I need an idea for insulating a heating coil for a science progect i am working on?

Question

Im working on a project and i need an insulator that can withstand high temperatures. I have tried using aluminum foil to at least help a little bit, but the propane burner is hot enough to turn the aluminum into boxite(or something like that) it gets all discolored and crumbly. It has to be decently flexible and somewhat durable. the progect has a coper tubing coil surounded by a steel case i made out of a paint can, I have a fountain pump runing water through the tubing so i can heat the water. Unfortunatly there are still gaps between the burner and the case. I need something that will fit into the gaps and can wrap around the case to keep the heat in. the burner runs very hot but i dont know how hot it acutaly is. any ideas would be very helpful.. Thank you

Answer 1

I am having a hard time picturing the gaps you are trying to fill, so I'm not sure if my ideas will be helpful. Perhaps you could try ceramic as an insulator. It also depends on how long the surface will be exposed to the high temperatures. If its not too long, perhaps you could use wood that has been soaked overnight in water.

The aluminum isn't a bad idea, but perhaps you need thicker aluminum. Like maybe cut open a few soda cans and flaten the result into a crude sheet of aluminum. Maybe two or three layers worth would do the trick.

Maybe some gravel or stones?

Well, those are just some ideas. Not sure if any of them will work, but maybe that gives you some things to explore.

Answer 2

Well, I'm kind of trying to picture what you're talking about too, but I'm thinking that if you're trying to use metal, that's no insulator, that's a conductor (of heat).



So you're trying to protect the case by keeping it cool?



If you just need a sturdy material even tho it is metal, then use molybdenum. But it is fairly expensive. Another suggestion I saw was steel...that might work.



If you can get a hollow tube of 'moly' you can run the coils thru it, and then the gap betwen it and the case you can fill with sand. That should work fine.



Places like McMaster-Carr have all kinds of materials, and it is a fairly ubiquitous company that you may be able to order things from, if that's an option for you.



Believe it or not, you may be able to find useful things at a junk yard. Depending on how old you are you may need someone to go with you, but they have tons of 'stuff'. But you may want to call them first and tell them what you have in mind.



Stop at a Home Depot or Lowes and look around, and don't forget that there are various plastics and rubber materials now that can withstand a great deal of heat. In fact McMaster-Carr sells various size heating pad products that you can plug in and they get quite hot. They are flexible and I don't think they are terribly expensive.



A plumbing supply place may also be a resource you could try for things like this.



I'm realy shooting in the dark, but maybe something here will be helpful to you.

Answer 3

Stainless steel is about the best thing, it's what pots and pans are made of. It is very hard to cut and mold though. You can find very thin sheets of it at Home Depot. type 316 may be too hard and expensive, go for 409 grade. it's the cheapest. You can also wrap it with insulation from the attic and then another layer of metal.