Thermal Insulation Assembly

Abstract

A furnace insulation assembly includes a main body having a generally U-shaped cross-section. The main body includes a pair of side walls. A pair of end plates are secured to opposed ends of the main body. The end plates and the main body form an interior chamber. The end plates and side walls are made of a thermal insulation material formed from carbon fibers, said carbon fibers in each end plate and side wall are oriented against-grain direction points inwardly toward the interior chamber.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A furnace insulation assembly comprising:
 a main body having a generally U-shaped cross-section, said main body including a pair of opposed and spaced side walls;   a pair of end plates secured to opposed ends of the main body, said end plates and said main body forming an interior chamber; and   wherein said end plates and said side walls are made of a thermal insulation material formed from carbon fibers, said carbon fibers in each said end plate and said side walls being substantially oriented parallel to a with-grain plane and perpendicular to an against-grain direction, said against-grain direction of said end plates and said sides wall pointing inwardly toward said interior chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The furnace insulation assembly of  claim 1  wherein at least 60 percent of said fibers are parallel to said with-grain plane. 
     
     
         3 . The furnace insulation assembly of  claim 1  wherein at least 80 percent of said fibers are parallel to said with-grain plane. 
     
     
         4 . The furnace insulation assembly of  claim 1  wherein at least 90 percent of said fibers are parallel to said with-grain plane. 
     
     
         5 . The furnace insulation assembly of  claim 1  wherein said thermal insulation material having a density of from about 0.1 to about 0.4 g/cm 3 . 
     
     
         6 . The furnace insulation assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the thermal insulation material has an against-grain thermal conductivity of less than about 0.4 W/m°.K. 
     
     
         7 . The furnace insulation assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the thermal insulation material has an against-grain thermal conductivity of less than about 0.2 W/m°.K. 
     
     
         8 . The furnace insulation assembly of  claim 1  wherein at least some of said carbon fibers are derived from isotropic pitch. 
     
     
         9 . The furnace insulation assembly of  claim 1  wherein at least some of said carbon fibers are derived from rayon. 
     
     
         10 . The furnace insulation assembly of  claim 1  wherein at least some of said carbon fibers are derived from PAN. 
     
     
         11 . The furnace insulation assembly of  claim 1  wherein the ratio of against-grain thermal conductivity to with-grain thermal conductivity is less that about 0.6. 
     
     
         12 . The furnace insulation assembly of  claim 1  wherein the ratio of against-grain thermal conductivity to with-grain thermal conductivity is less than about 0.5.