Investigation
Thermodynamics is the study of physical science that deals with energy. Our project is to create an experiment which displays how much heat a recyclable form of insulation can retain. Once we choose a recyclable material, we are to design an experiment which will test exactly how much heat it retains and how thick the insulation must be to retain a certain amount of heat. Once we’re done testing how much heat is retained, we will then move on to the second part of the experiment: comparing our form of insulation to another form.
Insulation is used in order to keep the heat flow from leaving your home. Heat flows naturally from a warm environment to a cold environment, such as unheated attics, basements, garages, through cracks in the walls, and outdoors. In order to restore the lost heat, a heating system is used so that the house’s temperature is comfortable. During the summer when the hot air from the outside manages to cycle through the house, a cooling system is used. The use of a heating and cooling system (otherwise known as an air conditioning unit) needs money. Using insulation can lower the cost of the A/C unit, since it will properly maintains the temperature of a house through stifling heat flow from a cold environment to a warm environment.
There are many other uses for insulation. Insulation is not only used to block the flow of air but also is used to nullify sound. Many music studios use insulation in order to keep the sound from escaping the sound booth when they’re recording. For insulation to be used for this purpose, they would have to pad the ceilings and walls. They are also useful to reduce the moisture in the air. It helps resist the moisture in the air from attaching to cold surfaces where it can condense and create mold.
There are four different types of insulation. There is loose-fill which is made of loose fibers that are blown into attics or other small spaces using special equipment. The second form is rigid board insulation which is composed of fiberglass, polystyrene, or polyurethane in multiple thicknesses. They are used to fill the spaces in flat roofs and basements. Spray foam insulation is a two-part liquid which has two agents, a polymer and foaming agent. They are used to fill small and thin places to make them airtight, which disallows any of cold air to enter through the thin spaces. Batt and blanket insulation is the most common type of insulation used, which are processed mineral fibers such as fiberglass and rock wool. They are normally fitted between wood frames and rafters to “insulate below the floors in homes, above the ceilings and within walls.” (Energy Savers: Insulation)
There are many known forms of recyclable materials used for insulation. The most common materials are Styrofoam, hay, and newspaper. If insulation recycles materials, it will help save the planet from waste and also reuse materials. There are not a lot of companies that specialize in creating insulation from recycled materials in order to insulate homes and apartments. On the market, there is a new type of insulation that is supposed to be the new future of recyclable insulation, Aerogel. It is “made of a special type of super-porous silicon foam that is 99% air.” (Inhabitat) Its small pores are what make it one of the best thermal insulators in the world. Aerogel is also light and translucent so they can be used to insulate windows. This way you can have roofs that let in the light but it keeps the heat out. However, it’s not good for your health any better than fiberglass, which when breathed in for long periods of time can be hazardous to your health. Kalwall and Supersky Systems are companies that package Aerogel to keep it from being any danger to the people who handle them.
I want to find a recyclable material that will not only insulate a large amount of heat but also is not hazardous for your health when in large amounts. For this project, the type of insulation I’m going to use is bubble wrap. It’s the most common packaging material and is used to help cushion breakable materials so that they won’t break. Bubble wrap is normally recycled in the form to I want to insulate a small plastic container with bubble wrap and see if bubble wrap would be a good form of recyclable insulation.
Works Cited
"Energy Savers: Types of Insulation." EERE: Energy Savers. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. <http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11510>.
Fehrenbacher, Jill. "New Ideas for Green Insulation." Inhabitat. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. <http://inhabitat.com/lets-talk-about-insulation-baby/>.
"Thermodynamics." NASA. Ed. Tom Benson. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. <http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/airplane/thermo.html>.
Design
Research Question: How does the thickness of the bubble wrap affect the amount of heat that is transferred?
Hypothesis: If the thickness of the bubble wrap exceeds 15 centimeters, then the amount of heat in joules transferred will be greater because the thicker the insulation is, the more material and air from the air bubbles in the bubble wrap there will be to keep the heat that will be retained.
Independent Variable: The thickness of the bubble wrap insulation
Dependent Variable: the amount heat transferred
Controlled Variable(s): 15 minutes ; 100 mL of water
Materials and Procedure
Materials:
§ four beakers, all with different widths
§ thermometer
§ tape measure
§ stop watch
§ 300 ml of boiling water
§ bubble wrap
§ cardboard square large enough to cover the top of the widest beaker
§ graduated cylinder
Procedure:
1. Find four beakers all with different widths. The largest beaker has to be able to fit the other three (at different times) inside. The amount of space between the three beakers’ sides and the largest beaker’s side must vary.
2. Measure the width of each of the three beakers that will be inside the largest beaker (wrapping a tape measure circularly around the beaker).
3. Take bubble wrap and wrap it around the second beaker until the space between the first beaker and the second beaker is closed.
4. Measure the width of the beaker with the insulation. Subtract the measurement from the width of the beaker alone. That’s the width of the insulation.
5. Place the second beaker inside the first one.
6. Boil water until around 100°C. Pour 100 ml of water into a graduated cylinder and then pour it into the inner beaker.
7. Place a cardboard square or a cap on top of the large beaker with a hole in the center of it for putting the thermometer through.
