Heat Transfer Engineering, 21:6370, 2000 Copyright C 2000 Taylor & Francis 01457632/00 $12.00 + .

00

Optimization of Multilayer Thermal Insulation for Pipelines

G. M. ZAKI and A. M. AL-TURKI
Mechanical Engineering Department, Thermal, College of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 9027, Jeddah 21413, Saudi Arabia

Thermal insulation economic analysis for a system of pipelines insulated by different materials composite layers is studied. The analysis is based on an explicit nonlinear cost function that includes the annual energy losses and the insulation initial costs. Practical ranges of different insulation thicknesses are included as a set of inequality constraints. Furthermore, the analysis accounts for the safety limits required for the temperature of the outer surface of the insulation. A search procedure, modi ed Hook and Jeeves, is employed to nd the optimum thickness for the least annual cost within the domain bounded by the constraints. The procedure has been veri ed against the analytical solution for a single pipeline with a single insulation layer. The analysis is employed for a system of pipelines (4 100 0 nominal size) [1] with ow of superheated steam. Furfural, crude oil, and 300-distillate. The results show signi cant cost saving with optimal insulation compared to the dimensions of engineering practice. Detailed data for these cases are presented and discussed.

INTRODUCTION The use of insulation materials to decrease heat transfer to/from surfaces has been in practice for many years. Recent concerns of energy conservation and awareness of the limited energy resources encouraged revisiting the problem of thermal insulation. Most of the available studies focus on insulating air-conditioned buildings [1 4] and cold stores [5], because of the large potential for energy savings. These studies consider the at plate or slab as the geometric con guration, presenting the large areas of roofs and facades. On the other hand,
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of Lubref Oil Co. of Saudi Arabia. We are also grateful to Eng. Mohammed El-Harbi for providing the required study cases data. Address correspondence to Prof. G. M. Zaki, Mechanical Engineering Dept., College of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 9027, Jeddah 21413, Saudi Arabia.

studies to improve thermal insulation for cylindrical geometry are few [6 11], in spite of the extensive use of pipelines and cylindrical heat exchangers in re neries, chemical industry, and power plants. The common practice for piping systems is to use a single layer of an insulating material to reduce the heat transfer and maintain the insulation surface temperature below a prescribed safety limit [6 8]. Spreadsheets have been developed to calculate heat loss from insulated pipes [6]. A comprehensive literature review on the critical insulation thickness has been presented by Aziz [7]. A computer code to determine the optimum thickness of cylindrical insulation has been developed by Petal and Mehta [8]. The energy losses in Petals model include the wind speed and thermal radiation effects on the thickness of the insulation material. Iterative solution of the energy equation on the basis of incremental increase in the insulation thickness results in an optimum thickness for
63

minimum heat losses. This technique does not consider the most economic thickness, for which the annual cost is minimum. The thermal insulation design economics has been reviewed by Turner and Malloy [9], presenting extensive tables, and nomographs to calculate the economic thickness for large number of parameters. These parameters include combinations of pipe sizes, cost, conductivity, and temperature differences [9]. In addition, the annual operation hours can be a critical parameter in determining the cost-effective insulation thickness [10]. While previous studies focus on a single cylinder insulated by a single layer, the present work is developed for a system of pipelines at different operation conditions and each pipe is insulated by a composite of different insulation materials. The system economics described by a nonlinear cost function and a set of constraints is solved for optimality by a searching algorithm. MATHEMATICAL MODEL Cost Function The economic problem is formulated in a general way for a system of n pipes transporting uids at temperatures different from the environment. Each pipeline, j, of length `j and outer radius a j is insulated by m j composite layers of different insulation materials, Figure 1.

