Posted by Firwin on | Comments Off on Guide to Heat Tracing
Temperature regulation poses a challenge for many industrial piping processes. Even in warmer climates, heat loss can prevent pipes from remaining at the optimal temperature for their operations and contents, which threatens productivity and product quality, respectively.
Heat tracing, also known as trace heating, offers a solution to controlling pipe temperatures. The system involves running an electric heating element along the length of a pipe, often coupled with insulation, to facilitate even heating. The combination of thermal insulation with an active heating element provides a finer level of temperature control for pipes and vessels that is critical to many industries.
Why Use Heat Tracing?
Heat tracing is a highly versatile method of maintaining pipe or vessel temperatures. For some applications, it is used to prevent freezing during the winter, which is a significant threat to productivity. Even in applications where freezing is not a primary concern, heat tracing is one of the more efficient ways to ensure that pipes and vessels remain at the proper operating or processing temperature.
How Does Insulation Complement Heat Tracing?
To maximize the benefits of heat tracing, many installations also incorporate insulation. The layer of insulation bundles the heat tracing element and pipes together, helping maintain the interior temperature, reduce thermal loss, and maximize energy efficiency.
Applications of Heat Tracing
Applications for heat tracing commonly center around the oil and gas industries. Production, processing, and storage equipment in these industries generally require the maintenance of specific operating temperatures for optimal performance and productivity. For example, high temperatures are necessary to bring oil or gas to the surface during extraction. Some of the other functions of heat tracing in the oil and gas industries include maintenance of set temperatures during refining and storing processes and winterizing processing facilities in colder climates.
Additional industries where heat tracing is employed, include:
In these industries, heat tracing represents a cost-effective and energy-efficient management solution for applications like:
Winterizing or freeze protecting pipes, tanks, and storage vessels
Maintaining the temperature of storage tanks and hot water distribution pipes
Integrating underfloor, roof, or gutter heating
Heating walkways, roads, and other passenger and vehicle access areas to minimize snow and ice buildup
Heat Tracing Solutions From Firwin
An effective heat tracing setup requires high-quality components, including insulation, which largely influences how efficiently the system maintains and manages heat. At Firwin, we provide a full range of high-performance insulation for use with heat tracing.
Our durable insulation blankets—also referred to as insulation covers or jackets—are our flagship product. Available in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and configurations, all of our blankets are crafted from multi-layered performance materials and feature secure fastening systems to ensure a snug fit. No matter what component you’re seeking to protect, we offer a standard or customized insulation solution that can reduce the amount of heat loss in your system, maximizing the efficiency of your heat tracing.
Our extensive inventory of insulation blankets includes:
Valve Covers
Exposure to extreme temperatures and chemicals reduces the active service life of upstream equipment. Our tight-sealing valve covers fit over important junctions, keeping them safe from temperature fluctuations and other damaging environmental factors.
Flange Covers
Uncovered flanges can lead to heat loss at multiple points of a piping system. To prevent this, our removable insulation blankets are custom-designed to fit over all types and sizes of flanges.
Vessel and Manway Covers
In addition to maximizing efficiency, maintaining safety is another key concern regarding pipe tracing. In certain situations, vessels and manways can become somewhat hot, which can pose a risk to operators, service technicians, and passers-by. To prevent burns, our vessel and manway covers both trap heat and prevent direct contact with hot surface metal.
Instrumental Panel Covers
Complex and sensitive instrumentation also requires protection. Our removable insulation blankets provide excellent heat retention to the equipment as needed while allowing for ease of removal and reapplication.
Contact Firwin for Heat Trace Insulation Solutions
Heat tracing allows for efficient and cost-effective thermal regulation. The addition of insulation further increases its advantages. At Firwin, we carry high-quality insulation solutions for a wide range of industrial applications.
Posted by Firwin on | Comments Off on Introduction to Engine Component Insulation
Engines play a vital role in a wide range of industrial applications. However, they also introduce a variety of hazards and risks to the work environment if the proper precautions are not implemented. For example, they can generate a significant amount of heat, which can negatively impact nearby equipment performance and integrity, and employee health and safety in the absence of a proper insulation solution. Insulation is key to protecting nearby employees and equipment while optimizing engine performance.
