Keep It Dry with Pyrogel®: Protect Assets • Improve Process Performance • Reduce Costs
For nearly two decades, Pyrogel has earned a reputation for solving thermal insulation's toughest challenges. It has been engineered from the ground up to protect people, processes, and assets from the traditional enemies of insulation:
The risk of corrosion under insulation (CUI) is proportional to the time the asset spends in contact with water. By keeping process assets drier for longer, Pyrogel represents the smart choice for a robust CUI defense strategy.
Pyrogel's benefits extend beyond CUI defense. Its unique combination of four key defense mechanisms also help to maintain stable process conditions sustaining unit performance and profitability. During maintenance events or turnarounds, Pyrogel can be removed and reused, saving time and reducing expenses.
Video Case Study [3 Min]: A Chemical Company's 10-year-journey with Pyrogel — Maintenance and Process Engineers Discuss Long-term Pyrogel Benefits
Pyrogel insulation is manufactured with unique water-resisting protections. Unlike surface-coated insulations, Pyrogel's durable water resistance is inherent and homogenously distributed throughout, for maximum protection against water ingress, even on cut edges.
Pyrogel behaves like a one-way valve for environmental or process water, keeping it away from the underlying asset. In the event that water gets past its primary protection, Pyrogel's breathability ensures that it is quickly released to the atmosphere as water vapor, minimizing the time in contact with the asset and the risk of CUI.
Pyrogel's versatile blanket wrap format ensures that it is held tightly to the underlying asset, eliminating the potential for water to accumulate at the 6 o'clock position on the pipe. Staggered joints create a tortuous path for liquid water, helping prevent contact with the underlying surface.
Pyrogel's class-leading thermal conductivity reduces the required thickness. A thinner profile results in a smaller surface area presented to the elements, further reducing the risk of moisture coming in contact with the underlying surface.
Pyrogel's unique composition allows turnaround (TAR) teams to stay on schedule. Pyrogel does not absorb water, so jobs won’t be delayed by rainfall or snow. Many sites have also restarted operations before jacketing is installed.
Pyrogel's flexible format can adapt to pipes and vessels of all shapes and sizes. Complex geometry? Not a problem. Pyrogel is easy-to-install and rolls can arrive onsite within hours, perfect for last-minute, scope change.
Pyrogel can be easily removed and reused, saving not only the cost of purchasing new insulation but also other associated non-productive fees. This makes inspection and maintenance cycles faster and simpler.
Pyrogel XTF incorporates all of the CUI defense benefits of Pyrogel XTE and adds passive pool-fire and jet-fire protections to deliver class-leading CUF defense. Pyrogel XTF can deliver hydrocarbon pool-fire protection for up to 4 hours, and jet fire protection up to 2 hours. Pyrogel XTF can also be used to meet the requirements of API 521 for the sizing of pressure relief systems.
A Midwest refinery selected Pyrogel to replace degraded mineral wool and calcium silicate on hot service pipework during a 45 day TAR. Despite heavy rainfall during the TAR, the insulation phase was completed 8 days ahead of schedule.
Pyrogel was applied to a range of pipe sizes and select equipment for heat conservation and CUI defense. Pyrogel’s unique ability to protect the assets allowed the site to restart before the jacketing was completed. This was the first utilization of Pyrogel on this particular refinery, the reliability leader elected to use Pyrogel on the TAR based on planned use on an upcoming Tier 3 project. Pyrogel XTE was added to the plant specification.
Persistently wet insulation resulted in aggressive CUI on a high-pressure steam line. Massive heat loss during rain events led to steam sheds and process shutdowns. Pyrogel was selected to replace water absorbent mineral wool and calcium silicate insulation.
Now, Pyrogel keeps the steam line dry and operating efficiently, supporting downstream process stability, process efficiency, and estimated annual energy savings of $1.3 million.
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