The steady heat transfer rate per unit length from the jth pipeline with uid and ambient temperatures T f j and Ta , respectively, is qj = T f j Ta Rj (1 )

where R j is the overall resistance of the composite insulating layers (i = 1, 2, . . . , m j ) along with the convection resistances inside the pipe and on the outer side of the insulation at b j , Figure 1. Neglecting the pipe wall thickness, it is given as Rj =
mj X ln(ri + 1 / r i ) 1 1 + + 2p a j h f j 2p k j i 2p b j h a i =1

(2 )

The annual energy loss from the system of n pipes can be expressed as Q = Z
k 0
j

n X j =1

q j `j dk

(3 )

where k j is the period of operation of each pipeline during one year, for steady continuous annual operation k j = 8,760 h. The cost of energy associated with this amount of heat is C E = ch Q (4 )

where ch is the cost of a heat unit. The total initial or rst cost of the insulation materials for n pipelines, with m j composite layers of different materials, as seen in Figure 1, is CI =
n mj XX j =1 i =1

c I j,i [S j,i ]`j

(5 )

where c I j,i is the unit cost of insulation i used for pipe j, and S j,i is the cross-sectional area of any insulation shell, j, i given as S j,i = p 2 r j,i + 1 r 2 j,i (6 )

The total cost Z from Eqs. (4 ) and (5 ) is Z = f C I + C E = } (r j i , k ji , `j , D T j , h f j , h a ) (7 )

Figure 1

A system of n pipelines with composite insulation.

where f is the xed charges rate including, interest, and depreciation. Equation (7 ) is a nonlinear functional relation for which r ji are the variables. Z is the system objective function, or cost function, to be minimized for the system parameters r oi . The objective function j
vol. 21 no. 4 2000

64

heat transfer engineering

for a system of n pipelinesP m j insulation layers for with each pipe is a function of n m j parameters for which j minimization through partial derivatives is impractical, and leads to trivial solution. Therefore, the optimum parameters rio should be within certain practical limits, namely, the system constraints. System Constraints The composite cylindrical geometry imposes a basic condition where the radius of any insulation layer should be greater than the outer radius of the previous sublayer. This is written as ro > ro j,i j,i
1

(8 )

In addition, the thickness of any insulation sublayer is to be within practical limits (neither in nite nor zero ). These limits are speci ed by the available thicknesses of different types of insulations. This condition is formulated as d
max

value for the objective function. Incremental variation of all the parameters gives a new value for Z , comparing the rst and new values to select the minimum. The solution proceeds to cover the domain of solution determined by all constraints. Global minimum is checked by random incremental variation of r oi and successive j evaluation of Z . The simple case of a single pipeline with one layer of insulation, which can be solved analytically, is used to validate the formulation as well as the solution procedure. For this case the objective function, Eq. (7 ), for j = 1 and m j = 1 leads to the following dimensionless form: r 2 Z (11 ) 1 = F (r ) + p f cI a2` a where F (r ) = ch D T k p f cI a2 R

ro j,i

ro 1 j,i

from which the optimality condition Z / r = 0 gives x 1 where x = ch D T k k f c I r ol k har o

min

(9 )

where d max and d min are the maximum and minimum permissible thicknesses of an insulation type, usually dictated by engineering practice. Safety codes specify a maximum permissible temperature for the surface of the outermost insulation layer ( Ts at r = b j , Figure 1 ) to protect personnel and reduce re hazard. From Eqs. (1 ) and (2 ), with T = Ts j (Figure 1 ), the condition is presented as Tlimit T f j (T f j Ta ) Roj Rj

r0 + ln hfa a k

k + har o

(12 )

(10 )

where Tlimit is the maximum allowable temperature (practically, 60C ) and Roj is the heat transfer resistance between the uid and the outer surface, r = b j . The economic insulation problem is presented in its general form as: minimize Z [Eq. (7 )] subject to the inequality constraints [Eqs. (8 ) and (9 )] and satisfy the physical condition [Eq. (10 )]. SOLUTION, RESULTS, AND DISCUSSION Equation (7 ), the objective function, is a single nonlinear equation with a domain of solution bounded by the two conditions; Eqs. (8 ) and (9 ), and should satisfy the physical limit, Eq. (10 ). Search solutions are suitable for this problem type, and the modi ed Hook and Jeeves optimization algorithm [11] has been adopted for the present problem. For these search algorithms, initial values for all parameters are assumed to calculate a
heat transfer engineering

