Removable Insulation

Summer is nearly over, now is the time to prevent pipe line freeze-ups! Frozen piping doesn’t only happen with water lines, there are many other substances and chemicals that are piped within a facility. Some pipes can cause shutdowns of production lines if the line freezes and breaks, creating hazardous conditions and in general wreak havoc! Read more.

Established in 1785 as the nation’s first state-sponsored, land-grant and sea grant university, and with a current enrollment of over 35,000 students, the University of Georgia (UGA) has grown into one of the Southeast’s premier public institutions and a National Top 20 Public School, according to US News & World Report. A part of this success stems from their commitment to excellence in everything they do. This includes everything from academics to athletics to facilities. In the world of UGA Facilities Management, Nibco Valves are a vital part of what helps to continue this excellence… More

In the spring of 2012, the University of Vermont (UVM) was referred by its distribution partner and steam specialist (Power & Process, Inc.) to insulation specialists Thermaxx LLC to help reduce energy inefficiencies by installing removable, re-usable insulation jackets on their steam equipment.

The project initially began in The Simpson Hall mechanical room, which had some common opportunities for improvement in regards to insulation best practices. Straight pipes had been insulated during construction in the 1950s, but many pieces of insulation had since been removed and damaged as a result of regular maintenance activities. Valves, steam trap stations, and other components that require routine inspection or maintenance were uninsulated. Ambient temperatures in the room approached 100°F, and UVM was concerned not only with heat loss and energy inefficiency but also with the uncomfortable work environment…More

Many industrial facilities have steam pipes throughout their infrastructure regardless if the facility is a university or a manufacturing plant. Therefore, measuring varying degrees of heat loss is important to save money and protect your steam pipes with removable insulation covers.

Understanding how to calculate heat loss is the first step towards realizing the overall benefit removable insulation can have on your steam pipes and overall facility…More

With the price of fuel oil fluctuating as it does one important constant remains, energy savings. Oil Fired Boilers tend to be are still a very common component used to make hot water or steam. In today’s world we need to look for any way possible to save valuable energy dollars. With the oil-fired boiler that begins with the insulation. Read more.

Aerogels are a diverse class of porous, solid materials that exhibit an uncanny array of extreme materials properties. Most notably aerogels are known for their extreme low densities (which range from 0.0011 to ~0.5 g cm-3) and thermal insulating properties. Silica aerogel is the most common type of aerogel, most frequently seen in photographs and what people generally refer to when using the word “aerogel” without an adjective in front (although there are many other types of aerogel). Read more.

Corrosion under insulation (CUI) is the corrosion of piping and vessels that occurs beneath insulation as a result of water penetration. The water can come from rain water, leakage, deluge system water, wash water, or sweating from temperature cycling or low temperature operation such as refrigeration units…More

Stainless steel is resistant, but certainly not immune, to corrosion. In a previous article, we examined the need for inspecting stainless steel pipes further, including a discussion of conditions which encourage corrosion. When corrosion does occur in stainless steel, the corrosion often manifests in a very localized manner rather than uniform (or “general”) corrosion. Two forms of corrosion particularly troublesome to stainless steel are pitting and stress corrosion cracking, and both can cause very bad problems. Thus, for stainless steel piping systems, corrosion is an issue worthy of the attention of plant managers…More

Thermaxx Jackets has expanded our available color schemes for your next removable insulation blankets! Color-coded insulation jackets can bring school spirit to your boiler room with insulation jackets that match your school colors or simply indicate operating temperatures. Typically, there are three main colors used in a steam room: Yellow, Orange and Blue. Read more…

Chiller insulation blankets are becoming the standard replacement insulation for factory applied chiller insulation. The factory applies insulation to the low temperature surfaces such as the evaporator, water boxes and suction elbow. The insulation is usually ¾” thick rubber insulation with a K factor of 0.3 Btu-in./hr.-ft²-°F. If maintenance is required on any of the low temperature areas of the chiller and the insulation is affected, it must be removed… Read more!