Study of Pykrete Viability As Protective Insulation in Cold Storage Application

Pykrete is an impact-resistant ice composite material developed in secret by British during World War 2, designed as a substitute material for steel for building warships due to the shortage of metals at that time. It is made by freezing water mixed with paper or wood-based reinforce material. This paper studied the cooling performance of pykrete by observing the fluctuations of air temperature and humidity affected by Pykrete's cooling and it's viability as protective insulation material for cold storage. The experiment involves placing a pykrete sample inside an open-topped box, exposed towards room temperature. Two hygrometers and thermometers recorded the change in relative humidity and temperature every 15 minutes. The data gathered was processed and plotted into a line chart which showed the fluctuations of temperature, specific humidity and absolute humidity of ambient air as the time passed from the start of the experiment until the sample completely melted. Then, the charts of pykrete samples is compared with chart result of ice, which provides a vinal verdict of pykrete's viability. Results from this experiment has found that pykrete has a much better cooling duration and temperature at the cost of cooling stability.