SUMITOMO RIKO
　

　
Sumitomo Riko

valueValue
E
Electric

Heat Control Technology

Controlling heat, more vehicle comfort, more environmentally-friendly.

Maintaining the appropriate system temperature in motor vehicles is an extremely important part of demonstrating the vehicle’s original high-performance capacity. In comparison to engine vehicles, electric vehicles (BEV) produce less heat, and not only do they cool the heat source, its cruise distance and performance is greatly impacted by how efficient the heat generated in the vehicle is used. It is in this way that heat control technology efficiently uses heat without waste.

Needs

Minimizing the loss of easily spreadable heat energy

As engine vehicles produce a lot of exhaust heat, they are able to divert heat as a heat source. However, battery BEVs cannot be expected to produce the same level of exhaust heat. Consequently, they consume a great amount of power to operate the air conditioner, etc., resulting in a shorter cruise distance. The problem therefore is how transport the heat energy produced by the vehicle without loss and how to use it efficiently. When heat is accumulated in electrical parts, performance greatly reduces, and it becomes impossible to maintain a consistent temperature. The technology to solve these problems make electric vehicles (BEV) more comfortable and energy efficient.

Value

Succeeded in improving electric consumption efficiency by developing original technology and new products

In comparison to metal pipes, rubber and resin pipes can transport waste energy with little loss, and by limiting waste loss to the greatest extent possible, it is possible to improve the cruise distance of BEVs. We have succeeded in making a coating by mixing high heat insulation materials with water using the dispersion technology we created through our development of rubber, resin and other materials. We then applied the coating to a non-woven material and developed a thin light groundbreaking insulator. This can be applied to the doors and ceilings of vehicles in sheet form and directly coated on air conditioning ducts to save energy and make the vehicle environment more comfortable.

Related Products

Thin-Film High-Heat Insulation Material 'Finesulight'

Thin-film High-heat Insulation Materials
"Finesulight"

Utilizing our polymer materials technology, we made a high-heat insulating filler (silica aerogel) containing nanopores small enough to block the passage of air, into a coating liquid. This exhibits high-heat insulation properties at a level of still air or higher by coating base materials such as non-woven fabric and molded resin. In addition to vehicle use, it can also be used for a broad range of insulation applications, including electrical appliances, residences and food deliveries.

Cooling Hoses

Cooling Hoses

These hoses are used to transport cooling liquid to cool the vehicle such as radiator hoses and bypass hoses. In addition to cooling, these hoses can also be used to transport waste heat generated from electrical parts to other circuits.

interview

Heat Control Technology

Making future vehicles more comfortable
through high heat insulator development

Advanced Systems R&D Center
Mobility Products Development Department

Motoyuki Nakano

Thin-film High-heat Insulation Materials
"Finesulight"
We have succeeded in developing a water-based high-heat insulating filler (silica aerogel) coating. This enables heat to be appropriately controlled by exhibiting high-heat insulation properties at a level of still air or higher and it contributes to improving in-vehicle comfort in line with electrical advancements.
Finesulight

The challenge to create new materials in anticipation of the future of motor vehicles

Heat control becomes extremely important factor as motor vehicles become more Electric. As opposed to engine vehicles, BEVs are powered by a motor and do not have a large heat source. Consequently, BEVs need to use energy from the battery to power the heater in winter. This results in less energy being allocated to driving and shorter cruise distance. The key to resolving this problem is in-vehicle insulation, so we, therefore, placed our focus on a material called “silica aerogel”. Silica aerogel is such a superior insulator that is used in the aerospace industry, although it is said to be fragile and extremely difficult to handle. As such, the main aim of this project is to determine how to turn silica aerogel into a commercially viable product.

Thermal conductivity test on general non-woven material (Left) and non-woven material coated with Finesulight (Right)
The high heat insulating properties of Finesulight were verified after conducting a comparison using ice on a heated hotplate.

Extracting the maximum potential of materials.

Silica aerogel is very difficult to use on its own due to its extremely fragile powdered nature. It is for this reason we devised a method to turn it into a water-based coating utilizing our core competence, “polymer materials technology”. In view of the strict standards for automotive products and environmental considerations, less VOC (volatile organic compound) and water-based solutions are essential. If this is achieved, we will be able to broadly differentiate between foam and fiber insulation and “coating-type insulation” which is a completely concept. However, as silica aerogel is exceptionally light and floats in water, it is extremely difficult to turn into a water-based coating. After repeating a trial-and-error approach from a materials and manufacturing perspective and refining the dispersion control technology over many years, we succeeded in developing a groundbreaking silica aerogel coating that can be used a high ratio filler and maintains its consistency. Also, in terms of coating technology, we first become able to coat non-woven material and resin that are difficult to evenly coat using a prototype of a few centimeters in size to establishing a mass-production method from the manufacture of water-based coating to the automatic coating of base non-woven materials and molded resin. From here on, we will examine various coating methods and further advancements using coatable insulators and expand the possibilities of Finesulight.

Aiming for the future automotive "standard"

After announcing the release of Finesulight, we received inquiries and questions from various companies and research institutions almost on a daily basis, and we have also been receiving many inquiries regarding fields other than the automotive field which we had not expected. However, in the automotive field, we are aware that there are still several needs for insulators which have not been explored. Due to the development of electric vehicles and autonomous driving, we anticipate that motor vehicles will transition from being purely a means of transportation to being a living space in the future, and the interior of vehicles will need to become as comfortable as a house or office. As with the insulation commonly used in buildings, the use of insulation as a heating source in vehicles will become commonplace. At such time, Finesulight will become the main insulating material to insulate any area and control heat in confined spaces, and we will continue to further develop Finesulight to make it the industry “standard”.

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Aichi 450-6316, Japan
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