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The Electronic Newsletter of The Industrial Refrigeration Consortium Vol. 12 No. 3, 2012

UNDERSTANDING PIPE INSULATION FOR INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS

In this edition of The Cold Front, we will discuss the fundamental application principles of pipe insulation for industrial ammonia piping systems. We review the heat transfer basics, industry recommendations for insulation thickness, and estimate the cost of the parasitic heat load through the pipe insulation.

BACKGROUND

A functional refrigerant piping insulation system consists of number of components that need to simultaneously perform including: base-pipe preparation, insulating material, vapor retarder and jacket. In addition to these basic components, industrial refrigerant piping insulation systems also include expansion joints, joint sealants, and suitable reinforcement for maintaining the structural integrity of insulation materials at support points. When properly installed & maintained, insulation systems benefit refrigeration systems in multiple ways:

IRC Staff
Director Doug Reindl 608/265-3010 or 608/262-6381 dreindl@wisc.edu

In This Issue
Understanding Pipe Insulation 1-9 for Industrial Refrigeration Systems Upcoming Ammonia Classes Noteworthy 2 2

Assistant Director Todd Jekel 608/265-3008 tbjekel@wisc.edu Research Staff Dan Dettmers 608/262-8221 djdettme@wisc.edu

IRC Contact Information Toll-free 1-866-635-4721 Phone 608/262-8220 FAX 608/262-6209 e-mail info@irc.wisc.edu

Mailing Address 1513 University Avenue Suite 3184 Madison, WI 53706 Web Address www.irc.wisc.edu

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1) Reducing parasitic heat gain (or loss) thus maintaining the state of the refrigerant as it circulates through the piping network, 2) Protecting people from potential direct-contact with high- or low-temperature, and 3) Protects the underlying piping by limiting the diffusion of water to the cold temperatures at the pipes surface that result in surface condensation and accelerated external pipe surface corrosion when operating intermittently or continuously above 32F.. The heat transfer processes that occur between the ambient environment and the cool/cold refrigerant within a piping system involve multi-modes. From the ambient environment to the external surface of the insulation system jacket, heat is gained via convection and radiation heat transfer. From the outside of the jacket surface, heat is conducted through the jacket, vapor retarder and the insulating material resulting in elevated pipe surface temperatures. Heat then flows through the pipe wall before reaching the refrigerant circulating within the piping system.

Upcoming Ammonia Courses

Process Safety Management Audits for Compliance and Continuous Safety Improvement
January 16-18, 2013

Madison, WI

Introduction to Ammonia Refrigeration Systems

March 6-8, 2013

Background

Madison, WI

Ammonia Refrigeration System Safety

April 17-19, 2013

Madison, WI

Achieving Energy Cost Savings for Ammonia Refrigeration Systems

May 22-24, 2013

Madison, WI

Design of NH3 Refrigeration Systems for Peak Performance and Efficiency

September 9-13, 2013

Madison, WI

Process Hazard Analysis for Ammonia Refrigeration Systems

September 24-26, 2013

Madison, WI

Principles and Practices of Mechanical Integrity for Ammonia Refrigeration Systems

September 6-8, 2013

Madison, WI

Figure 1 Heat transfer schematic. Convection Another component of the heat gain from the ambient to the insulation system is convection to the jacket from the

Intermediate Ammonia Refrigeration Systems

December 4-6, 2013

Madison, WI

Noteworthy Noteworthy
Visit Mark the your IRCcalendars website to now access for the presentations 2013 IRC made Research at the 2011 and IRC Technology Research and Technology Forum. Forum May 8-9, 2013 at the Pyle Center in Madison, WI. Mark calendars now fornewsletter the 2012 IRC Research and Technology Send your items of note for next to Todd Jekel, tbjekel@wisc.edu . Forum May 2-3, 2012 at the Pyle Center in Madison, WI. Send items of note for next newsletter to Todd Jekel, tbjekel@wisc.edu.

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ambient dry-bulb temperature. The heat transfer is represented by the following equation: = 2 ,2

where is the convection heat transfer, is the heat transfer coefficient, 2 is the outside surface area of the jacket, and ,2 and are the jacket and outside ambient temperatures, respectively.

The heat transfer coefficient is estimated assuming a cylinder in cross flow with no interference from surrounding obstructions. The assumption of no interference will tend to overestimate the heat transfer due to convection. The wind direction is always assumed to be perpendicular to the piping for simplicity. When there is no wind, convection will occur naturally due to the temperature difference and resulting density differences of the air near the surface of the jacket and the surrounding ambient environment.

