Thermal insulation system for pool

Abstract

A thermal insulation structure for liquid enclosures (4) is provided. The thermal insulation structure improves the liquid enclosure's thermal insulation thereby requiring less work by external components to maintain the temperature within the liquid enclosure (4). The thermal insulation structure includes a cover (10) and/or a plug (3). Both the cover (10) and the plug (3) each include a plurality of layers, which contribute to their insulating properties.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An insulation structure configured for use with a liquid enclosure, the insulation structure comprising:
 a cover including an inner coating that faces the liquid enclosure and an outer coating that faces the ambient environment;
 the inner coating including a thermal insulation layer comprising at least one insulating material; and 
 the outer coating including a reflective layer adjacent to the inner coating. 
   
     
     
         2 . The insulation structure of  claim 1 , wherein the thermal insulation layer defines an inflatable air chamber. 
     
     
         3 . The insulation structure of  claim 2 , wherein the inflatable air chamber is filled with at least one insulating material. 
     
     
         4 . The insulation structure of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one insulating material includes a polymer sponge or foam, mineral wool, cellulose insulation, fiber insulation, or fleece. 
     
     
         5 . The insulation structure of  claim 1 , wherein the reflective layer has a high refractive index to reflect incoming solar radiation. 
     
     
         6 . The insulation structure of  claim 5 , wherein the reflective layer includes a polymer base layer coated with a metal coating layer. 
     
     
         7 . The insulation system of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the polymer base layer is selected from the group consisting of: oriented polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), nylon and cast polypropylene; and   the metal coating layer is selected from the group consisting of: aluminum, nickel, and chromium.   
     
     
         8 . The insulation system of  claim 1 , wherein the inner coating further including an external film that coats the thermal insulation layer. 
     
     
         9 . The insulation system of  claim 1 , wherein the liquid enclosure includes a side wall coupled to a bottom wall to define a cavity that receives a liquid, the cover being sized to cover the cavity and hang at least partially over the side wall. 
     
     
         10 . The insulation system of  claim 1 , wherein the outer coating further includes a flexible layer adjacent to the reflective layer, wherein the reflective layer is closer to the liquid enclosure. 
     
     
         11 . An insulation structure configured for use with a liquid enclosure having a side wall coupled to a bottom wall to define a cavity that receives a liquid, the insulation structure comprising:
 a plug sized for receipt in the cavity of the liquid enclosure, the plug including:
 a first insulation layer; 
 a second insulation layer; 
 a third insulation layer positioned between the first insulation layer and the second insulation layer, wherein the third insulation layer is an inflatable air chamber. 
   
     
     
         12 . The insulation structure of  claim 11 , wherein the first insulation layer includes at least one insulating material including: a polymer sponge or foam, mineral wool, cellulose insulation, fiber insulation, or fleece. 
     
     
         13 . The insulation structure of  claim 11 , wherein the inflatable air chamber of the third insulation layer is filled with at least one insulating material including: a polymer sponge or foam, mineral wool, cellulose insulation, fiber insulation, or fleece. 
     
     
         14 . The insulation structure of  claim 11 , wherein the second insulation layer faces the liquid enclosure and the first insulation layer faces the ambient environment. 
     
     
         15 . The insulation structure of  claim 11 , wherein the plug is configured to float on the liquid in the cavity of the liquid enclosure. 
     
     
         16 . An insulation system configured for use with a liquid enclosure having a sidewall coupled to a bottom panel to define a cavity configured to contain a liquid, the insulation system comprising:
 a cover including an inner coating that faces the liquid enclosure and an outer coating that faces the ambient environment;
 the inner coating including a thermal insulation layer comprising at least one insulating material; and 
 the outer coating including a reflective layer adjacent to the inner coating; 
   a plug coupled to the liquid enclosure and positioned intermediate the cover and the cavity, the plug further including:
 a first insulation layer; 
 a second insulation layer; 
 a third insulation layer positioned between the first insulation layer and the second insulation layer. 
   
     
     
         17 . The insulation system of  claim 16 , wherein the cover is integrally formed with the plug. 
     
     
         18 . The insulation system of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the first insulation layer and the second insulation layer of the plug each includes at least one insulating material including a polymer sponge or foam, mineral wool, cellulose insulation, fiber insulation, or fleece; and   the third insulation layer of the plug is an inflatable air chamber.   
     
     
         19 . The insulation system of  claim 18 , wherein the third insulation layer of the plug is filled with at least one insulating material including: a polymer sponge or foam, mineral wool, cellulose insulation, fiber insulation, or fleece. 
     
     
         20 . The insulation system of  claim 15 , wherein the second insulation layer of the plug faces the liquid enclosure and the outer coating of the cover faces the ambient environment.