Insulation!!

[mimijuice]

I am doing a project on insulation of water.
I will take different types of cloth (cotton, wool, silk, and nylon) and wrap it around a boiling container.
I was wondering if those types of cloths would be ok for the project, and for my background research, I am having trouble finding websites.
Also, how long is a good amount of time?

Please help!

[deleted-71447]

Hi Mimijuice,
Welcome to the Ask and Expert forum. Yes, those types of cloth sound fine for your experiment. For background research, I would recommend getting started by searching for web pages with information about "thermal conductivity". Here is one page to get you started:
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/therm ... d_429.html
The topic can get quite complicated mathematically and conceptually, so feel free to ask us if you have questions.

The amount of time required to run your experiment will depend on the amount of water that you use and the ambient air temperature. You will probably need to run some trials first to get a sense of how much time is needed.

Looking forward to hearing more,
Chris

[mimijuice]

Thanks so much for your help.
I didn't plan on there being so much complicated math and stuff....
Well, I will try to search websites for "thermal conductivity"
You helped so much!
Thanks a lot.

P.S. Is there a certain type of thermometer that you would suggest...?
Liquid, electronic? I will be dealing with boiled water so I'm not really sure.
And again THANKS!!

[deleted-71447]

You're welcome. At this point, the concepts are more important than the math, so don't worry about any complex equations. If you do want to get into the mathematics, we can help with that too.

For thermometers, these will probably suffice:
http://www.classroomproductswarehouse.c ... hermometer
If you do use these thermometers, I would recommend purchasing a few of them and labeling each thermometer (in case they give slightly different readings). Try to use the same thermometer for each trial. If you want better accuracy (and some insurance in case one breaks), you could use two or more thermometers in each trial and take multiple readings of the temperature.

I would also suggest reviewing this thread for issues about calibrating thermometers and measuring temperatures.
http://www.sciencebuddies.com/science-f ... =31&t=3607

Chris

[mimijuice]

so after doing the project, I got that wool insulates the best, then nylon, then polyester, and cotton insulates the worst.
Does that sound about right?
I'm not exactly sure if I got correct data...
Right now, I'm in the process of writing up my final data to put up on my board.
Please help soon!

[deleted-71827]

Hi!
I think that sounds about right, but in any event, don't hesitate to write up the results that you got. Remember that even in the case that your results don't match up exactly with what is expected, you may be able to go back and find and take into account some minor errors. Good luck!

[deleted-71588]

Heat transfer from a solid surface to a fluid (air) through a layer of insulation depends on various factors. When comparing different insulation materials these factors need to be kept constant if you want to have a fair comparison.

Two of the factors greatly affect the performance of an insulating material. One is the thickness of the insulating material. I hope you kept this constant. The other is its vapor barrier properties. Without an air tight boundary on both sides of the insulating material, air and moisture (water vapor) can circulate through the insulation. This is called infiltration in the case of dry air. When moisture infiltrates, it displaces trapped air in open cell types of insulation and significantly lowers the insulating properties. When the material is completely saturated with moisture, it takes on the insulation properties of water which is a fairly good heat conductor.

Wool has natural oils in it to keep sheep warm even in the rain by repelling water so it has a natural vapor barrier. Materials like cotton absorb moisture and when they do, they loose insulation effectiveness. Synthetic polymer fibers like nylon and polyester do not absorb moisture; however, they will allow water to wick and occupy space between the woven fibers.