NEW TRENDS IN

PIPING SYSTEMS

Robert A. Maffei, P.E.

Vice President of Sales & Marketing
PERMA-PIPE, Inc.
Low Temperature Products

Polyurethane
insulation
-320F to 250F
-200C to 120C
Choice of jacket
materials
 Materials
Service pipe: Steel, FRP, HDPE,
Ductile Iron, PVC
Insulation: Polyurethane, density, thickness
Insulation Jacket: FRP, PVC, HDPE
 Steel Pipe
Advantages:
Durable and ideal for higher pressure applications
Welded construction- Contractors are familiar with steel
welding and layout techniques and procedures
Welded joint quality can be verified with a variety of NDE
methods (x-ray, ultrasonic, magnetic particle
Disadvantages:
OD Corrosion - must be installed dry and kept dry.
ID Corrosion - water must be treated
Relatively expensive
 FRP Pipe
Advantages:
Non-corrosive in most environments
Light weight, easy to handle
Fitting pressure rating same as the straight pipe

Disadvantages:
Fieldjoints difficult to make in hot or cold
environments and for larger pipe sizes
Limited NDE methods to verify field joint quality
Expensive in larger pipe sizes
 HDPE Pipe
Advantages:
Excellent ID/OD corrosion resistance
Relatively lower costs
Butt Fusion (done properly) can achieve the same rating
as the pipe
Lighter than steel but heavier than FRP
 HDPE Pipe
Disadvantages:
Limited pressure ratings (SDR7 = 267 PSI, SDR9 =
200 PSI, SDR11 = 160 PSI, SDR17 = 100 PSI)
Large pipe sizes have very heavy wall thickness
24 inch SDR9 wall thickness = 2.67 inches.
Mitered fittings (elbows and tees) must be de-rated
from the straight pipe pressure rating (must use higher
SDR for fitting pipe)
Cold weld, bad joint preparation can cause joint failure
Limited NDE methods to verify field joint quality
 Ductile Iron Pipe
Advantages:
Durable and suitable for higher pressure applications
Simple installation techniques and procedures
Restrained joints or thrust blocks
Relatively corrosion resistant

Disadvantages:
Gasketed bell & spigot joints can leak
(allowable leakage in AWWA standards)
Very heavy in larger pipe sizes, difficult to handle
Fairly expensive
 PVC Pipe
Advantages:
Light weight and easy to handle
Simple installation techniques and procedures
Restrained joints or thrust blocks
Corrosion resistant

Disadvantages:
Gasketed bell & spigot joints can leak
(allowable leakage in AWWA standards)
Low strength and brittle in cold temperatures
Fairly expensive in large pipe sizes
 FRP Jacket

Advantages:
High strength and impact resistance
Can be filament wound directly onto polyurethane
foam
Relatively high temperature

Disadvantages:
High Cost
 PVC Jacket

Advantages:
Low cost

Disadvantages:
Low strength and impact resistance
Brittle at low installation temperatures
Can not be easily welded
 HDPE Jacket

Advantages:
Combination of strength, flexibility and toughness
Can be butt fusion or extrusion welded
Can be extruded directly onto polyurethane foam
Fairly low cost

Disadvantages:
Difficult to bond to polyurethane foam
Relatively low temperature resistance
 Polyurethane
An Engineered Material

Compressive Strength vs. Density

Thermal Conductivity vs. Density

Thermal Conductivity vs. Temperature

 Polyurethane Thermal Conductivity
Insulation Thermal Cond. @ 74 OF 23 OC
(Btu in./hr. ft.2 OF) ( W/m- OC)
2 lb./ft.3 32 Kg/m.3 0.16 .023
4 lb./ft.3 64 Kg/m.3 0.18 .026
6 lb./ft.3 96 Kg/m.3 0.19 .027
Cellular glass 0.29 .042

Polyurethane insulation thermal conductivity increases at higher temperatures.

Superior polyurethane thermal conductivity results in reduced insulation thickness
and cross section size for equivalent thermal design.
Thermal Conductivity vs. Density

0.24
Thermal Conductivity (BTU-in/hr-ft2-oF)

0.20

0.16

0.12

0 2 4 6 8 10
Density (lbs/ft3)
 Thermal
Conductivity
vs.
Temperature
Polyurethane Compressive Strength
Insulation Minimum Compressive Strength
(psi) (kPa)
2 lb./ft3 32 Kg./m3 30 207
polyurethane
4 lb./ft.3 64 Kg./m3 60 414
polyurethane
6 lb./ft.3 96 Kg./m3 90 620
polyurethane
Cellular glass 87 600
 Compressive Strength vs. Density
1000
900

800

700

600

500

400

300
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH AT 10% DEFLECTION (PS

200

100
90

80

70

60

50

40

Uppe r Ra nge of
Compre ssive Stre ngth
30

20

Low e r Ra nge of
Compre ssive Stre ngth

10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

FOAM DENSITY (LB/FT3)

 Spray Applied vs. Injection
Sprayed PU foam
z No insulation voids
z Fully concentric
z Jacket fully bonded to the insulation
z Consistent density
z Consistent compressive strength
z Consistent thermal conductivity
z Precise thickness
z Lower cost
z Easy inspection / higher quality
Injected PU foam
z May have voids
z Not concentric
z Jacket may not bond to
insulation
z Inconsistent density
z Inconsistent compressive strength
z Inconsistent thermal conductivity
z Predetermined thickness increments
z Higher cost
z Difficult inspection / lower quality
 Cell Structure

Spray Applied Injected

Uniform Cell Structure. Compressed Cell Structure.
Structure
 Injected Foam
Non concentric Insulation shrinkage and
service pipe separation from jacket
Voids in Injected Insulation
Importance of Void Free Insulation
(Cryogenic Service)

Loss of Insulation at Void Site

Increased Heat Gain
Ice Build-up
Spray Foam
 Polyurethane Foam
Blowing Agents

K Value
CFC R-11 (Freon) No longer used .061
HCFC R-141b No longer used .069
HFC 245fa Used in USA .085
HFC 365mfc Used in Europe .074
Cyclopentane Used in USA and Europe .083
CO2 (Water blown Foam) .110
Air (Not a blowing agent) .186
 Factory Pre-insulated Piping
Manufactured under factory controlled conditions
with process and product control
High quality, seamless insulation and jacket
Insulation bonded to service pipe and jacket
Economical insulation and jacket system
 Quality Assurance Considerations
Certified mill test reports for pressure pipe and pipe fittings for
mechanical and physical properties
In Processing Insulation Testing
Thermal conductivity

Compressive strength

Density

Closed cell content

In Process Insulation Jacket Testing

Tensile strength

Elongation

Hardness

Bonding strength to insulation

Service Pipe welding and inspection in accordance with

appropriate ASME B31 piping code
XTRU-THERM Straight
HDPE Wind-Down End Seal
XTRU-THERM Straight
Test samples are placed in
Testing chamber
Test pressure is 11 PSI 76 kPa
(red fluorescent dye in water)
Removing wind down end seal
No evidence of water ingression
Removing shrink end cap
No evidence of water ingression
XTRU-THERM Elbow
Preinsulated Elbow Fittings
Molded HDPE Jacket
No welds or seems
High quality
Lower costs
Ease of fabrication