The convection heat transfer coefficient ranged between 1 and 7 Btu/hr-ft2-F depending on the wind speed. Radiation There are two (2) elements of radiation occurring on the jacket surface: 1) radiation due to the temperature difference between the jacket and the surroundings where the temperature assumed to be the ambient temperature, and 2) radiation due to sunlight (solar effects). In order to properly account for the two radiation flows, the jacket surface is separated into an upper and lower half. The upper half includes both radiative effects from temperature difference between the ambient and the jacket surface plus the solar component. The lower half is assumed to be shaded from the sun and only includes the radiation exchange due to temperature difference. The radiation due to temperature difference is given by the following equation:
4 = 2 4 ,2

where is the radiation heat transfer due to temperature difference, is the jacket surface emissivity, is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant, 2 is the outside surface area of the jacket, and ,2 and are the jacket and outside ambient temperatures respectively. Conduction The heat transfer through the pipe insulation system is one-dimensional conduction in cylindrical coordinates. Even though the insulation system is made up of more than simply insulation material, the conduction through the insulation is the largest resistance to heat transfer so the resistance of the vapor retarder and jacket can easily be neglected. In addition to simplify the heat transfer analysis presented here, the entire inside circumference of the pipe is assumed to be uniform at the refrigerant temperature. This is reasonable assumption for cold liquid filled piping (e.g. pumped liquid feed piping); however, for wet suction piping, a circumferential temperature variation around the pipe exists and the local pipe wall temperature depends on whether that portion of the pipe is in contact with liquid or vapor refrigerant. Therefore in two-phase piping runs, the heat gain will be conservatively estimated with the uniform temperature assumption. Given the above-mentioned assumptions, the following equation can be used to estimate the heat gain to the refrigerant due to conduction through the insulation: = 2 ,1 ,2 ln(2 1 )

where is the heat transfer due to conduction, ,1 is the pipe surface temperature, ,2 is the jacket temperature, is the thermal conductivity of the insulation, and 1 and 2 are the outside diameter of the pipe and jacket respectively.

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Given the convection, radiation & conduction equations and corresponding design ambient conditions, the design heat gains for a given insulated piping system can be calculated. The following figures show the piping system heat gain for a range on pipe sizes, insulation thickness, and pipe temperatures (i.e. refrigerant temperatures). The heat gain is expressed in tons per 100 feet of piping.

DESIGN ANALYSIS

Figure 2 The design heat gain on -40F insulated piping as a function of pipe size and insulation thickness.

Figure 3 The design heat gain on 8" NPS insulated piping as a function of temperature and insulation thickness.

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Design heat gains are good information; however, ambient conditions do not remain at the design conditions for the entire year. In order to estimate the heat gained to a piping system on an annual basis, weather data are used in an extended analysis. In addition, since solar radiation heat gains become important in the energy analysis, the insulation system will be considered to be split at the centerline of the pipe and the energy balances will be solved on the upper half and lower half, independently. Solar radiation will increase the surface temperature on the top of the insulation system. The convection coefficient will be the same on the upper- and lower-half of the jacket, but there will be different heat transfer rates depending on the surface temperature. Therefore, at the jacket surface, the following equations represent an energy balance on the upper and lower half of the jacket: = , + , + where the subscript is for the upper half, and is for the lower half, is the conduction through the insulation system, is the convection off (or on) the jacket, is the radiation off (or on) the jacket due to the temperature difference, is the solar radiation heat flux (Btu/hr-ft2), is the diameter of the piping and insulation in feet, and is the length of the piping in feet. is the projected area of the piping and insulation that is exposed to the solar radiation heat flux. This balance will allow the determination of the jacket temperature and the overall heat gain to the piping system. = , + ,

ENERGY BALANCE/SIMULATION

WS

Figure 4 Energy flows on piping insulation system.

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In order to estimate the heat gain from the ambient, the temperature ( ), solar radiation () and wind speed () are obtained from Typical Meteorological Year (TMY2) data [NREL 2012]. With that weather data, the heat transfer coefficient can be estimated, the energy balances determined for every hour of the year, and the integrated annual total heat gain determined. In order to translate annual heat gains into cost, we need to have an estimate of the refrigeration system efficiency and the corresponding electricity costs. The refrigeration system efficiency is approximated using the following graphs developed from compressor manufacturers data. The assumed refrigeration system operates with anhydrous ammonia (R-717) at an average condensing pressure of 150 psig (85F saturated). The graph shows the efficiency expressed as horsepower per ton (compressors only) as a function of the saturated suction temperature. The saturated suction temperature (SST) is assumed to be the temperature on the inside of the entire pipe circumference.

Figure 5 Average efficiency estimate for refrigeration system compressors.

Tables 1-4 show the results of annual piping system heat gains simulated for both Madison, WI and Tampa, FL locations. For each location, three (3) pipe sizes were considered (2, 4 & 8) and two (2) different temperature levels evaluated (-40F & +20F). For each pipe size, the same average refrigeration system efficiency is used and the results are tabulated in annual heat gain (ton-hrs), annual kilowatt hours (kWh), and annual energy cost due to parasitic heat gain per 100 of piping. Two (2) insulation thicknesses are calculated, the bold value is the IIAR Ammonia Refrigeration Piping Handbook (and ASHRAE 2010 Refrigeration Handbook) recommended value, in addition, a 3 insulation thickness is shown because it is a maximum thickness for a single layer application.

