sustainable fuels and alternative energy sources were rarely thought of as being realistic replacements for oil and gas. However, this is no longer the case and as the use of fossil fuels continues to have detrimental effects on the environment and planet as a whole, sustainable energy sources are becoming increasingly available for use on a global scale. Nuclear, wind, and solar power are the front runners in the race to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and global temperatures in order to reach net zero.
Hydrogen fuel is a clean alternative to fossil fuels such as petroleum and diesel which is being developed for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Hydrogen fuel cells do not emit any greenhouse gases, only water, and the hydrogen itself can be produced using sustainable energy sources such as nuclear power, renewables and even biomass. Due to these qualities, hydrogen fuel unsurprisingly became an exciting prospect in the search for cleaner energy, but is it viable?
The world of motor vehicles is rapidly changing, as technologies continue to advance and research of safer, more efficient alternatives progresses. The number of electric vehicles on the road is increasing at significant rates, and this trend will continue to grow as traditional petrol-based vehicles are phased out in the run up to the ban of petrol and diesel cars that starts to roll-out globally from 2030. Battery storage safety in electric vehicles is a major topic of discussion in the current climate is a major topic of discussion in the current climate; researchers are constantly discovering new ways of improving the efficiency of electric batteries. From vehicle performance to environmental implications, there are many aspects to consider when developing an electric vehicle battery (EVB).
For many years, lithium-ion batteries were the focus of manufacturers, however there has been a shift towards the use of hydrogen fuel cells to power electric vehicles instead. There are important differences between the two, with hydrogen fuel cells having a much greater weight ratio when compared to lithium-ion batteries (further details on the differences between lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells can be found here). While electric cars help cut down on emissions, and begin to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, it’s worth noting that there are some implications for battery storage safety in electric vehicles, specifically in relation to the battery storage itself. Here we’ll discuss the vital safety considerations of battery storage in electric vehicles.
The path to net-zero is paved with new forms of energy generation. As a business, most of our portfolio of opportunities are in supporting companies to find clean energy solutions for net zero in industrial and domestic applications to ensure their customers, our wider supply chains and society achieves its goal.
2050 is the magic year. A year that governments hope to proclaim, ‘we’re operating at net-zero carbon!’. Each member state of the Paris Agreement is creating and implementing various strategies to tackle some of the biggest contributors of emissions. Most of these contributors are in the transportation, agriculture, industry, or building sectors.