The dimensionless group x re ects the effect of the ratio between the unit energy cost to that of insulation material. If the latter is small and c I ! 0, Eq. (12 ) gives the limiting case for the critical insulation thickness where Biot number (h a r 0 / k ) = 1 [12]. Solution of Eq. (12 ) for r o gives the radius of the insulation material for given parameters. This analytical solution for this simple case is used as a veri cation test for the optimization algorithm where Eq. (12 ) is solved directly for optimality, and compared with solution of Eq. (7 ) employing linear programming methods. Calculation by assignment of constants for the variables is impractical because of the large number of possible combinations. Equation (12 ) is therefore presented in a dimensionless form, introducing the ratio X = r / a and Biot numbers Bi f and Bia to be k X2 1 1 Bia X

1 1 + lnX + Bi f Bi a X

(13 )

where Bi f = hfa k Bia = ha a k k = ch D T k k f cI a2

65

vol. 21 no. 4 2000

Figure 3 Dimensionless presentation of the cost function for a single pipeline with a single insulation layer. Figure 2 Optimal dimensionless radii ratio X = r o / a, comparison between analytical and linear programming solutions.

APPLICATION As an application to the present analysis, a system of pipelines from the oil industry is examined. The pertinent parameters and conditions for the system are presented in Table 1. The heat transfer coef cient h f is calculated using the standard Sieder-Tate correlation [12], and h a is assumed constant, 10 W/m2 K. Different types of insulation materials can be used, but for the present illustrative study case mineral rock wool and calcium silicate are considered. The speci c cost for the mineral wool of 100 kg/m 3 density is 146.7 $/m 3 and k varies between 0.038 and 0.12 W/m K at temperatures of 50 to 400 C, respectively. For the calcium silicate the speci c cost varies with the size of pipe when preformed in cylindrical shapes and k varies between 0.051 to 0.11 over the same range of temperature. A value of 0.02 $/kWh (0.518 cent/J ) is assumed for the cost of heat. The cost function Z per unit meter for each pipeline is calcualted for four situations: (1 ) present insulation material and thickness, (2 ) optimum single layer of rock wool, (3 ) optimum single layer of calcium silicate, and (4 ) composite two-layer insulation with rock wool as the exterior layer. The limiting conditions

Equation (13 ) is solved iteratively and the results are presented in Figures 2 and 3 for a wide range of the dimensionless groups (k up to 100, Bi f from 1 to 104 , and Bi a up to 50 ). Figure 2 shows the excellent agreement between the analytical solution and that obtained by the search method. Figure 3 is a dimensionless presentation of the economic insulation problem convenient to determine the optimum insulation thickness for any combination of the variables. Unfortunately, this short-cut estimation of the optimal thickness, using Figure 3, is limited to the case of a single pipe insulated by one layer of insulation, without considering the constraints. The presented veri cation test, though it is for a single pipeline, demonstrates the applicability of the search optimization algorithms for the thermal insulation problem. The main advantage of these methods is the possibility of integrating different types of constraints and/or physical limits.

Table 1

Data for a system of pipelines carrying different uids Nominal pipe size (in.) (100 0 ) (80 0 ) (60 0 ) (40 0 ) Inner diameter (mm) 273 202 146 102 Wall thickness (mm) 12.7 8 11 6 Fluid ow rate (m3 /h) 6,600 166.7 137.5 33.3 Present thermal insulation Tf (C) 400 170 270 290 hf W/m2 K 55 1,500 1,200 899.2 Type Rock wool Rock wool Rock wool Rock wool Thickness (mm) 50 40 40 25

Serial no. 1 2 3 4

Pipeline identi cation Steam line Furfural Reduced crude 300-distillate oil

Sch. no. X60 S40 X80 S40

66

heat transfer engineering

vol. 21 no. 4 2000

Table 2 Present practice Optimal single rock wool Optimal single calcium silicate

Optimum economic insulation thickness for four study cases with 38 r o 5 a, compared to present practice Optimal composite two-layer

d
o o

d
(mm) 291 133 128 212 41.8 76 29.6 37 195 85 140 235.1 48 87.4 Q (W/m) (mm) Zo ($/m) Ts (C) Q (W/m) Zo ($/m)

d
Ts (C) 31.5 41.8

Case 404.7 404.7 41.5 52.0 69.3 95.55 102 59.3

Identi cation

(mm)

