THE CHALLENGE

The client, a black carbon manufacturer, was adding power generation from the waste heat released by the core process of making carbon black at an existing industrial facility in Oklahoma. A delayed release of piping to be insulated put the project in a bind and completed insulation work was rapidly falling behind the original targeted deadline. The project superintendent and estimator quickly realized that the lead time for insulation originally specified would put the project that much further behind. They needed a product to meet three requirements. The first was availability. Insulation was needed on site as soon as possible. The second was temperature. The cogeneration boiler required an insulation solution that would withstand operating temperatures between 400° F and 600° F. And the third was installation ease and speed. Saving time and money on the installation would help the project team reach the owner’s target date.

 

THE SOLUTION

The project team worked with 4 State Supply of Wichita, Kansas, and learned they had a large inventory of Earthwool® 1000° F pipe insulation in stock and could order more to meet their needs with a far shorter lead time than the original specified insulation. Cody Unick, the estimator states “There was no pushback or concerns expressed by the owner in accepting Earthwool 1000° F pipe insulation as the proposed substitute for the specified material on this project.” Knauf Insulation Earthwool 1000° pipe insulation is a molded, one-piece insulation made from inorganic fiberglass bonded with ECOSE® Technology.

 

 

Earthwool 1000° F met the three requirements for the project. The lead time was far shorter. “Lead time for the first shipment of Earthwool 1000° F was less than a week after placing the order, instead of six weeks for the originally specified insulation,” Unick said. “Knauf had what was needed to jump-start the project and allow us to get going.”
 

“Lead time for the first shipment of Earthwool 1000º was less than a week after placing the order, instead of six weeks for the originally specified insulations.”

- Cody Unick, Estimator
Brace Integrated Services

The temperature range was easily met. Earthwool 1000° F pipe insulation is used to insulate iron, copper, stainless steel, PVC, and CPVC piping in industrial applications and in commercial and institutional buildings. Earthwool 1000° F pipe insulation is suitable for hot, cold, concealed and exposed piping systems operating at temperatures from 0° F-1000° F (-18° C to 538° C).

And lastly, the ease of Earthwool 1000° F installation was superior to the specified insulation material. Installers used the ASJ+ faced pipe insulation which has a self-sealing lap (SSL), eliminating the need for tie wire or tape or additional material and tools. Earthwool 1000° F features a one-piece hinged construction of the material with a broad range of sizes to fit every project - another reason for labor savings, and reduced gapping or thermal leaks. John Landrum, project superintendent stated “Knauf pipe insulation is very easy to work with. It is much easier to carry around the project because it is lighter weight, requiring less labor for staging.”

 

 

LEARN MORE

Discover more about fiberglass pipe insulation for your next industrial and commercial projects.
 

 

Latest Projects