ENERGY SAVING WITH INSULATION

This Infosheet contains information about:

the types of insulation available; The Monsbent Wood Chip
their applications; and drying plant in Benalla
recommendations about their use.
installed thermal and
acoustic insulation,
Introduction conserving approximately
Insulation is one of the most cost-effective methods of reducing energy consumption 52 TJ per year. The project
in thermal processes. Despite this, insulation levels in a large number of industrial
installations are inadequate and in some instances non-existent. A considerable had a payback period of
amount of energy is wasted and operating costs are therefore increased. around 10 months.
Insulation also:
provides personnel protection against hot exposed surfaces and radiant heat;
controls process temperature;
protects adjacent equipment through reduction of radiant heat;
provides fire protection;
reduces noise levels; and
reduces condensation.

Heat transfer
The main purpose of insulating material is to reduce heat transfer. Heat is a form of
energy resulting from molecular motion within substances. The faster the molecules
move, the higher the product's temperature. Heat passes from molecule to molecule by
conduction, convection and radiation. Within insulating materials, heat transfer is
primarily by conduction and convection. Since air is an exceptionally bad conductor of
heat, the thermal conductivity of a material is greatly influenced by its density.
The lower the density, the more effective the insulating quality of the material.
Insulation materials
The following table describes the characteristics of various insulating materials and how they should be used.
TYPE OF INSULATION
Polystyrene
An organic foam made
by polymerizing styrene
Polyurethane
Made by reacting
isocyanates and alcohols.
Made in continuous slab
or foamed in situ
Rockwool (mineral fibre) Suitable for temperatures up to 820°C. Mainly used
Manufactured by melting to insulate industrial ovens, heat exchangers, driers,
basalt and coke in a cupola boilers and high temperature pipes
at about 1500°C. Phenolic
binders used
Fibreglass
Formed by bonding long
glass fibres with a thermo
setting resin to form
blankets and batts,
semi-rigid boards, high
density rigid boards and
preformed pipe sections
Calcium silicate
Made from anhydrous
calcium silicate material
reinforced with a
non-asbestos binder.
Available in slab form of
various sizes
Ceramic fibre
Made from high purity
alumina and silica grains,
melted in an electric
furnace and blasted by
high velocity gases into
light fluffy fibres.
Made in a variety of forms
APPLICATION
Suitable for low temperatures (–167°C to 82°C).
Mainly used in cool rooms, refrigeration piping
and concrete retaining structures
Suitable for low temperatures (–178°C to 4°).
Mainly used in cool rooms, refrigerated transports,
deep freezing cabinets, refrigeration piping and
floor and foundation insulation
Suitable for temperatures up to 540°C. Mainly
used to insulate industrial ovens, heat
exchangers, driers, boilers and pipework
Suitable for temperatures up to 1050°C. Mainly
used to insulate furnace walls, fire boxes,
back-up refractory, flue lining and boilers
Suitable for temperatures up to 1430°C. Mainly
used to insulate furnace and kiln back-up
refractory, fire boxes, glass feeder bowls, furnace
repair, induction coil insulation, high temperature
gaskets and wrapping material
RECOMMENDATIONS
Advantages—Rigid and lightweight
Disadvantages—Combustible, has a low
melting point, is UV degradable, and susceptible
to attacks by solvents
Advantages—Closed cell structure, low density
and high mechanical strength
Disadvantages—Combustible, produces toxic
vapours and has a tendency to smoulder
Has a wide density range and is available in
batts, blankets, loose form or preformed for
pipe insulation. It is chemically inert,
non-corrosive and maintains mechanical
strength during handling
Will not settle or disintegrate with ageing.
Fibreglass products are slightly alkaline – PH9
(neutral is PH7). It should not promote or
accelerate the corrosion of steel, provided it is
protected from external contamination
Has a minute air cell structure, has a low thermal
conductivity and will retain its size and shape in
its useable temperature range. It is lightweight,
but has good structural strength so it can
withstand mechanical abrasion. It will not burn
or rot, is moisture resistant and non-corrosive
Suitable for many applications because of the
variety of forms it comes in. These include cloth,
felt, tape, coating cements and variform
castable (fire bricks)
The following table outlines the types of material suited to Applications
various applications.
Floating insulation
SURFACE TEMP. PRODUCT
What is it?
Curved or < 540°C Fibreglass, Rockwool
irregular surface < 820°C Rockwool Floating insulation is made of polypropylene balls (or chroffle)
up to 1400°C Ceramic fibre which are resistant to virtually all acids, alkalis, organic and
inorganic solutions, and can withstand temperatures of up to
Flat surface < 100°C Polyurethane, Polystyrene, 145°C without softening. Circumferential welt strengthener
Fibreglass, Rockwool stops ball rotation, which could increase evaporation rates,
< 540°C Fibreglass, Marineboard and also reduces wear of the material.
< 820°C Calcium silicate,
Rockwool Where is it used?
up to 1400°C Firebrick, Ceramic fibre It is used in pickling, chlorinating, anodising, plating and hot
Pipe up to 540°C Fibreglass, Rockwool water rinsing processes where heat dissipation from the
up to 1000°C Calcium silicate exposed liquid is so great that thermostatic control quite often
serves no useful purpose.
Selecting insulation As a guide, heat loss from open tank surfaces are as follows.
The following points should be considered when selecting
SOLUTION TEMPERATURE HEAT LOSS
insulation:
50°C 2.2 kW/m2
physical and chemical properties of the insulation materials;
60°C 3.5 kW/m2
appropriate type of insulation for each application; and
70°C 5.5 kW/m2
cost.
80°C 8.0 kW/m2
There are many different forms of insulation materials available
on the market. These vary in their physical characteristics and 90°C 12.0 kW/m2
properties, making them suitable for varying applications.
How does it work?
Properties include: It reduces heat losses by about 70% at 90°C (for a single layer)
temperature range; and evaporation losses by about 90%. A single layer of
polypropylene balls covers about 80% of the surface over which
thermal conductivity;
it extends; whereas a double layer provides 100% coverage.
fire hazard classification;
What are its advantages?
compressive strength;
Floating insulation has a number of advantages including:
cell structure (permeability and moisture absorption);
reduced splashing when components are dipped;
toughness (flexibility, resilience, structural integrity);
elimination of permanent steam haze hovering over the
available form; uncovered surface;
weight; improvement in working conditions due to the reduced effect
shape of the equipment; and of corrosive acidic fumes on the plant and the structure of
the building; and
cost.
short payback period (as little as one month in an
average installation).
 Furnace insulation Thermal conductivity
When carrying out high temperature processing of materials The indicative thermal conductivity ranges of various insulation
such as the firing of ceramics, metal melting or heat treatment, material types are shown in the diagram below.
it is important to put as much as possible of the input energy
directly into the processing product. In the ideal furnace design, 1,200 Deg C