Q (W/m)

Z ($/m)

Ts (C)

(mm) 39 39

o 1

(mm) 244 87

o 2

Q (W/m) 126 207

Zo ($/m) 41.8 81

Ts (C) 29.6 37.0

0.15 1

50

40

40

Superheated steam pipeline, a = 149.2 mm Furfural pipe, a = 109 mm Reduced crude, a = 84 mm 300-distillate pipeline, a = 57 154.8 158.8 210.7 210.7 228.1 228.1 36.8 40.9 49.7 53.04 53.5 54.9 187 84 217 100 205 95 53.6 90.7 71.2 113 64.4 97 17.8 32.9 22.4 38.7 19.63 2 28 32.5 28.7 34.8 29 35.2 125 54 147 66 139 63 59 107.1 76 127.8 67.2 107.8

0.15 1 0.15 1 0.15 1

25

20.6 40.5 25.1 46.2 21.3 37

29 35.4 30.2 38.6 30.4 39.3

39 39 39 39 39 39

140 39 170 54 157 49

52 87.2 69.1 109.0 62.2 93.5

18 37 22.3 41.5 19.3 33.6

27.9 32.4 28.7 34.8 29 35

ch = 0.02 $/kWh, c I = 146.7 $/m3 for rock wool of 0.06 W/m K, c I = 336 $/m3 for calcium silicate of 0.051 W/m K.

67

min = 38 mm and d max = 5 a present the constraint imposed by Eq. (10 ). The optimum economic insulation thicknesses calculated by linear programming for single and multilayer insulation are presented in Table 2. Calculations are performed for xed charges rates f of 0.15 and 1. In general the results show clearly that the present insulation thicknesses are insuf cient and far from being economical. For example, Z for the pipeline with superheated steam at 400 C and 50-mm-thick rock wool is 95.55 $/m. This value drops to 41.8 $/m if the optimum thickness, 283 mm, of the same rock wool is used and reduces to 48 $/m when using a 195-mm calcium silicate layer. Further decrease in Z is achieved by using two composite layers of calcium silicate, 39 mm thick, and rock wool, 244 mm thick, Table 2. Figure 4 shows the cost function for all the cases studied. It is clear that appreciable saving is achieved by employing the optimum insulation thickness within practical limits. The temperature of the outermost surface of insulation is determined and it is found to be less than Tlimit = 60C for all cases. The values obtained for the optimum insulation radius r o give the lowest-cost solution within the speci ed limits, i.e., global optimum. Any incremental change in any of the radii values gives higher Z . To illustrate the global optimality feature, Figure 5a is created for the case of the superheated steam pipeline and shows that there is only one minimum value for the cost function for each of the insulation materials. For two-layer insulation the cost function is a surface with r 1 and r2 as coordinates, Figure 5b (the rst case of Table 1 ). The gure shows that there is only a single minimum, at Z = 41.8 $/m. The same applies for the remaining cases.

Figure 5a Veri cation of global optimum insulation selection for a single pipeline insulated by a single layer.

CONCLUSIONS In this article a model for calculating the optimum thickness of insulation materials for pipe network is presented. This model features a general economic analysis

Figure 4 The cost function for optimal single and composite insulation layers compared to existing insulation for different pipelines.

Figure 5b Cost function for a single pipeline with two insulation layers (case 1, Table 2).

68

heat transfer engineering

vol. 21 no. 4 2000

for composite materials of different properties and cost. The cost function developed is the sum of subcost functions for all pipes of the network, with the thickness of each insulation layer as a parameter. A set of inequality constraints is included in the model to account for practical dimensions of insulation layers and to satisfy the safety limits required for the temperature at the outer surface of the insulation. The cost is minimized by employing a search algorithm based on trial values and successive adjustment so that the values fall within the constraints domain. The search continues toward the optimum values for which the cost is minimum. The algorithm has been compared to the analytical solution of a single pipeline with a single insulation layer. The predicted insulation radii for minimum cost are in agreement. The model is employed for a real system of four pipelines in an oil re nery. The results show considerable cost savings when using the present model. The signi cant advantage of the present solution approach is the exibility to include different constraints and/or safety limits in the procedure of thermal insulation selection.