RESULTS

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So, how much is the piping heat gain relative to the refrigeration load? Consider that for a 150 ton load at -40F the IIAR Ammonia Refrigeration Piping Handbook recommends an 8 NPS wet-suction return and a 2 NPS pumped liquid feed line. With the recommended amount of insulation and assuming that the suction pressure is maintained every hour of the year, the annual heat gain in Madison, WI would be 1,576 ton-hrs per 100 ft of both the liquid feed and wet-suction return. If we assume that there is 500 linear feet of outside piping between the load and the machinery room, there would be a combined total of 7,880 ton-hrs of piping heat gain annually. By comparison, consider that 150 ton load associated with a production freezing system operational: 16 hours per day (2 x 8 hr shifts), 5 days per week during a 50 week per year. The annual ton-hrs for this production refrigeration load would total 600,000 ton-hrs on an annual basis. So, the piping heat gain would account for an additional 1.3% load on the system. As you can see, the energy costs associated with parasitic piping heat gain is modest compared to the refrigeration load. Table 1 Results for -40F piping in Madison, WI. Average refrigeration efficiency is 2.4 hp/ton. Blended electrical energy cost of $0.10/kWh. Pipe Size [in] 8 8 4 4 2 2 Insulation Thickness [in] 5 3 4.5 3 3.5 3 Annual Heat Gain [ton-hrs per 100 ft] 1,014 1,456 707 907 562 610 Annual Energy Cost [$ per 100 ft] $180 $260 $125 $160 $100 $110

Table 2 Results for +20F piping in Madison, WI. Average refrigeration efficiency is 0.9 hp/ton. Blended electrical energy cost of $0.10/kWh. Pipe Size [in] 8 4 2 Insulation Thickness [in] 3 3 2.5 Annual Heat Gain [ton-hrs per 100 ft] 540 224 165 Annual Energy Cost [$ per 100 ft] $36 $22 $16

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Table 3 Results for -40F piping in Tampa, FL. Average refrigeration efficiency is 2.4 hp/ton. Blended electrical energy cost of $0.10/kWh. Pipe Size [in] 8 8 4 4 2 2 Insulation Thickness [in] 5 3 4.5 3 3.5 3 Annual Heat Gain [ton-hrs per 100 ft] 1,340 1,920 935 1,200 740 805 Annual Energy Cost [$ per 100 ft] $240 $340 $170 $215 $135 $145

Table 4 Results for +20F piping in Tampa, FL. Average refrigeration efficiency is 0.9 hp/ton. Blended electrical energy cost of $0.10/kWh. Pipe Size [in] 8 4 2 Insulation Thickness [in] 3 3 2.5 Annual Heat Gain [ton-hrs per 100 ft] 1,010 625 465 Annual Energy Cost [$ per 100 ft] $68 $42 $31

The previous results assume that the insulation performs at the manufacturers listed thermal conductivity throughout the entire year. An obvious follow-on question would be: What is the energy costs associated with operating a system having failed insulation? To answer this question, we need to know how the thermal conductivity of the insulation changes as it accumulates moisture and forms frost within the cellular structure of the insulation material. There is no definitive research at this time on the thermal conductivity of wet or frozen insulation; however, an estimate of the thermal conductivity can be developed by understanding the impact of failed insulation. Closed-cell insulation uses a low-conductivity blowing agent or air to create voids within the insulation material filled with this low-conductivity vapor. When those voids become filled with water or ice due to damage to the insulation systems vapor retarder the effective thermal conductivity of the insulation system will necessarily increase, if not by the degradation of the insulation material, then by the parallel thermal shunt of ice or water. How much? That is open to a potentially contentious discussion. To give an estimate of the cost of failed insulation, we used a multiplier of 2 on the upper half and 6 on the lower half. The increased multiplier on the bottom was to account for iced insulation, whereas the upper section of the piping may not be consistently frozen (or not to the same extent) due to the solar heat gain. Using this assumption to estimate the cost of failed insulation, simulations resulted in annual energy and costs of 3.5 to 4 times more than the results for simulation at the manufacturers cataloged thermal conductivity. The increased refrigeration energy consumption and energy costs associated with piping heat gain was calculated and found to be a small component of the overall load (1-2%) assuming industry-recommended levels of

CONCLUSIONS

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insulation are utilized and not compromised by damage or moisture incursion. Continued system operation with failed insulation will result in higher energy consumption/cost; however, the most important consideration in the replacement of failed insulation is NOT the energy and its associated cost, it IS THE MECHANICAL INTEGRITY OF THE UNDERLYING PIPING. Failed insulation and the resultant water migration to the pipe surface can enable corrosion under insulation. Ensuring the ongoing mechanical integrity of insulated piping systems require periodic inspection/monitoring to determine whether the piping has been compromised and must be replaced.

REFERENCES

ASHRAE, 2010, Refrigeration Handbook, American Society of Heating, Air-conditioning, and Refrigeration Engineers, Atlanta, GA. Incropera, F.P., D.P. DeWitt, 1996, Introduction to Heat Transfer, 3rd Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. IIAR, 2004, IIAR Ammonia Refrigeration Piping Handbook, International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration. NREL, Typical Meteorological Year (TMY2) Data, developed by NREL under U.S. Department of Energy Contract DE-AC36-08GO28308, http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/old_data/nsrdb/1961-1990/tmy2/, (2012).