STANDARD SPECIFICATION FOR

COLD INSULATION OF
PIPING VESSELS AND EQUIPMENTS

CONTENTS
1.0

GENERAL

1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
2.0
2.1
2.2

Scope
Reference Standards
Deviation
Limitations
MATERIALS REQUIREMENTS
Insulation Materials
Auxiliary materials

3.0

APPLICATION OF INSULATION

3.1
3.2
3.3
3.3.1
3.3.1.1
3.3.1.2
3.3.1.3
3.3.2
3.3.3
3.4
3.4.1
3.4.2

Thickness of Insulation
Extent of Insulation
Insulation Procedure
Vessels & Columns
General
Vessel heads
Spherical Vessels
Machineries (Pumps, Turbines, Compressors etc.)
Piping
Weather Proofing
Vapour seal mastic
Protective layer for cold insulation

1.0

GENERAL

1.1

SCOPE
This standard covers the requirement for supply and application of materials for cold
insulation of equipment, piping and other items except Horton sphere.
The below specification covers technical requirements and procedure for the materials
and application thicknesses to be used as low temperature self extinguishing type
insulation applied on/to vessels, equipment, heat exchangers, pump, piping and
instruments, in the temperature range of 130 Deg. C to (-)200 Deg. C.

1.2

REFERENCE STANDARDS
EN ISO 12241

1.3

Thermal Insulation for Building Equipment and

Industrial Installations Calculation Rules. 2008
06-15

Introduction & Scope

ISO 12241 gives rules for the calculation of heat-transfer-related properties of building
equipment and industrial installations, predominantly under steady-state conditions.
ISO 122 41 does not take into account the permeation of air or the transmittance of
thermal radiation through transparent media.
In all cases accuracy of the results depends on the accuracy of the input variables.
For calculation of dew formation, variability of the local humidity is an important factor.
Except inside buildings, the average temperature of the radiant background seldom
corresponds to the air temperature, and measurement of background temperatures,
emissivities and exposure areas is beyond scope of this international standard. For
these reasons neither the surface temperature nor the temperature difference between
the surface and the air can be used as a reliable indicator of insulation performance or
avoidance of dew formation.

2.0
2.1
2.1.1

MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS
INSULATION MATERIALS
General
Whenever reference to any standard is made it is presumed that the latest revision as on
date shall be considered.

2.1.2

Specification and other requirements as per table below:

Flexible Elastomeric Foam (FEF) Insulation:

a)

Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) FEF Insulation:

(Temperature range -500C to +105 0C, for Flat Surface +85 0C)

Density
Thermal conductivity

40+/-2 kg/m3 (minimum)

0.035 W/m.K at 00C mean temp
acc.to EN 12 667 (DIN 52 612) - Sheets
EN ISO 8497 (DIN 52 613) Tubes

Water Vapour Permeability

2.79 x 10-14 Kg/m.s.Pa

Moisture Resistance Factor > 7,000
(acc. DIN EN 12086 for Sheets)
(acc. DIN EN 13469 for Tubes)

Fire Behaviour:
Surface Spread of Flames Class 1 (acc. To BS 476 Part 7: 1997)
Fire Propagation
(acc. To BS 476 Part 6: 1989)
Total Index performance (I) < 12
Sub Index (i1)
<6
Fire performance according to Building Regulation Class O
(Building Regulations 2000 (England & Wales)
Materials must be dust and fibre free with a Zero ODP and GWP rating.
b)

Diene Terpolymer Rubber FEF Insulation:

(Temperature range - 200 0C to + 125 0C)

Density
60-70 kg/m3
Thermal conductivity
0.034 W/m.K at -500C mean temp
0.028 W/m.K at -100 0C mean temp
0.021 W/m.K at -165 0C mean temp
(acc. ASTM C 177 / EN 12667)
Closed Cell Content
> 95%,
ASTM D 6226
pH
68
ASTM C 871
Fire Behaviour:
Surface Spread of Flames

ASTM E84 <25 (Flame spread only)

Practical behaviour in fire

Self-extinguishing, non-dripping and no-flame spread
NOTE: Please refer technical recommendation for selection and application

c) EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) Rubber FEF Insulation:

(Temperatures range -50 00C to +130 0C )

Thermal conductivity
Tubes: 0.038 W/m.K at 00C mean temp EN ISO 8497 (DIN 52613)
Sheets: 0.04 W/m.K at 40 0C mean temp EN 12667 (DIN 52612)
Water Vapour Diffusion Resistance Factor
Tubes > 4,000
(acc. DIN EN 13469 for Tubes)
Sheets > 2,500
(acc. EN 12086 for Sheets)
Fire Behaviour:
Surface Spread of Flames
Building Materials Classification

Class 1 (acc. To BS 476 Part 7: 1997)