max min s

maximum minimum surface

Superscript o optimum value

REFERENCES
[1] Kaur, J., Singh, S. P., Sawhney, R. L., and Sodha, M. S., [2]
Optimum Layer Distribution of a Building Component, Int. J. Energy Res., vol. 15, pp. 11 18, 1991. Kumar, A., Ashutosh, S., and Sodha, M. S., Optimum Distribution of Insulation over Various Components of an AirConditioned Building, Buildg. Environ., vol. 24, pp. 69 178, 1989. Sofrata, H., and Salmeen, B., Selection of Thermal Insulation Thickness, Proc. Fourth Saudi Engineering Conf., King Abdulaziz Univ., Jeddah, vol. 5, pp. 389 394, 1995. Al-Turki, A. M., and Zaki, G. M., Cooling Load Response for Building Walls Comprising Heat Storage and Thermal Insulation Layers, J. Energy Conv. Mgmt., vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 235 247, 1991. Lim, J. S., and Bejan, A., Two Fundamental Problems of Refrigerator Thermal Insulation Design, Heat Transfer Eng., vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 35 41, 1994. Butch, B., Spreadsheets for Heat Loss Rates and Temperatures, Chem. Eng., vol. 102, no. 12, pp. 107 109, 1995. Aziz, A., Critical Thickness of Insulation, Heat Transfer Eng., vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 61 91, 1997. Petal, M. R., and Mehta, B. P. S., Optimize Thermal Insulation, J. Hydrocarbon Processing, pp. 51 55, October 1993. Turner, W. C., and Malley J. F., Handbook of Thermal Insulation Design Economics for Pipes and Equipment, pp. 15 30, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1989. Winiarski, D. W., and Somasundaram, S., Analysis of CostEffective Pipe Insulation Requirements, Energy Eng., vol. 95, no. 3, pp. 32 52, 1997. Bunday, D. B., Basic Optimization Methods, pp. 93 97, Edward Arnold, London, 1984. Incropera, P. F., and Dewitt, P. D., Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, 4th ed., p. 445, New York, 1996.

[3]

[4]

NOMENCLATURE a b c C f h k ` n r R T Z d k outer radius of a cylinder, m radius of the outer layer of an insulated cylinder, m speci c cost, $/unit annual cost, $/year xed charges rate heat transfer coef cient, W/m2 K thermal conductivity, W/m K length of a pipeline, m number of pipelines radius, m thermal resistance, mK/W temperature, K cost function, $/year thickness, m period, h

[5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Subscripts a E f h i I j ambient energy uid heat integer for an insulation layer insulation integer for a pipeline
heat transfer engineering

Galal M. Zaki is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He graduated from Alexandria University, Egypt, with a B.Bc. (Mech. Eng.) in 1965, an M.Sc. from Cairo University in 1969, and a Dr. Ing. from NIT, the University of Norway, Trondheim, Norway, in 1972. From 1965 he worked for the Atomic Energy Establishmet, Cairo, then joined the staff of El-Fateh University, Tripoli, in 1977. He also served as Research Professor for the Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Department at the University of New Mexico until 1986. Dr. Zaki has published 60 research articles on various aspects of heat transfer, solar desalination, and energy in buildings.

vol. 21 no. 4 2000

69

Abdallah M. Al-Turki graduated from the University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, in 1974 with a B.Sc. degree. He received his M.Sc. in 1981 and Ph.D. in 1984 from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa (USA). He worked as a maintenance engineer for Riyadh Oil Re nery for two years. He joined King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah as a Graduate Assistant in 1976, became Assistant Professor in 1985, Asso-

ciate Professor in 1991, and Professor in 1998. He was a consultant to the Minister of Health in Saudia Arabia for two years. Dr. Al-Turki is an active researcher in solar collectors, heat transfer, heat engines, and thermal science. He has also taught many courses in heat transfer, thermodynamics, heat engines, and refrigeration and air conditioning. He has been involved in many activities and committees in the department and university. He is currently a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department (Thermal) and General Supervisor of the Operation and Maintenance Department at the university.

70

heat transfer engineering

vol. 21 no. 4 2000