Keeping moisture in the air - not on your pipes

Understanding how to use insulation to prevent condensation forming on cold pipework.

 Pipe insulation plays a critical role in preventing
condensation and pipe corrosion but the
importance of selecting the correct insulation
thickness is often overlooked.
Insulation for cold pipework is normally expected to fulfil an energy
saving function but this is generally a secondary consideration. As
pipework falls below the ambient temperature the risk of condensation
increases – applying insulation provides effective condensation control
which is the primary role of insulation on cold pipework.

The thickness of insulation needed is intimately tied to the environmental

conditions and operating temperatures of the pipe.
© Kaimann UK Ltd.  
 Water vapour barriers are essential for insulation

As with pipe insulation on all mechanical systems, selecting the most appropriate
insulation material is an important task for any consultant or contractor.

Material suitable for insulating heating and hot water pipework might not be
appropriate for use on cold pipework due to the pressure of water vapour pushing
moisture towards the pipe. Without a water vapour barrier this moisture can be
pushed to the very surface of the pipe, condensing and accelerating corrosion.

The choice of insulation materials for cold pipework is, therefore, intimately tied to
the choice of water vapour barrier. The most common form of water vapour barrier
is an externally applied foil.

Closed cell foams, in which each cell has its own vapour resistant cell wall, provide
an alternative to external vapour barriers. By layering thousands of cells together
the material performs as if it possesses an “in-built” water vapour barrier. An “in-
built” water vapour barrier is always preferable as it is easier to vapour seal and
harder to pierce or damage.
© Kaimann UK Ltd.  

Closed cell materials form a natural

'in-built' water vapour barrier
 Relative Humidity RH = 70%

Moisture condensates from the air at 40

‘dewpoint’ temperature 35
No Condensation
30
Condensation can occur on any surface that has fallen below the
‘dewpoint’ temperature. At this temperature the air can no-longer 25

Ambient Temperature Ta (°C)

hold the volume of water vapour it could at higher temperatures and
so the moisture condenses onto the cooler surface. 20

Insulation prevents condensation by presenting a surface 15

temperature above that of the ‘dewpoint’. Provided a water vapour
10
barrier is present (preventing moisture from passing beyond the
surface of the insulation and condensing within the insulation) the 5
insulation should remain dry and free of condensation. Condensation occurs
0
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Dewpoint Temperature Td (°C)
UKUK
© Kaimann
© Kaimann Ltd.  
Ltd.  
 Example
Pipe Diameter d = 22 mm
Keep surface temperatures above the ‘dewpoint’ to
Rel. Humidity
Ambient temp.
RH = 75%
Ta = 25° C stop condensation
Surface temp. Ts= 0°
Dewpoint temp. Td = 0°
Min. req. thickness i = 11.5 mm In addition to the ambient temperature and the pipe temperature the surface temperature
of an insulation material is influenced by a number of factors:

Un-insulated
0° C Dewpoint on pipe surface
✗ Condensation Thermal performance Surface coefficient
of insulation material of heat transfer

Thermal Insulation Air Surface Type & Surface

Conductivity   Thickness   Movement   Pipe Orientation   Emissivity  

0° C

There are two critical factors over which control can be exerted to ensure surface
temperatures above the ‘dewpoint’. These factors are the insulation thickness and the
9 mm insulation thickness
Dewpoint sits within the insulation
surface emissivity.
✗ Condensation will still occur
Surface emissivity is a measure of how effective a surface is at radiating heat – with black
bodies being better emitters than bright reflective surfaces. Since most water vapour
barriers take the form of a bright Aluminium foil, selecting a material like Kaiflex that has an
in-built water vapour barrier allows more control over the surface emissivity.
0° C
A non-reflective black surface gives a high emissivity finish and is by far the best surface
finish for controlling surface temperatures. This can dramatically influence the insulation
© Kaimann UK Ltd.  

13 mm insulation thickness
thickness needed to prevent condensation.
Dewpoint is outside the insulation
✔ No condensation
 High emissivity surface finish
=
low insulation thickness for cold applications

The influence of surface emissivity on the surface temperature of an insulation material

dominates the influence of all other factors and is even greater than the influence of the
insulation thickness.

The table below shows the impact of surface 50  

emissivity on the thickness of insulation needed
45  
to prevent condensation on a 22 mm pipe
given an ambient temperature of 25°C and a 40  

relative humidity of 75%: 35  

30  
High emissivity Low emissivity
25  
= =
Black Finish Silver Finish 20  

Surface 15  
0.90 0.05
emissivity
10  

0° C 13 mm 25 mm 5  

0  
-10° C 19 mm 32 mm 0°C   -­‐10°C   -­‐20°C  
© Kaimann UK Ltd.  

-20° C 25 mm 44 mm High  emissivity   Low  emissivity  

 Select the right thickness
made easy
Kaimann Thickness Calculator makes it easy to
calculate the right thickness to use. Enter just a few
design conditions and the Kaimann Thickness
Calculator will return the thickness needed to prevent
condensation, save energy or prevent pipe freezing.
Find this powerful tool today online, on the Kaimann
website, on the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
© Kaimann UK Ltd.
Kaiflex, the thin insulation system
Since Kaiflex features an in-built water vapour barrier it isn’t
reliant on a low emissivity external water vapour barrier. This
makes it much easier to control surface temperatures using
Kaiflex and, combined with the already superior in-built
nature of the closed cell water vapour barrier, makes Kaiflex
particularly well suited to preventing condensation on cold
pipework.
To make Kaiflex even more appropriate for air-conditioning
and refrigeration pipework the material is available in a range
of chalked 6 m, 15 m and endless coils that can be easily
sleeved over pipework with minimal joints.
References
http://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclecondensation.html
http://www.airconditioning-systems.com/thermal-insulation.html
http://www.fgeurofred.co.uk/content/pdfs/Guide_to_efficiency.pdf

http://www.kaiflex.co.uk/tools/Kaimann-Thermal-Calculation.html

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Phone +44 (0) 161 627 3289 · Fax +44 (0) 161 880 2551 · Email info.uk@kaimann.com
www.kaiflex.co.uk · © 2015 Kaimann UK Ltd.

Kaimann UK Ltd. provides this information as a technical service. Where information is provided that is a direct result of Kaimann’s own technical
analysis and testing, the information displayed is an interpretation of the data accurate to the extent of our knowledge and ability as of date of

printing. Standardised methods and procedures are used wherever possible. Some information presented may be derived from sources other than
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