8. Record the initial temperature of the boiling water.
9. For 15 minutes, record the temperature of the water every thirty seconds.
10. Repeat steps 3-9 using the other two beakers.
Create
Plan
Day 1: Begin working on the Design Brief for Thermodynamic Insulation.
Day 2: Gather all the supplies and begin the procedure.
Day 3: Perform the experiment and record all of the results.
Day 4: Evaluate the experiment and think of ideas for further inquiry, modifications, etc.
3 November 2011
Started thinking about what to do for this project. I thought about either using bubble wrap, Styrofoam, or newspaper. I’ve decided to choose bubble wrap, since a lot of bubble wrap is used but not recycled after they are used for packing away materials. That’s a lot of good material that could go to good use.
8 November 2011
I began my investigation for thermodynamics and recycling. I looked up websites mostly on how insulation works and what thermodynamics are.
17 November 2011
Finished my investigation and began to plan out my procedure and found all of the supplies I will need for this experiment.
19 November 2011
I did three trials for this experiment, each of the beakers maintained the same mass of water, and the length of the insulation remains the same, and was timed for only 5 minutes each.
The three smaller beakers all wrapped up in bubble wrap.
The largest beaker where the three smaller beaker will be placed inside before closing off the top with a cardboard square in order to measure the heat transference from water to bubble wrap.
I am pouring 100mL (100 grams) of water into the third beaker.
The larger beaker currently has the second beaker within it. A cardboard covering is on top and the thermometer is measuring the temperature of the water inside.
These two depict the third beaker’s water temperature gradually declining from the original 82°C.
Here are the results of my three trials:
| Beaker 1 | Beaker 2 | Beaker 3 |
Width | 25.5 cm | 23 cm | 17 cm |
(Circular) width of insulation | 6 cm | 9.5 cm | 16.5 cm |
Initial Temperature | 69 °C | 73°C | 82°C |
Final Temperature | 59°C | 64°C | 74°C |
Δ Temperature | 10°C | 9°C | 8°C |
Mass of Water | 100 g | 100 g | 100 g |
Heat capacity of water | 4.19 j/°C | 4.19 j/°C | 4.19 j/°C |
Heat Transferred from Water to the Bubble Wrap | 4190 j | 3771 j | 3552 j |
23 November 2011
I realized that with my first attempt at this experiment was incorrectly done. I fixed the procedure and then redid all three of the beakers. Nothing changed in this experiment except for initial and final temperatures, and the amount of heat that was transferred from the water.
Here are my new results:
Table 1: The change in temperature every 30 seconds for 15 minutes
The calculations for the third beaker.
The temperature of the second beaker.
The time of being watched for the first beaker.
Time (minutes) | Beaker 1's Temperature (°C) | Beaker 2's Temperature (°C) | Beaker 3's Temperature (°C) |
0:00 | 76 | 76 | 80 |
0:30 | 74 | 76 | 80 |
1:00 | 72 | 74 | 79 |
1:30 | 70 | 74 | 79 |
2:00 | 68 | 72 | 78 |
2:30 | 68 | 71 | 77 |
3:00 | 67 | 70 | 76 |
3:30 | 65 | 69 | 75 |
4:00 | 64 | 69 | 74 |
4:30 | 63 | 68 | 74 |
5:00 | 63 | 67 | 73 |
5:30 | 62 | 66 | 73 |
6:00 | 62 | 65 | 72 |
6:30 | 61 | 65 | 71 |
7:00 | 60 | 64 | 70 |
7:30 | 59 | 64 | 70 |
8:00 | 59 | 63 | 69 |
8:30 | 58 | 62 | 69 |
9:00 | 58 | 62 | 69 |
9:30 | 57 | 61 | 68 |
10:00 | 56 | 61 | 68 |
10:30 | 56 | 60 | 67 |
11:00 | 55 | 60 | 66 |
11:30 | 54 | 59 | 66 |
12:00 | 54 | 59 | 66 |
12:30 | 54 | 58 | 65 |
13:00 | 54 | 58 | 65 |
13:30 | 53 | 57 | 64 |
14:00 | 53 | 57 | 64 |
14:30 | 53 | 57 | 63 |
15:00 | 52 | 56 | 63 |
Graph 1:
Table 2: The Amount of Heat Transferred from the Water to the Insulation
| Beaker 1 | Beaker 2 | Beaker 3 |
Width | 25.5 cm | 23 cm | 17 cm |
(Circular) width of insulation | 6 cm | 9.5 cm | 16.5 cm |
Initial Temperature | 76°C | 76°C | 80°C |
Final Temperature | 52°C | 56°C | 63°C |
Δ Temperature | 24°C | 20°C | 17°C |
Mass of Water | 100 g | 100 g | 100 g |
Heat capacity of water | 4.19 j/°C | 4.19 j/°C | 4.19 j/°C |
Heat Transferred from Water to the Bubble Wrap | 10056 j | 8380 j | 7123 j |
Heat transferred from water to bubble wrap:
Qjoules = Mass Cheat capacity ΔTemperature
Beaker 1:
Q = (100g)(4.19 j/°C)(24°C)
Q = 10056 j
Beaker 2:
Q = (100g)(4.19j/°C)(20°C)
Q = 8380 j
Beaker 3:
Q = (100g)(4.19j/°C)(17°C)
Q = 7123 j
Data Analysis
Beaker 1's temperature dropped rapidly for the first 11 minutes until it began to even out to a constant temperature change. The water transferred 10,056 joules to the bubble wrap and the air after 15 minutes. Beaker 2's temperature dropped quickly for the first 3 minutes and then began to stabilize itself. The water transferred 8380 joules to the air and beaker around it. Beaker 3's temperature was constant the whole fifteen minutes, dropping a degree every minute to a minute and a half. The water transferred 7123 joules to the insulation.