B2
(acc. To DIN 4102 Part 1)

Practical behaviour in fire

Self-extinguishing, non-dripping and no-flame spread
NOTE:
Please refer technical recommendation for selection and application
(*) Temperature ranges shown are given for guidance, temperatures outside of these
ranges shall be confirmed with FEF insulation manufacturer
2.2

AUXILIARY MATERIALS:

2.2.1

Joint Sealer (adhesive)

It shall be supplied by FEF insulation manufacturer. It shall be Modified chloroprene
rubber adhesive in a blend of solvents, free from aromatic compounds. The adhesive
shall be of low viscosity for ease of application and quick drying characteristics. The
properly cured adhesive shall maintain water vapour resistance expected of FEF
insulation. It shall have service temperature same as of FEF insulation.

2.2.3

Covering Systems and vapour seal mastic

It shall be FEF manufactured or recommended depending on the application and
conditions.

2.2.3.1

Non-Metallic Flexible Polymeric Covering System:

Specification Clause:
For protection against mechanical impact and UV attack non-metallic flexible polymeric
barrier - with a high resistance to Oil and Chemicals - shall be applied.

Technical Details
Recommended for Line temperature Range: 0C to +130C
+105 Deg. C. if based on NBR / Diene Terpolymer Rubber / EPDM
Moisture Resistance Factor : 50,000
Density: 1,600kg/m3 (+/-100 Kg/m3)

Tensile Strength.5.0 Mpa +/- 1 Mpa (according to EN ISO 1798)

Tear Strength 5.0 6.5 N/mm (according to ISO 31a)
Elongation Black 450-650% / Grey 150-250% (according to ISO 37)
Thickness: 1 mm / 2 mm
Dust & Fibre Free
Colour: Black / Grey
Selection: It shall be based on the line temperature. For line temperatures above +105
Deg. C, more flexible Grey sheets shall be used.
Application Notes:
Flexible Polymeric covering shall be cut to size according the circumference of the
insulated pipe please allow an additional 50mm for the overlap of the Flexible
Polymeric Covering material. The Overlap shall be securely fixed using manufacturer
recommended Adhesive. All seam and joint details shall be over covered with
manufactured recommended Mastic.
Spread thin film of Adhesive on the 50 mm overlap and the corresponding face to be
adhered to and close the seam. For covering butt joints use Mastic. When covering
fittings, please consult the manufacturer Application Manual. All fittings have to be
covered to the same standards as the covering of the pipe work. No additional vapour
barrier is needed.
For further guidance please consult manufacturers Application manual
2.2.3.2 Flexible Non-Metallic Treated Woven Glass Cloth Covering System:
Specification Clause:
For protection against mechanical impact and Scratch treated woven glass fibre
covering - shall be applied.
(For Indoor application only)
Technical Details:
Temperature Range: 0C to +105C Overall
Colour: Black
Density: 205 + 10 gms / sq. meter
Application Notes:
Flexible covering shall be cut to size according the circumference of the insulated pipe
please allow an additional 50mm for the overlap of the Flexible Polymeric Covering
material. The Overlap shall be securely fixed using manufacturer recommended
Adhesive.

All seam and joint details shall be over covered with manufactured recommended
Mastic.
Spread thin film of Adhesive on the 50 mm overlap and the corresponding face to be
adhered to and close the seam. For covering butt joints use Mastic. When covering
fittings, please consult the manufacturer Application Manual. All fittings have to be

covered to the same standards as the covering of the pipe work. No additional vapour
barrier is needed.
For further guidance please consult manufacturers Application manual
2.2.3.3. Flexible Non-Metallic Paint and C.S.M. Composite Covering System:
Specification Clause:
It shall be non-metallic flexible covering system for protection against mechanical impact
and harsh environments, with a good resistance to salt, oil, chemicals, rain water & Sun
light. The FEF substrate is covered with a durable water based acrylic liquid coating with
an embedded layer of fibre glass Chopped Strand Mat (C.S.M.)
Technical Details:
Temperature Range: 0C to +105C Dust Free
Colour: White. Colouring pigments may be added to achieve desired colour
Application Notes:
Apply coating with a brush to the insulation substrate, to the recommended film
thickness. While wet, embedded the water-soluble Chopped Strand Mat (CSM) into the
coating and smooth out. Allow to touch dry and apply a 2nd coat to the recommended
film thickness and allow fully to dry. Below 7 deg C. lines shall be charged before
application to minimize wrinkles on the surface.
Recommended Coverage: 2 litres/SQM to achieve desired thickness
For further guidance please consult the manufacturers Application Manual
2.3.3.4 Metal Claddings:
Temperature Range: -200C to +130C Overall
1. Aluminium metal jacketing system
18 gauge Aluminium sheet confirming to CINI guidelines. For Flange & Valve
Enclosures 20 Gauge sheet is recommended.
Accessories and application shall confirm to insulation manufacturer / CINI
guidelines.
Note:
For *rigid outer metal jacketing (air spacing) is required to allow expansion of the
insulation layers within the air space provision between the FEF surface and the outer
jacketing.

3.0

APPLICATION

3.1

THICKNESS OF INSULATION

Insulation thickness shall be as specified in the insulation schedule/specification

prepared for equipments/piping. Wherever the thickness is not indicated the same may
be selected from Table I.
3.2

EXTENT OF INSULATION
For cold service all portions of piping, connections for drains, instrument connections,
sample points along with valve flanges etc. shall be insulated, only name plates of
equipments will be kept visible.

3.3

INSULATION PROCEDURE

3.3.1

Surface Preparation
The surface of the tanks, vessels, piping and valves etc. on which cold insulation is to be
applied shall be free of dust, loose paints or any other foreign matters.
The Modified chloroprene rubber adhesives shall be compatible with all 2-component
coating systems based on epoxy resin or polyurethane. They may not adhere to asphalt,
bitumen or red-lead.

3.3.2

Vessels and Columns

3.3.2.1 General
It shall be insulated as per FEF manufacturers application procedure / manual.
Install insulation from domed end section of the vessel as shown. Use all over adhesive
coverage to both surfaces. Continue to install the panels of insulation around domed
end section. Ensure insulation sheets are fitted under compression. After the first rings of
panels are installed, continue to apply other panels of insulation sheet around body of
the vessel as shown.

When entire surface area of the vessel body is completed, to finish, insulate the dome
ends as shown by installing insulation panels.

Refer insulation manufacturers manual for further details.

3.3.3

Machineries like pumps, turbines, Compressors etc.

In general these will be insulated in such a way that the same is of removable type for
easy maintenance.
Refer application manual / procedure of insulation manufacturer for further detail.

3.3.4
a)

Piping
General
Insulation shall be applied to piping in the form of moulded pipe sections (upto 3-4 NB
pipe dia) covering of specified thickness with all successive layers of insulation with cut
tube pieces staggered and tightly butted and sealed with recommended adhesive. In
general application of various pipes shall be as per enclosed pictures. For more details
please refer manufacturers application manual.

For Multi-layering of insulation on Pipe-work:

Staggering shall be done as per enclosed pictures

For further details, please refer manufacturers application manual.

Flanges, valves and other fitting shall be insulated employing sections of tubes or
sheets the same specified thickness as for adjacent pipes. Bends shall be insulated
with insulation to suit the curvature of the bend.
Refer manufacturers application manual for further details
3.4

WEATHER PROOFING
Applicable for Vessels and other equipments:
In addition, all attached metal parts shall be additionally vapour sealed with manufacturer
recommended Mastic Sealant, providing additional protection against moisture
ingression into the insulation system.

Cryogenic insulation:

The insulation of cryogenic installations such as LPG/LEG/LNG/LN tanks or pipework

makes great demands both on the insulation material used and on the insulator.
Therefore, insulation systems for cryogenic applications should only be installed by
qualified installers who have been trained to install the product.
Important selection criteria for a suitable insulation material are low evaporation losses,
the lowest possible energy losses during reliquefaction and safe storage and transport of
the refrigerants. In addition, the insulation must absorb the enormous vibrations and
impact resulting from the extreme temperature cycles and withstand external mechanical
strain. The Insulation for cryogenic should prevent condensation and thus minimizes the
risk of corrosion under the insulation (CUI).
Highly flexible elastomeric insulation systems are available which have been specially
developed for this area of application and offer considerable benefits, particularly in
terms of installation.

Figure 1 : Cost effectiveness and high reliability: flexible insulation systems which have
been specially developed for cryogenic applications offer significant installation benefits
Elastomeric insulation materials diene-terpolymer-based elastomeric insulation material
which maintains its flexibility even at the lowest temperatures shall be used. This
flexibility ensures that vibrations and impact are absorbed and the risk of cracking due to
the extreme temperature cycles or external mechanical strain is greatly reduced. It can
be used in the temperature range -200 C to +125 C.
Application:
Due to the extreme difference between the line and ambient temperature and the
prevailing humidity, a multi-layer insulation construction is usually required to prevent
condensation on cryogenic installations. At line temperatures down to -50 C a normal
NBR- or EPDM-based rubber product can be used. The newly developed dieneterpolymer-based product is only required at temperatures below this. The thickness of
the first insulation layer is calculated to achieve a surface temperature of at least -50 C.
The further insulation construction uses traditional elastomeric products (Figure 2).

