• Question: What do you think about the applications of aerogel in engineering?

    Asked by Harukaoki to Matthew, Neil, Paula, Pete, Philippa on 17 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Neil Taylor

      Neil Taylor answered on 17 Mar 2015:

      Hi Harukaoki!

      Interesting question! I think aerogels are pretty cool! I don’t know too much about their wider applications, except that I saw a presentation once that talked about its benefits in thermal insulation, energy damping, and collecting things from space.. which all seem pretty awesome!

      In my industry, silica aerogels are used as high performance insulation for pipelines – and are apparently the solid with the lowest thermal conductivity (the amount of energy that escapes per metre of pipe per degree Kelvin).

      They are needed because a pipeline loses heat to the surrounding seawater, which is cold (4°C is often assumed). If the pipe cools down too much, then waxy substances can form that can block the pipe – which can be very bad news!

      It seems like a very exciting material that is very light, looks cool, and is used in space – what’s not to like?!

      Hope this helps!

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