NASA seeks to license its Layered Composite Insulation (LCI) technology for use in commercial applications. Designed by the Cryogenics Test Laboratory at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, this easy-to-use system can benefit multiple industries that depend on regulation of low temperatures in equipment and products. The synergistic effect of improvements in materials, design, and manufacture of this new insulation technology exceeds the performance of current multilayered insulation (MLI) or foam insulation products.

This new piping insulation can provide cost-saving and product loss-prevention benefits to companies that transfer fluids such as liquefied natural gas, refrigerants, chilled water, crude oil, or low-pressure steam as well as to transport companies that move refrigerated containers by land and sea and need to protect food, medicine, and other perishable commodities.

The technology combines a unique layered cryogenic insulation system with specific manufacturing, packaging, wrapping, and rolling methods. One of the unique features of the LCI is its superior thermal performance: approximate R-values per inch for cryogenic conditions are R-1600 for high vacuum, R-90 for soft vacuum (about 1 torr), and R-10 for no vacuum. This new LCI system surpasses the current limitations of current MLI systems in: