Radiative properties of extruded polystyrene foams: Predictive model and experimental results

The radiative properties of extruded polystyrene foams (XPS) were predicted using morphological data and optical properties of bulk medium. A particular attention was paid on the modelling of the radiative properties of struts, which are located at the junctions between cell walls. The radiative properties of XPS foams were determined by adding the contributions of each particle (walls and struts) using the independent scattering hypothesis. Hemispherical reflectance and transmittance measurements were made in addition to total thermal conductivity measurements. Comparisons were made between theoretical and experimental results and some improvements were suggested to better improve modelling of foam radiative properties.