A problem that we have often faced is how to insulate in a clean and effective way. Insulation materials are often fibrous, messy, and hard to attach. When we were designing distillation equipment for the CBD industry, we had a need for insulation to cover a stainless steel vessel that was heated to 80 deg C with band heaters that reached temperatures greater than 200 deg C. We needed to cover the heated vessel so that it would come to temperature faster and not be a safety hazard during operation. In the same suite of equipment, we were also cooling filter housings down to -40 degree C. We needed to cover the housings so that we were not wasting chilling power and to prevent excessive amounts of condensation. We came across a great product that was a perfect fit for both of these applications, and thought we would share.
Advance Thermal Corp has a product called Modulated Spirorap. It is a 4 inch wide by 20 foot long strip of insulation. The center insulation material is covered with a durable fabric and is lined on the edges with a strip of hook and loop fasteners. The insulation can be wound around a pipe or vessel to create a covering for hot or cold applications. Spirorap has a double seam every 18 inches so that it can be easily cut to an appropriate length for your vessel.
http://advancethermal.com/service-item/removable-insulation-mondulated-spirorap/
Some tips:
- Sprirorap is recommended for smaller diameter pipes, but we have used it on vessels up to 12 inch diameter.
- It is great for getting around bulky clamps and also avoiding side ports and instrumentation.
- Having two people when you are wrapping it is helpful. One person can hold the first wrap while the other person winds the insulation around the rest of the vessel.
- Current cost is $275 per 20 foot length.
- It is made to order so quoted leadtime can be 4-5 weeks. In our experience they have fabricated them much faster, but something to keep in mind.
- If gravity is not your friend, we have used cinch straps from McMaster to keep the insulation securely in place.
Advance Thermal makes custom insulation blankets as well. We have used their services for a 14 inch diameter vessel and lid, and it came out really nice. If you give them a 3D model of your system, they will design a blanket around it. They can do it multiple sections and sew in straps and hook and loop strips as needed for a good fit. We were really impressed by the speed and quality at a reasonable price.
Hope this unique product is of some help if you have insulation needs. And if you have some leftover, you can always turn it in to a beer cozy…