Articles - Global Insulation
Causes and prevention of corrosion on the interior of metal jacketing used in insulation
Written by Jim Young, ITW Insulation Systems
Thursday 29 March 2012
Mechanical insulation systems are used on cold and hot pipes, tanks, ducts, vessels and equipment to conserve energy, prevent surface condensation, prevent contact burns and more. In most outdoor applications and some indoor locations, these systems use an outer protective metal jacketing to provide UV- and damage-resistance and water shedding. Regardless of the type of metal used, this jacketing is susceptible to galvanic and pitting/crevice type corrosion on the interior surface caused by the intrusion of water into the insulation system. Here, the use of a moisture barrier to help prevent this type of corrosion is described and a recommendation on the best type of moisture barrier to use is provided.
Insulation is used on the exterior surface of pipes, tanks, ducts, vessels and equipment for the same reason that insulation is used on building envelopes - to reduce the flow of heat. In this application, the insulation is part of a complex construction generically called a mechanical insulation system, which can include one or more layers of insulation, adhesive at the insulation joints, vapour retarders and metal jacketing.
These systems are often more complicated than building envelope insulation because of their complex geometry, the unidirectional heat/moisture flow, the extreme temperatures of the mechanical equipment being insulated and the often outdoor exposed location of the systems. Table 1 shows some common examples of applications for outdoor mechanical insulation systems, their operating temperatures and a brief description of the insulation system used.
Read more: Causes and prevention of corrosion on the interior of metal jacketing used in insulation
Reflective insulations internationally
Written by David Yarbrough, R&D Services, Inc.
Friday 13 January 2012
Reflective technology that is used to reduce energy use in buildings is represented by three commercially available product types. In all three cases the performance of the reflective product depends on reduction in radiative transport across air spaces due to low thermal emittance surfaces.
Products identified in North America as 'radiant barriers' typically have a low-emittance surface adjacent to a relatively large air space that may be ventilated or unventilated. The performance of radiant barriers is related to reduction in thermal radiation from the low-emittance surface, which is directly proportional to the emittance at a specified surface temperature.
Surfaces with low-emittance coatings perform much like radiant barriers. The coating for the surface, known as interior radiation control coating (IRCC), reduces radiative transport in the same manner as radiant barriers. Radiant barriers and IRCCs are not typically assigned thermal resistance values (R-values).
Co-operation in anti-pollution
Written by Roberto Massini, STM Technologies & Carl Bender, TurboSonic Inc.
Monday 12 September 2011
STM Technologies' clients are very concerned about environmental issues, wanting the ability to meet the most stringent anti-pollution laws anywhere in the world. In order to satisfy these requests, STM Technologies (STM) made contact with many wet electrofilter producers. After thorough analysis, STM expressed its full confidence in TurboSonic's proposal and together developed what the companies believe to be the most efficient and reliable wet electrofilter to be used in glass-wool manufacturing.
The first application was in a Chilean glass-wool plant, completely designed and supplied by STM Technologies. After the upgrade to increase the capacity of this plant, the air pollution control equipment was also improved by installing a specially designed TurboSonic SonicKleen™ Wet Electrostatic Precipitator (WESP). The goal was to decrease atmospheric emissions as much as possible, while recycling all of the process water used to flush electrodes so that it could be used for binder preparation. These goals were realised and exceeded. The emissions were lower than expected, as presented in this article.
Is formaldehyde in your building insulation future?
Written by Tim Swales, Johns Manville
Tuesday 31 May 2011
The insulation industry is changing. Savvy consumers and regulatory agencies are adopting more stringent standards in response to health concerns and are forcing the industry to take a hard look at how it manufactures its products. One key ingredient coming under fire is formaldehyde. This begs the question, 'Is formaldehyde in your insulation future?' The short answer is 'no.' But that would make for a rather incomplete and boring article. Let's take a deeper look at the reasons why.
First, let's consider the past. Formaldehyde has played an important role for many years as a binder (or glue) for glassfibre insulation. Unlike paper and some organic fibres, glass-fibres are chemically inert and will not stick together in a familiar rigid batt without bonding the many fibres together.
Years ago, the industry was focused solely on binder performance at the lowest cost. This typically meant choosing phenol-formaldehyde (PF) binder as the glue. PF has an effective and well-understood chemistry and low cost. With most fibreglass insulation, urea was used to extend the PF binder to bring in additional cost savings and help promote more effective curing, the process in which glass-fibres are heated in an oven so that they adhere to each other.
An example of these older products is the traditional bonded fibreglass insulation. In the past and to some extent still today, this type of insulation was colour-coded based on its formaldehyde content. The formerly common yellow batts denote formaldehyde because the PF binder turns yellow in the curing oven. Pink PF insulation is just yellow insulation with pink dye added.
Read more: Is formaldehyde in your building insulation future?
Building a sustainable tomorrow - Insulation using EPS Silver Polymers
Written by Dr. Ir. Govind Rauniyar, INEOS NOVA Technology, Breda, The Netherlands
Tuesday 01 March 2011
The new EU energy efficiency policy (Recast EPBD Directive 2010/31/EU) and the 20/20/20 rule both call for improved building insulation measures in order to meet the energy-saving challenges of today's world. The building sector is the largest energy consumer, greater than either transport or heavy industry.
The technique of insulating buildings and dwellings using standard white expandable polystyrene (EPS) is well established. In the past decade a new generation of EPS has emerged in the market place. This type of polymer, 'grey EPS,' contains special additives that reduce the overall thermal conductivity of the foam produced from it, giving it better insulating properties in comparison to standard white EPS foam.
EPS Silver Polymer, a superior thermal insulation material from INEOS NOVA, is one such new product for building and construction applications. This article will provide an insight into the processing, properties and commercial applications of this new polymer.
Read more: Building a sustainable tomorrow - Insulation using EPS Silver Polymers
