Aerojet produces space-age insulation; American industry will give it a try.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 1995--Aerojet, an aerospace and defense manufacturer with headquarters in Sacramento, has achieved the first commercial pilot production of organic aerogel in the world.

This super insulation material is now ready to be tested by several major American manufacturers, including Maytag, General Motors, Benteler Industries and California-based Glacier Bay Co.

A year ago, Aerojet announced that it would demonstrate commercial production capabilities for organic aerogel, which was developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) provided partial funding to the $2.3 million project and chose the Department of Energy's Idaho Operations Office to manage the program.

Aerojet is working under a technology transfer agreement with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to develop organic aerogels and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory on silica aerogels.

Aerogels have significant thermal insulation properties. They provide insulation values of up to R36 per inch, 10 times that of fiberglass insulation. Their molecular frameworks are so minute that heat has difficulty penetrating them. Yet, they are less than 5 percent solid. The rest is air.

Aerogels are produced by first dissolving starting materials into a solution. The solution is transferred to a mold that is heat-cured, forming a gel.

This gel is then "dried supercritically" requiring pressures of 1150 psi using carbon dioxide. At supercritical conditions, fluids have unique properties, behaving neither as gases nor liquids. It is this supercritical drying step that allows the delicate open cell foam structure to be preserved.

Dark red organic aerogels -- like those produced at Aerojet's pilot plant -- appear to be excellent insulators and more robust than silica aerogels. Aerojet will begin pilot production of transparent silica-based aerogels, which are completely non-flammable, in early 1995.

Aerogels were discovered in the 1930s but remained a laboratory research material, as difficult scale-up and costs discouraged potential manufacturers from developing ways to bring them into a production environment.

"Working with Aerojet has opened up our eyes to business reality," said Rick Pekala, polymer chemist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "We want to produce aerogels faster and cheaper."

A big key to controlling costs on Aerojet's pilot production program has been the company's ability to modify and use its unique, existing facilities. Aerojet is using a portion of its chemical processing plant at its Sacramento operations.

"It is our defense program experience with high-pressure and high-temperature material processing that has allowed such a rapid transition and scale-up from the National Laboratories to commercial pilot production," said Deborah Dumais, director of Speciality Chemicals and Materials for Aerojet's Defense Conversion Systems group. "This is a prime example of how defense technology and expertise can be put to dual use and bring real benefits to the commercial world."

Charles V. Shank, director of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, emphasized the importance of a consolidated effort between members of industry, government and education. "I am pleased that Aerojet, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are working together toward the commercial production of aerogel thermal insulation, which should result in significant energy savings nationwide," he said.

Focus on the project now moves to the end users, who will test aerogel in their products to evaluate its performance and market potential. The following companies are participating in the evaluations:

--Maytag Refrigeration Products, maker of home appliances, and

Glacier Bay Co., maker of marine refrigerators, will

evaluate environmentally safe aerogel insulation.

--General Motors' Cadillac Luxury Car Divsion will evaluate

aerogel for thermal and acoustic insulation in door panels,

ceilings and under the hood.

--Benteler Industries will look at aerogels for use in the

exhaust manifolds it manufactures. Aerogels could improve

catalytic converter efficiency.

--The Federal Aviation Administration will perform fire

safety testing.

Quantities of aerogel will be made available in early 1995 for purchase by businesses who want to test the material in various products. Aerojet is working with the California Manufacturing Technology Center and the Michigan Energy Research and Resource Agency to disseminate information and material.

Aerojet is also preparing the technical data required to build a facility for the mass production of aerogels. A decision to go ahead will depend largely on what the end users report from their evaluations.

"The interest in aerogels has been astounding," said Wayne Sawka, Aerojet's manager of Aerogel Products. "If this material lives up to expectations, it will make a major impact on the products we use in our everyday lives."

Aerojet is a segment of GenCorp, a technology-based company with strong positions in aerospace, automotive and related polymer products. -0-

NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos available.

CONTACT: Aerojet, Sacramento

              Sandi Noah, 916/355-4904
                 or
              Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
              Steve Wampler, 510/423-3107
                 or
              Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
              Jeff Kahn, 510/486-4019