Design, fabrication and testing of low-cost vacuum insulated packaging

Abstract

A design for the use of evacuated Perlite insulation in the shipment of perishable goods was analyzed, implemented, and evaluated, with the goal of replacing or reducing the amount of phase-change materials needed to ship such goods by standard package carriers. The package design makes use of inexpensive materials and relatively simple operations to completely surround perishable items in a layer of evacuated Perlite insulation, bounded by inner and outer bags of high-barrier film. A vacuum chamber and sealing apparatus were constructed in order to fabricate these evacuated Perlite packages, and a microcontroller-based temperature-logging sensor was developed and built for in-situ temperature measurement over several days' time span. Due to problems with the reliability of the fabrication apparatus and the package structure, no experimental data could be obtained to evaluate the performance of the package design with evacuated insulation. Control data validated the function of the temperature sensor, which may have applications to other projects. The package design still appears to be viable, but a more reliable sealing and evacuating apparatus must be constructed and a more robust way to package goods within the insulation layer must be devised.