The Importance of Engine Component Insulation
If an engine does not have proper insulation, the heat it produces during use can lead to a significant rise in temperatures. Elevated temperatures can cause a number of problems for equipment and employees, such as:
Increased employee discomfort. The heat generated by engines can raise ambient temperatures within the work environment to uncomfortable levels, which makes it difficult—if not impossible—for workers to complete their tasks safely. Insulation keeps heat contained within the engine or exhaust so it will not influence conditions in the surrounding area.
Higher risk of employee injury/illness. Increased temperatures inside and outside the engine can also lead to employee injury or illness; for example, hot exterior surfaces can cause severe burns, while hot ambient temperatures can trigger heat exhaustion. Engine insulation protects employees from exposure to overly hot surfaces and temperatures.
Greater chance of equipment damage. High engine temperatures can cause overheating in some systems. Additionally, they put any nearby thermally sensitive components (e.g., hoses and wires) at a higher risk of suffering thermal damage. Insulation shields components and equipment around the engine from potentially damaging heat.
Decreased equipment performance. The performance of an engine is significantly affected by its ability to achieve and maintain proper internal temperatures. While high heat is detrimental to nearby components, systems, and people, it is critical to efficient operation. Insulation enables an engine to keep the heat it generates contained inside of it and its exhaust system so it can operate at optimal capacity. As a result, it helps reduce energy usage and emission levels.
Engine Component Insulation Solutions at Firwin
Firwin is an industry-leading supplier of insulation solutions. After nearly 40 years in the industry, we’ve garnered the knowledge and skills needed to create insulation products for a range of industrial applications. Our engine component insulation offerings include:
Removable Insulation Blankets
Our flagship product, removable insulation blankets are typically composed of the following 3 layers: an inner steel mesh layer, a middle insulation medium layer, and an outer silicone-coated fiberglass layer. Fastened in place with stainless steel lacing wire, they are perfect for engine components that require regular maintenance since they can be easily removed and replaced as needed. Additionally, they can be customized for fit and application-specific characteristics, such as alternative materials and fastening systems.
MineWrap™ Removable Blankets
Our MineWrap insulation blankets are engineered to meet the specific needs of the underground mining industry. The flagship MineWrap Mark II has a flame-resistant foil inner liner lined with stainless steel mesh, which protects it from oil and hydraulic fluid intrusion and, consequently, eliminates the risk of fire. The MineWrap Mark III has a reinforced stainless steel foil exterior covered by a layer of stainless steel mesh, which makes it better suited for more demanding mining applications.
Permanent Hard Coat Composite Insulation
Our hard coat composite insulation coatings are an ideal insulation option for components that do not need regular repair and maintenance. After the composite coating is thinly applied to the target material, it forms a permanent high temperature insulation layer, that also protects the insulation material from combustion in the event of an engine leak or malfunction. It is rated for temperatures up to 900° F.
Stainless Steel Foil Insulation
Our metal foil insulation (MFI) is another permanent insulation option for exhaust components (e.g., tubes, piping, and elbows). The insulation material is encapsulated by an outer foil layer that is permanently welded to the engine component, which results in a durable, leak-free, and highly customizable solution.
Contact Firwin for Engine Component Insulation Needs
Firwin’s highly customizable range of engine component insulation solutions makes it easy to prevent even the most powerful engines from harming your employees and equipment. Whether you need a removable or permanent product, we can help you protect your people, products, and processes. To learn more about our engine component insulation solutions and how they can benefit you, contact us today.
Posted by Firwin on | Comments Off on Can removable insulation blankets keep pipe contents from freezing ?
Removable insulation blankets are great at managing heat. Be it by lowering the ambient heat in an engine room, protecting workers from hot surfaces, or shielding pipe contents from cold external temperatures, removable insulation covers are often the solution of choice where heat must be managed, but permanent insulation is not feasible.
