Insulation design: Faster and a lot more exact

Journal Article · Sat Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1997 · Chemical Engineering

OSTI ID:455430

Goss, W P; Power, J; Ambs, L L ^[1]; Braun, S G ^[2]; Wilkes, K E ^[3]; Yarbrough, D W ^[4]

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1. Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
2. NAIMA, Alexandria, VA (United States)
3. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
4. Tennessee Technological Univ., Cookeville, TN (United States). Chemical Engineering Dept.

Engineers in the chemical process industries say that saving energy in process plants is one of their primary goals. A proper insulation program can reduce energy losses to the surroundings, reduce energy requirements for refrigerated systems, and improve the environment.The challenge is: calculating the optimal economic thickness of insulation, and choosing the best type. Until recently, the background data (thermal conductivity, emittance, inflation rate, fuel costs and productivity) and equations (heat loss, heat transfer coefficients, incremental costs, tax savings and discounted payback) were not readily accessible to engineers. And, when accessible, determining insulation thickness required tedious manual calculations. Therefore, many engineers didn`t bother with the calculations and either over-insulated or resorted to guesswork. Today, a free computer program, named 3E Plus, developed by the North American Insulation Manufacturers Assn. (Naima; Alexandria, Va.), and a 12-page bulletin, developed by the US. Department of Energy (DOE, Washington, DC), have eliminated many of these problems, and have taken the headache out of insulation calculations. The new software does both engineering and economic calculations for process plants. It allows users to size insulation and prepare the corresponding cost estimates. The paper describes the features of the program.

• OSTI ID: 455430
• Journal Information: Chemical Engineering, Journal Name: Chemical Engineering Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 104; ISSN CHEEA3; ISSN 0009-2460
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
CALCULATION METHODS
COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN
COST ESTIMATION
ENERGY CONSERVATION
NUMBER CODES
THERMAL INSULATION
THICKNESS