Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Thomas Alan Cooper

Gang Paul Chen

Lee A Weinstein

Evelyn N Wang

Sungwoo Yang

Bikramjit S Bhatia

Lin Zhao

Elise M Strobach

Xuanhe Zhao

Svetlana Boriskina

Shaoting Lin

David M Bierman

Xiaopeng Huang

James Loomis

Gang Chen

George Ni

Described herein are window retrofits including a monolithic silica aerogel slab having (i) an average haze value of <5% as calculated in accordance with ASTM standard D1003-13 and (ii) a U-factor of <0.5 BTU/sf/hr/° F., and a transparent polymer envelope sealed at an internal pressure of ≤1 atmosphere, wherein the monolithic silica aerogel slab is encapsulated in the transparent polymer envelope. The monolithic aerogel slab can have a transmittance>94% at 8 mm thickness. The window retrofit can be bonded to a glass sheet.

Energy efficient soundproofing window retrofits

A silica aerogel having a mean pore size less than 5 nm with a standard deviation of 3 nm. The silica aerogel may have greater than 95% solar-weighted transmittance at a thickness of 8 mm for wavelengths in the range of 250 nm to 2500 nm, and a 400° C. black-body weighted specific extinction coefficient of greater than 8 m/kg for wavelengths of 1.5 μm to 15 μm. Silica aerogel synthesis methods are described. A solar thermal aerogel receiver (STAR) may include an opaque frame defining an opening, an aerogel layer disposed in the opaque frame, with at least a portion of the aerogel layer being proximate the opening, and a heat transfer fluid pipe in thermal contact with and proximate the aerogel layer. A concentrating solar energy system may include a STAR and at least one reflector to direct sunlight to an opening in the STAR.

Solar thermal aerogel receiver and materials therefor

Described herein are window retrofits including a monolithic silica aerogel slab having (i) an average haze value of &#x3c;5% as calculated in accordance with ASTM standard D1003-13 and (ii) a U-factor of &#x3c;0.5 BTU/sf/hr/&#xb0; F., and a transparent polymer envelope sealed at an internal pressure of &#x2264;1 atmosphere, wherein the monolithic silica aerogel slab is encapsulated in the transparent polymer envelope. The monolithic aerogel slab can have a transmittance &#x3e;94% at 8 mm thickness. The window retrofit can be bonded to a glass sheet.

A silica aerogel having a mean pore size less than 5 nm with a standard deviation of 3 nm. The silica aerogel may have greater than 95% solar-weighted transmittance at a thickness of 8 mm for wavelengths in the range of 250 nm to 2500 nm, and a 400&#xb0; C. black-body weighted specific extinction coefficient of greater than 8 m/kg for wavelengths of 1.5 &#x3bc;m to 15 &#x3bc;m. Silica aerogel synthesis methods are described. A solar thermal aerogel receiver (STAR) may include an opaque frame defining an opening, an aerogel layer disposed in the opaque frame, with at least a portion of the aerogel layer being proximate the opening, and a heat transfer fluid pipe in thermal contact with and proximate the aerogel layer. A concentrating solar energy system may include a STAR and at least one reflector to direct sunlight to an opening in the STAR.

A localized heating structure includes a spectrally-selective solar absorber, that absorbs incident solar radiation and reflects at wavelengths longer than 2 &#x3bc;m, with an underlying heat-spreading layer having a thermal conductivity equal to or greater than 50 W/(mK), a thermally insulating layer, adjacent to the spectrally-selective solar absorber, having a thermal conductivity of less than 0.1 W/(mK), one or more evaporation openings through the spectrally-selective solar absorber and the thermally insulating layer, and an evaporation wick, disposed in one or more of the evaporation openings in the thermally insulating layer, that contacts liquid and allows the liquid to be transported from a location beneath the thermally insulating layer through to the spectrally-selective solar absorber in order to generate vapor from the liquid. The thermally insulating layer is configured to have a density less than the liquid so that the localized heating structure is able to float on the liquid.

Localized solar collectors

Growing community of inventors

Boston, MA, United States of America

Thomas Alan Cooper