November 24, 2011
I added the finishing touches to the Evaluation, mostly the conclusion and wrote the Further Inquiry. I’m almost done with my design brief.
Evaluation
What we can derive from this experiment is that the more bubble wrap insulation you have the more heat that will be retained by the water, proving my hypothesis to be correct. However, despite having all of the qualities that would make up an excellent insulator, such as the air bubbles and the plastic material, the water transferred 17-24°C in only fifteen minutes, despite having a thicker insulation. Fifteen minutes might not have been a sufficient enough amount of time to observe the amount of heat that is retained for a certain amount of time.As my hypothesis predicted, when the insulation got thicker, the amount of heat transference from the water to the bubble wrap covering lessened. During the experiment, at the end of fifteen minutes, the temperature was declining at a constant rate for at least 2 minutes before for all three beakers. The amount of heat transferred from the water in the beaker to the bubble wrap insulation on the sides was 10056 joules for insulation that was 6 cm in width when wrapped around the beaker with the insulation already taped on. For the 9.5 cm, the amount of joules was 8380, and for the 16.5 cm, it was 7123 joules.
When observing the graph, Beaker 1’s temperature declines at a much faster rate than that of Beaker 2 or Beaker 3. Beaker 1 and 2 both start out on the same temperature, but Beaker 1 not only drops about 2° every minute, but also Beaker 2 has a very steady decline of temperature. Beaker 2’s curve is more similar to Beaker 3’s although Beaker 3 was able to retain more heat in the water than what was transferred to the insulation. Their difference in thickness of the insulation completely affected the amount of joules that were transferred and the rate at which the temperature declined. From Graph 2 we can conclude that the thickness of the insulation affects how quickly the temperature of the water within the beaker insulated with bubble wrap. The thicker the bubble wrap insulation is, the longer it will retain heat in the water. Beaker 3 had a 16.5 cm circular width of bubble wrap insulation and was able to retain 17° in fifteen minutes, which was 3 more minutes than Beaker 2 and 7 more minutes than Beaker 1. Its decline was steady, dropping a degree every 30 seconds to 1 minute. From this experiment, the conclusion that the thicker the bubble wrap insulation is, the more heat will be transferred.
Modifications
A modification I could make during the Creation process was the distance between the cardboard and the beakers in between each of them. There was a larger distance from the smallest beaker to the cardboard top on the top of the largest beaker. The amount of air between the boiling water and the cardboard top grew larger with each beaker. The slimmer the beaker became, the shorter it also became during this experiment. That made a larger amount of empty space. Another factor that can be changed is the bubble wrap was only wrapped around the beaker, but left the bottom and the top open. Maybe if the bottom and the top of the beakers were lined with it as well, the water will stay warmer for even longer.
The experiment was the use of three different kinds of bubble wrap, which could not all have the same air volume within the bubbles and a different amount of thickness of the plastic. A modification for this experiment would be to use the same type of bubble wrap (in other words, bubble wrap from the same manufacturing company) in order to keep some consistency in the insulation. The lack of air between the glass of the beaker and the insulation will have made the heat drop quickly before it stabilized itself out. Windows have air in between the glass, which made them keep more heat inside the room.
Further Inquiry
To take this experiment a step further, a comparative study could be done to see how bubble wrap fairs against another form of recyclable insulation, such as wax, rubber, and so on, or even compare it to the most commonly used forms of insulation such as rigid boarding, batt and blanket, etc. From this experiment, we learned that the thicker the insulation of the bubble wrap was, the more heat that was retained by the water inside the beaker and its temperature dropped at a much slower and constant rate. Now the conclusion about the bubble wrap, the next conclusion would be where it stands on a scale with other forms of insulation.The validity of the experiment could also be further tested by allowing the experiment to be measured by insulating the walls and ceiling of a model of a room with bubble wrap and seeing the change in temperature over the course of 24 hours with an A/C on, recording every half hour to see how far the temperature has dropped. If the room temperature drops rapidly and doesn't retain any heat, then the bubble wrap insulation shouldn't be used as it is not a proper form of insulation.Whether the insulation can sustain a comfortable temperature for a whole day could show the insulation should be used on a much larger scale. If the experiment proves to be a success with the model room, a life sized room could be insulated with bubble wrap and have a test subject within the room.
