Presentation insulation

products

Lagos, March 27th 2012

Product Manager Insulation ME, India & Africa

Dr. Laurenţiu Pestriţu, MBE
PROGRAM

10:00 - 10:30 Closed cell insulation products

 The insulation
 Why should we insulate?
 Elastomeric insulation
 Cross linked polyethylene insulation

March 27th 2012,

Lagos
THE INSULATION Definition

Insulation – a material that reduces or

prevents the transmission of heat or sound or
electricity

March 27th 2012,

Lagos
THE INSULATION Classification

INSULATING MATERIALS

Open cell: Closed cell:

 Rockwool  polyurethane
 mineral wool  polystyrene
 glass wool  glass
 cork  polyethylene
 (polyurethane)  elastomeric
 (polystyrene)

March 27th 2012,

Lagos
WHY INSULATE? Selection criteria

Refrigeration and AC
Targets:
1. Condensation control
2. Minimizing thermal loss

Temperature Thermal conductivity

of the agent ()

Vapor barrier ()

Ease of installation Fire resistence

(flexible insulation) - Class O -

March 27th 2012,

Lagos
NBR

For HVAC scopes

Can be used only closed-cell insulation materials:

March 27th 2012,

Lagos
NBR Important aspects

Top 5 important aspects regarding

closed cell insulation

1) Strong water vapor resistance factor - 

2) Low thermal conductivity – λ

3) Use of right insulation thickness

4) Correct installation – tightness of the glued joints

5) Keeping the minimum distance among insulated objects

March 27th 2012,

Lagos
NBR 1.  value

1. STRONG WATER VAPOR BARRIER

There is pressure  < 7000   7000

difference of water vapor
between ambient air and

Vapors diffusion
Vapors diffusion
closed cell structure of
insulation (due to
temperature difference
between the line and the
ambient).

The pressure difference is

creating a diffusion flow
which is forcing the
ambient water vapors
into the insulation
(towards lower temperature).
March 27th 2012,
Lagos
NBR 1. Theory - condensation

[°C]
+
Tambient
TDew Point

Tline
0°

Tsurface
insulation
pipe
(>TDew Point)
March 27th 2012,
Lagos
NBR 2. λ value

2. LOW THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY

 0,024 Air
 0,034 XLPE
 0,035 NBR
 0,200 Wood
 0,550 Water
 0,840 Concrete Low 

Bad material
 High 

Good material

10 yrs
March 27th2012,
Lagos
NBR 3. Correct insulation thickness

3. USING THE CORRECT INSULATION THICKNESS

Depending on the pipe diameter
the minimum insulation thickness
should be calculated (other
influencing parameters are: ambient Φ 114 mm
temperature,line temperature, relative
humidity, surface coefficient, thermal
conductivity)
Thickness: 19 mm
Diameter: 15 mm

Thickness: 24,5 mm
Diameter: 114 mm
Thickness 19 mm
Insulation thickness [mm]

22 Tolerance ± 1,5 mm
20
18
16
Required minimum insulation na = + 22°C
14 ni = + 6°C
thickness for a given
12 diameter j = 85%
10
21,3 33,7 48,3 60,3 76,1 88,9 101,6 114,3 139,7
March 27th 2012, External pipe diameter [mm]
Lagos
NBR 4. Correct installation

4. TIGHTNESS OF INSULATION GLUING

Installation must be done with products which assure a good gluing

at the joints and on the entire length of the pipe.

“cold vulcanization” guarantees the required tightness

Rigid insulation may often The adhesive Aerofoam NBR Glue

contain spaces (due to glues the insulation surfaces
wrong cutting) where through a chemical reaction which
condensation can appear. has as result the “cold
vulcanization”.

NBR insulation is flexible! NBR adhesive glues tight!

