Joint study between MIT and UTEC reveals that Peruvian feather grass is the most promising thermal insulator for households in Andean highland regions

Seeking to boost a cooperative network that conducts projects and research which develop real solutions to real world problems, a group of students from Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología (UTEC) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) visited the Rayampampa community in Tarma, Junín, where they developed and installed a thermal insulation system in one of the classrooms at the Rayampampa Secondary School.“In the Andean mountain regions, which are situated at over 3,000 meters above sea level climate conditions are highly variable, and can reach temperatures of between 15 and 23°C during the day; but overnight, particularly in the winter season, temperatures may drop to as low as -20°C, and this is the reason our vision is to carry out a series of research projects aimed at improving the quality of life of these Andean Highland low-income populations and we proposed a project associated with thermal insulation”, says  Diego Andía Dancuart, an Industrial Engineering student at UTEC.It is worthwhile mentioning that the thermal insulation system was installed in one of the classrooms at the alternate education school where students both study and sleep in the classroom.“This project seeks to mitigate the effects caused by the cold waves occurring in low-income households located in the Andean highland regions of our country.  Our students develop solutions with social awareness and we ask that they become involved in projects that assemble engineering, technology, innovation and a lot of team work.  Under the guidance of researchers and teachers, they produce real solutions to real world problems”, says Julien Noel, professor of the Energy Engineering Department at UTEC.What was done?Aiming to reduce the effects of adverse climatic conditions in the Andean mountain regions, a group of UTEC and MIT students, under the supervision of teachers from both institutions, evaluated and calculated the thermal and physical properties of natural fibers such as Peruvian feather grass using ATSM standards in the laboratory, obtaining very promising results such as the fact that “ichu” (Peruvian feather grass) retains heat and acts as a thermal insulator.   In addition the research project quantified the thermal conductivity of fibers such as corn and wheat.  The study found feather grass to be the most promising as it possesses a thermal conductivity measurement of 0.026 (W/K.M). This project forms part of the D-Lab program, a global network dedicated to the design and diffusion of low cost technologies that seek to fight poverty in the world through innovative solutions.