Porous Refractory Ceramics for High-Temperature Thermal Insulation - Part 1: The Science Behind Energy Saving

: The use of thermal insulators to prevent undesirable heat exchange and save energy is a growing trend in practically all human activities. But despite an intense period of interest in such materials over the past three decades, the literature lacks systemic and structured information that combines technological and scientific aspects of their development. The first part of this study provides a compilation of updated information on the thermal energy consumption per area of human activity and examples of industrial processes that occur in each temperature range. The second part is devoted to a classification of insulators and the most common causes of premature failure, providing a roadmap for problem-solving towards future developments.