The supply chain for perishable products can be complex and expensive. How does insulation play a role, and is it being overlooked as part of improving the supply chain?
As with many other materials, the performance of insulation changes over time and is affected by the environment that it is exposed to. Generally, insulation relies on the trapping of gasses within a network of solid cells. As heat travels through the materials, both gasses and the solid material that makes up the insulator transfer heat. Over time, the gasses change and exchange with air and water vapor, which transfers heat more readily than the initial gasses found just after the materials are manufactured. Sometimes drying takes place, which removes some of the water vapor, but much of the time water remains when it finds its way into these materials. And, unless there is damage to the insulation material, this entrainment of water becomes the largest degradation factor for insulation. You may end up with walls made of water, thus making and thawing ice.