Whispers of something big happening at Thermgood Corporation caused its stock to rise 62% in the last three days. And today, Bill Bognet, the company's CEO, somewhat confirmed those rumors at an impromptu press conference where he implied that they were close to perfecting what they call Thermguard, the perfect insulator.
Thermguard, the lifelong dream of co-founder Professor Andrew J. Whirlybird (pictured), will take the form of a paint that when applied to any surface will make that surface impermeable to the transfer of heat in either direction. The paint, when dry, would be less than two millimeters thick and yet theoretically have an R-value of 962. That means at room temperature, an ice cube protected with Thermguard would take over 46 years to melt.
There will be many uses in many industries. For example, Thermguard will revolutionize the food industry, eliminating the need for continuous refrigeration. Food manufacturers would freeze food only once at the factory, then quickly place the food in containers lined with Thermguard, before shipping their products to supermarkets across the country in unrefrigerated trucks. Supermarkets and their customers could just store the products on open shelves. The energy savings would be tremendous.
Insulating buildings is an obvious application, and an easy one too. Simply paint buildings with Thermguard and the outside environment could no longer affect the inside temperature. This is especially advantageous with older buildings, where it will no longer be necessary to rip apart the building walls to add insulation.
Other applications aren't obvious, but they’re certainly exciting. Since Thermguard can theoretically withstand temperatures up to 3042 degrees C before breaking down, you could pour a building. Molten steel could be poured into Thermguard containers at the foundry, delivered anywhere, and then pored into molds on site. Rivets and welding would become unnecessary as a skyscraper's skeleton is simply poured to become a seamless, solid structure.
Thermguard would be involved anywhere it's important to keep heat or cold in its place. Arctic explorers could wear ultralight protective clothing infused with Thermguard. The ice in beer coolers would never melt in the summer. Pipes would never freeze in the winter. Firemen would never again fear a building's heat. "Maybe I'll line a suit with Thermguard and go for a swim in volcano lava someday," Bill Bognet joked near end of the conference. The list just goes on and on.
Bill Bognet and Professor Whirlybird preferred to speak of Thermguard's future applications, but were a bit guarded when asked specific questions about the cost, time frame, or the results of their testing. When asked what R-value they have achieved during tests, CEO Bill Bognet hesitated a moment before saying, "Sorry, that information is proprietary." Still, with their product having such enormous potential, they can't be blamed for being cautious.
Although the stock shot up to $24.61 in the last three days, it still seems like a bargain.
