Interior Radiation Control Coating Systems (IRCCS), sometimes referred to as radiant barrier coatings, are paints designed to provide

thermal insulation Thermal insulation is the reduction of heat transfer (i.e., the transfer of thermal energy between objects of differing temperature) between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. Thermal insulation can be achieved with ...

to buildings.

Standards

The American Society for Testing and Materials ( ASTM) and the Reflective Insulation Manufacturer's Association (RIMA) have established an industry standard for evaluating paints claiming to have insulating characteristics. The energy conserving property has been defined as

thermal emittance Thermal emittance or thermal emissivity (\varepsilon) is the ratio of the radiant emittance of heat of a specific object or surface to that of a standard black body. Emissivity and emittivity are both dimensionless quantities given in the range of ...

(the ability of a surface to release

radiant energy Radiant may refer to: Computers, software, and video games * Radiant (software), a content management system * GtkRadiant, a level editor created by id Software for their games * Radiant AI, a technology developed by Bethesda Softworks for '' ...

that it has absorbed). Those coatings qualified as Interior Radiation Control Coatings must show a thermal emittance of 0.25 or less. This means that an IRCCS will block 75% or more of the radiant heat transfer. These low "E" coatings were originally developed in 1978 at the Solar Energy Corporation (SOLEC) in Princeton, New Jersey for use in tubular evacuated solar collectors. The developer, Robert Aresty, designed them to be used as low emissivity surfaces on glass to replace vacuum deposited surfaces. While SOLEC was doing collaborative work with the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), Phillip Fairey, research director at FSEC and world-renowned researcher in radiant barriers discovered the availability of these coatings in the SOLEC labs. He immediately grasped that they might be used as a replacement for foil radiant barriers, and proceeded to perform experiments verifying their viability for this use. In 1986 these coatings were applied for the first commercial application in homes built by Centex Corporation.

Uses

Uses of IRCCS includes residential and commercial building insulation, as well as industrial and automotive applications.

References

* ASTM C1321-04 "Standard Practice for Installation and Use of Interior Radiation Control Coating Systems (IRCCS) in Building Construction" * RIMA has recently made a survey of coatings that claim to have insulating characteristics. To view this study go to http://www.rima.net, click on "Technical Info - Coatings Study"
Triangle Radiant Barrier
Radiation {{chemistry-stub