Thermal insulation services specialize in installing thermal insulation for buildings, process equipment, or any other location where minimizing the loss or gain of heat is desired. Thermal insulation contractors install a physical barrier material with a low thermal conductivity to reduce heat transfer between two spaces. Properly insulating buildings and equipment can result in energy savings and improved process efficiency.

Thermal insulation services often assist customers with insulation material selection. They can perform heat-loss estimates, insulation thickness calculations, and prepare detailed design drawings. In addition, competitive material sourcing can minimize costs. On-site installation is often supervised by a project manager to ensure accurate completion of the process.

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Applications

Thermal insulation services install various kinds of insulation for a wide range of industrial processes, buildings and equipment:

• Piping and fittings
• Turbines
• Duct systems
• Process equipment
• Tanks and vessels
• Air pollution control equipment
• Furnaces and steam generators
• Exchangers and condensers
• Exhaust systems
• Solar facilities
• Coal and gas
• Biomass
• Heat recovery systems
• Noise abatement
• Cryogenic

Thermal insulation services install insulation in a wide range of locations such as pulp and paper plants, chemical factories, food processing plants, automotive plants, and industrial plants. Non-industrials sites are also served, including hospitals, schools, offices, laboratories, government facilities, data centers, and residential and commercial locations.

Types

There are many types of insulation available that are installed by contractors providing thermal insulation installation services.

Spray applied, injected, or poured-in insulation includes expanding foam products derived from polyurethanes, isocyanates, and phenolics as well as cementitious or cellulosic materials. It is applied using pressure sprayers, spray containers, and special injection equipment.

Batt and roll insulation includes blankets of fiberglass, cotton, animal or mineral wool, and other plastic or natural fibrous materials.

Rigid board insulation includes extruded polystyrene, phenolic foam boards, rigid fiberglass, or fibers such as rock or slag wool. They are sized to match the depth of the cavity they will be installed in, such as in a wall, roof, or against foundations.

Blown-in or loose fill insulation includes cellulose, mineral wool, and fiberglass materials that are blown into the space to be insulated.

Radiant barrier insulation includes reflective materials such as foils or paints, foil-faced panels, and foil-backed bubble wrap. Radiant barrier insulation is designed to prevent heat transfer to or from the surface by reflecting radiant energy.

Performance

Thermal insulation performance is affected by many factors, including: thermal conductivity, surface emissivity, and the thickness and density of the material. Thermal conductivity indicates how readily a material will conduct heat. Heat conduction is carried out by the collisions that occur between a material’s particles as well as the movement of free electrons. Emissivity determines how readily a material emits energy as thermal radiation. A good thermal insulator will have a low thermal conductivity and a low emissivity.

One common measure of thermal resistance is the R-value. This value indicates the ratio of the temperature across an insulator to the heat flux though it. The R-value accounts for convective and radiative heat transfer through the insulator, but not from its surface. An insulator with a high R-value will require less installed thickness to provide the same level of thermal insulation compared to one with a low R-value.

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Irex Construction Group