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ASTM Selected Technical Papers
Thermal Insulation, Materials, and Systems for Energy Conservation in the '80s
By
FA Govan
FA Govan
1
Vice President of Professional Services
,
Ziel-Blossom & Associates, Inc.
,
Cincinnati, Ohio
;
conference chairman and editor
Search for other works by this author on:
DM Greason
DM Greason
2
Research Leader
,
Foam Products TS&D, Dow Chemical USA
,
Granville, Ohio
;
conference vice chairman — Technical Program and editor
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JD McAllister
JD McAllister
3
Senior Mechanical Engineer
,
American Electric Power Service Corporation
,
New York, N.Y.
;
conference co-chairman and editor
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ISBN-10:
0-8031-0230-5
ISBN:
978-0-8031-0230-9
No. of Pages:
905
Publisher:
ASTM International
Publication date:
1983

The thermal performance of insulated pipe systems was measured as a function of insulation and pipe system parameters. Insulation parameters included insulation material, thickness, and air gaps at seams and joints. Pipe system parameters were pipe size, hangers, supports, and operating temperature. Over 150 thermal performance tests were recorded and analyzed over a two-year period. Test results show a 15 percent deterioration in thermal performance for a 305-mm (1-ft) insulated pipe section with a 6.4-mm (0.25-in.) butt-joint air gap. The method of insulating pipe hangers and supports is a major component of pipe system heat analysis. Glass fiber and calcium silicate pipe insulations were tested with a variety of hanger and support configurations. The magnitude of heat loss was recorded as a function of several parameters including the degree of hanger/support insulation. A 305-mm (1-ft) glass fiber pipe insulation section containing a hanger had an additional 14 to 40 percent heat loss, depending on the hanger insulation, compared to that of an uninterrupted insulated pipe section. Results from the data analysis and ASTM Practice for Determination of Heat Gain or Loss and Surface Temperature of Insulated Pipe and Equipment Systems by the Use of a Computer Program (C 680) were combined to form computer program HEATLOSS. The good correlation between the thermal performance predicted by HEATLOSS and the actual test data indicates that HEATLOSS can be used to estimate thermal performance effects from variations in insulating material and pipe system design.

1.
Federal Trade Commission
, “
Labeling and Advertising of Home Insulation
,”
Federal Register
,
27
08
1979
.
2.
Feds Want Warnings Against Foam Insulation
,”
Engineering News-Record
 0013-807X, No.
204
,
22
05
1980
.
3.
The National Program Plan for Building Thermal Envelope Systems and Insulating Materials
,” DOE/CS-0059,
U.S. Department of Energy
,
Washington, D.C.
,
01
1979
.
4.
Powell
,
F. J.
, “
Aspects of a National Program Plan for Industrial/Commercial Insulation for Mechanical Systems Application
,”
ASHRAE Journal
 0001-2491, Vol.
22
,
10
1980
, pp. 58-59.
5.
Donnelly
,
R. G.
,
Tennery
,
V. J.
,
McElroy
,
D. L.
,
Godfrey
,
T. G.
, and
Kolb
,
J. O.
, “
Industrial Thermal Insulation—An Assessment
,” ORNL/TM-5283, Contract W-7405-eng-26,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
,
Oak Ridge, Tenn.
,
03
1976
.
6.
New Study Shows Potential Energy Savings by Insulating Process Piping
,”
Power Engineering
, Vol.
84
,
11
1980
, p. 110.
7.
Steam Pipe Insulation Could Save 305 000 Barrels of Oil a Day
,”
Heating-Piping
, Vol.
52
,
10
1980
, p. 27 ff.
8.
Martin
,
D. J.
, “
Performance Evaluation of In-Service, Elevated Temperature Industrial Insulation
,” DOE Contract EY-77-C-02-4095,
York Research Corp.
,
12
1978
.
9.
McElroy
,
D. L.
,
ORNL Response to York Research and TIMA'S Report on In-Situ Thermal Performance
, letter to J. Rossmeissl, DOE,
01
05
1979
.
10.
Du Pont's Strategy of Experimentation
,
Du Pont Co.
,
Wilmington, Del.
,
10
1975
.
11.
Pipe Hangers and Supports—Materials, Design and Manufacture
,” ANSI/MSS SP-58,
03
1979
.
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