the product should receive all the input energy. Temp

Gradient Temp Temp
Line Gradient Gradient
The problem Line Line

In practice, part of the input energy is used for heating up the

furnace insulation. During the operational phase, heat is lost 105 Deg C

from the external surfaces of a furnace by convection,

conduction and radiation. Clearly, insulation plays an important Case 1 Case 2 Case 3
1,300mm 380 mm 175 mm
part in minimising the cost of processing a product in a Dense Insulating Ceramic
Firebrick Firebrick Fibre
furnace. Traditionally, firebrick has been used for insulation but,
because of its high density, a large amount of energy is required Conclusion
to bring a brick-lined durance to operating temperature.
There is a wide range of insulation materials available, each of
The solution them suitable to a range of applications. Choosing the correct
insulation material for an application enables substantial
The development of low thermal mass (LTM) insulation, known
reductions in energy consumption and consequent cost savings
as ceramic fibre, for furnace linings has reduced the proportion
to be made.
of heat energy taken up by the insulation. Alumino-silicate fibre
(48% alumina; 52% silica) is the most commonly used
The information in this document is derived from various sources and is understood to be correct at the
insulation for furnace applications. It is capable of withstanding time of publication. However, the information may not be error free and may not be appropriate for a
particular purpose. The Sustainable Energy Authority accepts no liability whatsoever to any person for any
temperatures up to about 1400°C. injury, loss or damage that may arise in connection with any use or reliance on the information.

The comparison below of the three different construction

materials used for furnaces—firebrick, insulating brick and
ceramic fibre—clearly shows that the ceramic fibre
construction furnace wall requires the least amount of stored
heat of the three insulation methods (see table below). (Data is
based on the same hot and cold face temperatures to produce
a heat loss of 1.13 kW/m2 [Metals Australasia, July 1981]).
Even partial lining of a dense firebrick wall with ceramic fibre,
on either a hot or a cold face, can reduce stored heat capacity
and cold face temperatures.
TYPE OF DENSE INSULATION CERAMIC
INSULATION FIREBRICK FIREBRICK FIBRE
Density kg/m3 2400 500 130
Weight of
insulation kg/m2 3120 190 22
Specific heat
kJ/kg/1°K 1017 1088 1070
www.seav.vic.gov.au

Stored heat
kWh/m2 553 35.7 4.1
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