AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY

Honda Civic test vehicles. The higher solar reflectance
of the solar vehicle makes it more fuel efficient
than its black cousin.
term implies, surfaces with high solar
reflectance stay cooler in the sun.
The cars were subjected to five identical
soak-cool cycles comprised of an
hour-long soak in the sun without air
conditioning followed by a 30 minute
cool down with air conditioners running
at full blast. Meanwhile, measurements
were taken of the cars’ roof, ceiling,
dashboard, windshield, seat, door,
vent air and cabin air temperatures.
During the soak (warming) phases,
researchers found that the roof temperature
of the silver car was up to 45°C
cooler than the black car’s roof. Also,
the cabin air of the silver car was about
10°F cooler.
Next, the researchers developed a
thermal model to predict how much air
conditioning capacity would be needed
meet the industry standard of bringing
the cabin temperature to 77°F within
30 minutes. The analysis predicted that
the silver car would require 13% less
AC capacity than the black car to meet
the standard. Thus, light colored cars
can be built with smaller air conditioning
units, while imparting the same
level of comfort.
Other benefits could accrue with
smaller AC units. Using a simulation
tool called ADVISOR, the researchers
modeled fuel consumption and
emissions for typical driving scenarios
including highway, city and a variable
combination of the two. The simulation
shows that using a smaller AC
unit, which a white or silver car would
allow, could increase fuel economy by
about two percent, while reducing CO 2
by about two percent and other emissions
by about one percent.
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 90, No. 9 | www.ceramics.org
(Credit: EETD; LBNL.)
There are about 25 million
registered cars in the state of
California, so even modest
improvements in efficiency and
emissions output can result in
large energy-saving numbers.
Coincidentally, DOE’s
Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy just released
a Vehicle Cost Calculator and
widget to help consumers, fleet
managers and government offi-
cials to compare energy-saving vehicles.
Although the widget does not ask for
the car’s color, it is hoped that fleet
managers will use the EETD’s research
to evaluate the value of color as they
replace their inventories.
Visit http://eetd.lbl.gov n
Analysis of China’s markets for
advanced ceramics offered
Two weeks ago, researchandmarkets.com
offered a study on the US’s
advanced ceramics markets. Now, the
research firm is offering a similar study
about the markets for advanced ceramics
in China with a focus on oxide and
carbide materials.
The report starts with a broad overview
and then goes into specifics such
as market drivers and inhibitors, market
Wind farm in Xinjiang, China.
size by end-user industry, markets structures
and a summary of advanced ceramics
suppliers. It then delves into data on
specific market segments, including the
power, chemicals, metals, machinery,
automotive and electronics markets.
Each segment in the €3769
(~$5100) report covers pricing data,
current business leaders (and their
products), competitors, revenue streams,
capacity and current projections.
Some of the companies operating in
these markets that are profiled in the
report include:
• Shandong Luyang Share
• Aokerola Group
• Xi’an HV Porcelain Insulator
• Saint-Gobain
• Carbo Ceramics
• Shandong Gold Phoenix Group
• Tangshan NGK
• Suzhou Insulator
• Dalian Insulator
• Shandong Wanqiao
• Zibo Industry Ceramics
• Jiangxi Pingxiang Long Fa
• Luoyang Resistant LLC
• Beijing Sinoma
• Huayan Ceramics
• Zibo Xinnaida Refractories
• Yixing Orient Petroleum Proppant
n
(Credit: Chris Lim; Wikipedia..)
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