March 27th 2012,
Lagos
NBR 5. Surface coefficient (h)

5. KEEPING THE MINIMUM DISTANCE AMONG INSULATED

OBJECTS

hr hcv
h = hr + hcv
hcv = convective contribution of surface coefficient
hr = radiative contribution of surface coefficient

Without
With steel With alu
cladding /
Cladding (flat / mat) (silver) Static area
insulation
cladding cladding
painted

5,7  3
Value of
surface
coeff. h
[W/m2K]
10 8
 3,0 *
Insulation
thickness so 1,5 * so 1,9 * so
(s0) so

March 27th 2012,

Lagos
NBR 5. Static areas

Higher probability of forming condensation in the static areas

For small objects:


100 mm    
100 mm 100 mm 100 mm 100 mm
 100 mm
100 mm

For big objects:


1000 mm  
1000 mm 1000 mm
1000 mm

Condensation:
(lack of pipe natural ventilation)

March 27th 2012,

Lagos
THE INSULATION Classification

INSULATING MATERIALS

Open cell: Closed cell:

 Rockwool  polyurethane
 mineral wool  polystyrene
 glass wool  glass
 cork  polyethylene
 (polyurethane)  elastomeric
 (polystyrene)

March 27th 2012,

Lagos
XLPE Product range

Cross linked closed cell polyolefin foam insulation material

reinforced with a heat laminated aluminium foil

Flexible sheets and rolls with factory applied

adhesive backing

Preformed pipe sections - give a snug-fit

on pipes and have a slit for ease of
installation
March 27th 2012,
Lagos
XLPE Features

XLPE at a glance…
Almost zero water vapour permeability and water absorption –
vapour water barrier as per ASHRAE and British Standards

Passed most of fire and smoke tests for building materials

Passed toxicity levels of combustion gases as per ISO5659 IMO

Resolution MSC61

Safe, fast and easy installation - integrated material

No loose fibres which irritate both on installation and service

Environmentally friendly:
- CFC and HCFC free
- does not contain nor use in its production substances that
contribute to Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and Global
March 27th 2012, Warming Potential (GWP)
Lagos
XLPE Applications

Application types

Square ducts Round ducts Walls

Pipes Storage tanks Raised floors

March 27th 2012,
Lagos
XLPE XLPE Properties

Vital Insulation Properties of XLPE

1. Thermal Conductivity – defines the thermal performance of
the material
The lower the value, the better the thermal performance.
Varies according to mean temperature.
Symbol: λ, Units: W/mK, Standard: ASTM C518

2. Water Vapour Permeability – the diffusion of water vapors

into the insulation
The more permissive is the material , the higher the thermal conductivity
will become over time.
Varies with temperature and relative humidity.
Unit: g/h.m2, Standard: ASTM E96

3. Water Absorption – amount of water a material can absorb

More water absorbed means lower thermal performance of the material
over time.
Varies with density of the material.
March 27th 2012,
Lagos
Standard: BS EN 12087
XLPE Water absorption

3. Water Absorption

XLPE: 0.3% Mineral Fiber: 100%

Water absorption
(% by volume)
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

March 27th 2012,

Lagos
XLPE Comparative performance

Comparison of insulation performance

Fibreglass NBR XLPE

Resin bonded Extruded PVC Crossed-linked
Name
glass fibers Nitrile Rubber polyethylene foam
Type of material Open cell Closed cell Closed cell
Thermal conductivity [W/mK] 0.036-0.038 0.035 0.034
Water vapour permeability 75 perm-in 0.02 perm-in 0.00 perm-in
Condensation control No Yes Partial
Integrated product No Partial Yes
Fibre free product No Yes Yes
Reliability in time Low High High

Ease of installation
Environmentally friendly

March 27th 2012,

Lagos
XLPE Comparative performance

Comparison of insulation performance

Condition: Installation of AC ducts in conditioned areas

Internal External %
Insulation Thermal Heat
Surface Surface Tline Tamb ΔT Reduction
Thickness Conductivity Flow Q
Insulation Material Coefficient Coefficient of Heat
(°C) (°C) (°C)
L (mm) λ (W/mK) (W/m2K)
fi fo Flow

XLPE 13 22 5.7 0.034 9 30 21 34.81 79%

NBR 13 22 10 0.036 9 30 21 41.46 75%
Fiberglass 17.5 22 10 0.037 12 25 13 21.021 72%
Assuming at least 30% compression of fibreglass

As per BS5422:
ΔT
fi internal surface coefficient Q = 1/f + L/λ + 1/f
fo external surface coefficient i o

Galvanized sheet metal 8 W/m2K

March 27th 2012, Bright reflective surface 5.7 W/m2K
Lagos White painted surface 10 W/m2K
Questions?