Gate Valve with Glycol Tracing,,
wrapped with Removable Insulation Blanket
But there is one thing that removable insulation blankets cannot do – they cannot add heat. “We often get asked, particularly in cold weather applications, if our blankets can keep pipe contents or components from freezing”, said Brett Herman, Firwin`s VP of Sales & Engineering. “The answer is that while we can contain heat and delay heat loss by sheltering pipe components from cold external temperatures, our insulation blankets can`t add any heat that isn`t already there.”
Where insulation blankets can help, however, is where companies have some sort of heat tracing on their piping, and they want to minimize the amount of heat lost to the environment, and thus maximize the efficiency of their heat tracing.
Heat Tracing Challenges
“Companies, particularly in the oil and gas industry, and often in other industries such as mining, chemical, and food processing, use heat tracing to keep pipe or container contents from freezing. In cold temperatures, this heat tracing, if left un-insulated, becomes much less effective. Firwin has done a number of applications in this area, covering the component and the heat tracing, increasing efficiency and lowering the heat that escapes to the environment”, added Brett.
Like other removable insulation blanket applications, a properly designed blanket is key to ensuring that the heat tracing is properly insulated. “There are various type of heat tracing in the marketplace today – steam, glycol, hot oil, and electric”, said Rael Herman, Firwin’s VP of Production & New Product Development.
“In some instances, the entire component in covered by a ‘bolt-on heat jacket, changing the entire geometry of the part”. What they all have in common is the need to be wrapped tightly, so as to minimize the amount of heat that is lost to the environment. The challenge, when it comes to insulation blankets, is to design a blanket that will account for the sometime difficult geometries and penetration access points that often come hand in hand with heat tracing”, said Rael.
Firwin Blanket custom designed to fit glycol penetrations
Other Solutions
What about situations where the customer is not familiar with heat tracing, or where heat tracing is not a viable option ? “We have done applications where we have incorporated a heat source into the insulation cover (see previous article on “pizza blankets“)”, notes Brett. “Regardless of who supplies the heat tracing, what’s important is ensuring that the the insulation blankets are designed in such a way as to tightly cover the components in question, while allowing for penetration points that typically accompany tracing of valves and similar components”.
For more information on removable insulation blankets and heat tracing, please contact Firwin.
Posted by Firwin on | Comments Off on A Look at Firwin’s Product Information Guide
At Firwin, we always want to make sure that you get the most out of our removable insulation blankets. When you purchase any of Firwin’s removable insulation covers for the first time, we not only provide you with a high quality product, but also a world-class product information guide. The 24-page guide covers a wide variety of topics including:
An overview of removable insulation blankets
Detailed installation instructions including common errors to avoid
A closer look at harder to identify parts like segmented elbows, flanges, and cones
Alternative fastening methods
How to care for new blankets
How to keep the highest level of safety during usage
The guide includes diagrams and photos, allowing those who are new to our insulation blankets to properly install them.
While we provide top quality covers, we also want to provide top quality service. Is there anything missing from the guide? If so, let us know!
Posted by Firwin on | Comments Off on Tips on Caring for your Removable Insulation Blankets
At Firwin, we take pride in the performance and longevity of our removable insulation blankets. We manufacture all of our products to withstand the toughest and most challenging environments, be it hundreds of feet underground or on the roughest seas. In order to make sure our insulation jackets maintain peak performance, it helps to follow a few easy care tips.
Firwin’s fastening systems are extremely strong, but it is important to avoid excess force when installing your insulation blankets.
It isn’t always easy, but for the best service, keep your blankets as clean as possible.
Promptly remove or clean off all chemicals that cause deterioration of aluminum or silicone coatings.
Avoid oil saturation; this will render your blanket’s “non-combustible” characteristics ineffective. You will then need to replace the covers.
Treat blankets like all parts of the engine and inspect them regularly.
Last but not least, always take care not to cut or damage the outer protective cover fabrics. It helps to limit the usage of sharp instruments around all insulation blankets.
If you follow all of these steps, you can automatically increase the lifespan of your removable insulation blankets. If you have more blanket care questions, please contact one of our insulation blanket experts today!
Our metal foil insulation (MFI) is another permanent insulation option for exhaust components (e.g., tubes, piping, and elbows). The insulation material is encapsulated by an outer foil layer that is permanently welded to the engine component, which results in a durable, leak-free, and highly customizable solution.
