Mechanical insulation
Encyclopedia
Thermal insulation
and acoustic insulation are installed on piping
and mechanical system
s to achieve one or more of the following; energy savings, personnel protection, process control
, condensation
control, noise reduction
and reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions. Mechanical systems include piping, boiler
s, HVAC
systems, and duct
s.
Mechanical insulation is commonly installed in industrial and commercial facilities.
Industrial facilities are not open to the public and include power plants, oil refineries, manufacturing buildings, storage buildings, paper mills
, pharmaceuticals, chemical plants, food processing plants, waste water and water treatment plants, petrochemical
, auto manufacturing, and plastics manufacturing. In an industrial facility, insulation is required for systems that carry or store liquid
, gas
, air, or product in which the temperature of the substance being transferred or stored is impacted by the temperature of the ambient air. These systems must be insulated to maintain process temperatures for both cold and hot systems; to protect liquids from freezing; to provide burn protection for personnel from possible exposure to hot systems; and for sound attenuation.
Commercial buildings include any facility that accepts the public or is used by a company for employees in a non-industrial or manufacturing setting. Mechanical insulation represents 1 to 2 percent of the total cost for a new commercial facility. Commercial facilities include office buildings, schools, restaurants, hospitals, hotels, casinos, sports arenas, libraries, and dormitories. Systems that often require insulation in commercial buildings include all HVAC systems
; pipe, duct, and equipment; hot and cold domestic plumbing pipe and equipment; roof drain pipe; emergency generator exhaust systems; and kitchen hood exhaust ductwork.
Thermal insulation
Thermal insulation is the reduction of the effects of the various processes of heat transfer between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. Heat transfer is the transfer of thermal energy between objects of differing temperature...
and acoustic insulation are installed on piping
Piping
Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid....
and mechanical system
Mechanical system
A mechanical system manages power to accomplish a task that involves forces and movement. Mechanical is derived from the Latin word machina, which in turn derives from the Doric Greek μαχανά , Ionic Greek μηχανή "contrivance, machine, engine" and that from μῆχος , "means, expedient, remedy".The...
s to achieve one or more of the following; energy savings, personnel protection, process control
Process control
Process control is a statistics and engineering discipline that deals with architectures, mechanisms and algorithms for maintaining the output of a specific process within a desired range...
, condensation
Condensation
Condensation is the change of the physical state of matter from gaseous phase into liquid phase, and is the reverse of vaporization. When the transition happens from the gaseous phase into the solid phase directly, the change is called deposition....
control, noise reduction
Noise reduction
Noise reduction is the process of removing noise from a signal.All recording devices, both analogue or digital, have traits which make them susceptible to noise...
and reduction of greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
emissions. Mechanical systems include piping, boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
s, HVAC
HVAC
HVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
systems, and duct
Duct
A duct may refer to:* Duct , various ducts in anatomy and physiology* Duct , for transfer of air between spaces in a structure* Duct tape, a kind of adhesive tape* Ducted fan, motor for aircraft...
s.
Mechanical insulation is commonly installed in industrial and commercial facilities.
Industrial facilities are not open to the public and include power plants, oil refineries, manufacturing buildings, storage buildings, paper mills
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
, pharmaceuticals, chemical plants, food processing plants, waste water and water treatment plants, petrochemical
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....
, auto manufacturing, and plastics manufacturing. In an industrial facility, insulation is required for systems that carry or store liquid
Liquid
Liquid is one of the three classical states of matter . Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container. Some liquids resist compression, while others can be compressed. Unlike a gas, a liquid does not disperse to fill every space of a container, and maintains a fairly...
, gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
, air, or product in which the temperature of the substance being transferred or stored is impacted by the temperature of the ambient air. These systems must be insulated to maintain process temperatures for both cold and hot systems; to protect liquids from freezing; to provide burn protection for personnel from possible exposure to hot systems; and for sound attenuation.
Commercial buildings include any facility that accepts the public or is used by a company for employees in a non-industrial or manufacturing setting. Mechanical insulation represents 1 to 2 percent of the total cost for a new commercial facility. Commercial facilities include office buildings, schools, restaurants, hospitals, hotels, casinos, sports arenas, libraries, and dormitories. Systems that often require insulation in commercial buildings include all HVAC systems
HVAC
HVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
; pipe, duct, and equipment; hot and cold domestic plumbing pipe and equipment; roof drain pipe; emergency generator exhaust systems; and kitchen hood exhaust ductwork.