Figure 2: The construction of the new Armaflex Cryogenic Systems

On installations with a line temperature below -110 C, such as liquefied natural gas
(LNG) terminals, an anti-abrasive foil is applied between the pipe and the bottom layer of
insulation on pipe dimensions of DN 50 and above. This foil provides the insulation
system with additional protection against vibrations and impact and gives the bottom
insulation layer added strength. Thus damage to the elastomeric insulation material is
successfully prevented. The bottom layer of elastomeric material is fully glued to the antiabrasive foil. On liquid nitrogen pipework the line temperatures (-196 C) fall below the
boiling point of oxygen (-183 C). Under certain circumstances this leads to liquid oxygen
forming on the surface of the installations or in the core of the insulation material. This
can react chemically with the organic material. Therefore, when installing elastomeric
insulation materials on objects whose line temperature lies below the boiling point of
oxygen, an aluminium foil (thickness 50 m) must always be fully glued to the surface
of the first layer of insulation material. Here the foil is glued with an overlap of at least 50
mm on the lengthwise and butt seams. For DN 50 and larger pipes an overlap of 100
mm is recommended. Plant carrying liquid oxygen should never be insulated with
elastomeric insulation materials due to possible leakages.
Building up the insulation layers:
When installing elastomeric insulation materials in cryogenic applications, the butt and
lengthways seams of the individual insulation layers should always be staggered (Figure
3). The materials should be cut and glued according to the standard application
guidelines for elastomeric insulation materials. An important point to note here is that on
horizontally laid cryogenic pipework the first layer of insulation material is not glued to
the surface of the pipe. Exceptions here are the connections to flanges or the like.
However, the ends of the tubes or sheets of the second or further layers are glued to the
layer below (partition bonding). If the outer diameter of the pipe is more than 500 mm
from the second layer onwards, the bottom quarter of the insulation is to be fully glued to
the layer beneath to prevent sagging (Figure 4). Ideally, approximately 24 hours should
be allowed between the gluing of the individual layers to ensure that the adhesive of the
previous layer has fully dried.

Figure 3: The butt and lengthways seams of the individual insulation layers should be staggered

Figure 4: To prevent the insulation material sagging on horizontal pipes, the bottom quarter of each
layer should be fully glued to the layer beneath it.
Insulating vertical pipes:
Unlike in the case of horizontally laid pipes, when insulating vertical pipes it is not
sufficient to glue only sections of the individual layers. All insulation layers must be fully
glued to each other. In addition, on vertical pipes the bottom layer of insulation material
must be fully glued to the surface of the pipe. On larger pipes and depending on the
number of insulation layers required it is recommended that support rings are also
mounted at intervals of 2 metres. However, on vertical pipes there is no need to use an
anti-abrasive foil on the inside of the first layer.
Expansion and contraction joints:
Traditional cryogenic insulation systems made of rigid foam or cellular glass are installed
with expansion or contraction joints (using mineral wool, for example). However, when
the new elastomeric cryogenic insulation systems from Armacell are used, it is not
necessary to create additional expansion joints. The flexible material fulfils this purpose
itself in that the butt seams are always installed under pressure. To close gaps (e.g. at
the points where pipe hangers are connected), irrespective of the pipe dimension, the
fitting piece is cut from tube or sheet material allowing an extra 30 mm if the section to
be insulated is less than 300 mm long and an extra 50 mm if it is longer than 500 mm
(Figure 5). This prevents moisture penetration at potential weak points.

Figure 5: To close gaps a fitting piece of Armaflex is installed under pressure and thus acts as an
expansion joint
Pipe hangers / pipe supports:
In cryogenic applications special materials, often on the basis of polyurethane or
polyisocyanurate, are used for pipe hangers and supports. The connection between the
elastomeric insulation materials and these supports is of particular importance and must
be carried out with great care.
Adhesion tests between these two different types of insulation material have shown that
completely satisfactory results could not be achieved either with a suitable PU adhesive
or the special adhesive for elastomeric insulation materials (see also Part 5 of this
series).
To increase the reliability, the adhesion of the two insulation materials should be carried
out as follows:
Clean the PUR butt seam which is to be glued
Coat the surface with the special elastomeric adhesive and allow this prime coat to dry
completely
Then apply the adhesive in a thin, even coat to both the PUR and elastomeric surfaces
to be glued. Allow to tack dry, align carefully and press together firmly. When gluing the
butt joints under pressure, the wet bonding technique can also be used.
To make butt seams even more secure, fully glue a strip of the elastomeric insulation
material to overlap the seam.

Additional security is achieved if the supports have a stepped profile in the area of the butt joint (Figure
6)

Figure 6: Great care must be taken when connecting elastomeric insulation materials to supports
(made of PUR/PIR, for example)

Figure 7: Elastomeric insulation materials can also be used at temperatures down to -200 C