Flexible Aerogel Insulation for Coker- and Sulfur …refiningcommunity.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/...Flexible Aerogel Insulation for Coker- and Sulfur-Unit Applications John Williams

Flexible Aerogel Insulation forCoker- and Sulfur-Unit Applications

John Williams Trevor Seipp

Aspen Aerogels, Inc. Becht Engineering

Northborough, MA Calgary, AB

508-691-1137 [email protected] [email protected]

September 13-17, 2010 - Calgary, AB, Canada

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Presentation Outline

• Product Overview

• Hot Work

• Reference Projects and Designs

• Becht Engineering Designs

• Questions

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The Aerogel Advantage:Superinsulation performance

in a flexible blanket form

What Is An Aerogel?

• Aerogels are nanoporous solids invented in the 1930’s– Aerogels are created when silica is gelled in a solvent

• When the solvent is removed, what remains is “puffed-up sand”, with up to 99% porosity

– Nanopores cage the air molecules, retarding heat flow

– Long molecular chains increase the solid path-length through the silica, reducing thermal conductivity

• Twin innovations helped move aerogels from lab curiosity to industrial product– Supercritical CO2 extraction reduces

cycle times from months to hours

– Casting the wet gel into a fibrousbatting provides mechanical integrity

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Aerogel Thermal Performance – With the Flexibility of a Blanket

• Start with a non-woven blanket– Typically polyester, glass,

carbon, or ceramic fiber

• Fill that blanket with a wet gel

• Remove the solvents via supercritical CO2 extraction

• Roll the blanket onto a spool

Step 1:Fill fibrous batting with a liquid-solidsolution

Step 2:Extract solventswith supercriticalcarbon dioxide

Step 3:Resulting dry,fiber-reinforcedaerogel blanket

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Aspen’s Aerogel Manufacturing Process

Sili

caS

ol

Cat

alys

t

Dop

ants

Rolls packedfor shipment

Dry fiberblanket

Casting

Gelation

Supercriticalextraction

Drying

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Health and Safety Aspects of Aerogels

• Aerogels are an amorphous (non-crystalline) silica with 97% of particles larger than 45m– Only the pores are nano-scale (~0.01 m)

– Aerogel particles are much larger

• Amorphous silicas have been studied by OSHA, EPA, and the OECD, concluding:– “Demonstrated lack of toxicity, mutagenicity.”

– “Is not expected to pose a carcinogenic risk.”

– “Silicas are inert when ingested, and unlikely to be absorbed through the skin.”

– “No concerns for human health.”

• Typical dust loading in fab-shop is <5 mg/m3

– OSHA limit for amorphous silica is 80 mg/m3

Aerogel (amorphous silica)

Crystalline silica

Recommended PPE is paper dust mask, work gloves, and safety glasses

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Aspen’s Industrial Products Span the Temperature Range

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0

-200

-400-200

-100

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

°F°C Pyrogel XT (5 and 10 mm)-40°F to 1200°F (-40°C to 650°C)

Cryogel Z (5 and 10 mm)-460°F to 200°F (-273°C to 90°C)

• 2 to 3 times lower k-value than cellular glass or PUR/PIR foams

• Fast, simple installation is insensitive to workmanship or site conditions

• Excellent durability and fire resistance• Available with integral vapor barrier:

– Single-step installation– Multiple plies provide system

redundancy

• 3 to 5 times lower k-value than perlite, calcium silicate, cellular glass, or mineral/glass fiber

• Excellent productivity, especially on towers, vessels, and large pipe

• Water repellant

• Resists mechanical abuse and thermal degradation

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Aerogels Have the Lowest k-Value of Any Industrial Insulation

0

50

100

150

200

250

-200 -100 0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Temperature (°C)

Th

ermal C

on

du

ctivity (mW

/m-K

)Pyrogel XT

Perlite

Mineral WoolPipe & Board

Calsil

Cryogel Z PUR/PIR

Mineral WoolBlanket

-400 -200 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200Temperature (°F)

Th

erm

al C

on

du

ctiv

ity

(Btu

-in

/hr-

ft2-°

F)

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

CellularglassPolystyrene

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Thickness for Equivalent Thermal Performance

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

0.40

0.45

ExpandedPerlite

CalciumSilicate

CellularGlass

MineralWool Pipe

Pyrogel Cryogel

Th

ickn

ess

for

R1

(in

)

0

2

4

6

8

10

Th

ickness fo

r R1

(mm

)

Aerogels enable thinner designs at the same level of

thermal protection

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Weight Per Unit Area for Equivalent Thermal Performance

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

ExpandedPerlite

CalciumSilicate

CellularGlass

MineralWool Pipe

Pyrogel XT Cryogel Z

Wei

gh

t p

er S

qu

are

Fo

ot

of

R1

(lb

)

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

Weig

ht p

er Sq

ua

re Me

ter of R

1 (kg)

Aerogels enable lighter designs at the same level of

thermal protection

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Pyrogel Resists the Enemies of Insulation: Water, Heat, and Abuse

Water RepellantDuring Katrina, an aerogel-

insulated pipe was flooded with sea water. Afterward, the pipeline

was drained, dried, and retested with no degradation. That pipe was then sealed, and is now in service off the coast of Africa.

Insulated space

Damage TolerantCryogel and Pyrogel easily withstand most impact or

compressive loading events (e.g., footfalls, tool strike), and will spring back to the original

performance even at loads > 100 psi. Further, because

there is no brittle failure mechanism (its a flexibleblanket), damage remains

local and will not propagate.

Thermally StableAspen Aerogel’s products do not use organic binders, so will not crumble or sag in hot service.

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Aerogels Will Not Promote Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI)

• Pyrogel and Cryogel are durably water repellent, even at high temperatures

• The open-cell nature of Aspen’s Aerogel blankets allows any water that gets around or beneath the insulation to evaporate out

• Aerogel pH is engineered to be > 7

Pyrogel is super-hydrophobic, yet also… …water vapor permeable

Water droplet withcontact angle >150°

Steam penetrates Pyrogel from kettle

underneath

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Hot Applications

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Pyrogel XT Has Many Benefits On Hot Process Equipment

MineralWool or

Fiberglass

ExpandedPerlite

CalciumSilicate

3½”

2½”

3”

Pyrogel XT

6” pipe at 600°F(315°C)

• Industry’s best k-value saves energy with 2-5X less material

– Greater space efficiency

• Installation productivity– Shop- or field fabrication– Very fast in 1 & 2 ply designs– Single-man installs– Good in difficult-access areas

• Greater in-service durability– Durably hydrophobic– Will not crack, crumble, or sag

• Reduces jacketing, banding, and vapor barrier costs

• Packed volume reduced 5-10X– Less scrap, trucking, storage

• Single part number simplifies logistics, planning

• Excellent fire protection20 mm(0.8”)

All four designs provide the same level of thermal protection

Ambient conditions = 65°F, 2 mph wind, 0.1 emissivity

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Installation of Flexible Aerogel Blankets Is Fast and Intuitive

Pyrogel blanket wraps over the pipe

Cladding & banding provide mechanical and

weather protection

Butt joints (staggered if using

multi-ply construction)

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Flat-Pack Elbows Ship Easy and Install fast

Pre-kitted “lobster tail” elbows ship flat for better packing efficiency

Multi-layer lobster tails are quickly layed up on the elbow and taped in place

Subsequent layers are installed with a

staggered joint pattern

The finished elbow is covered with a vapor barrier and jacketed with metal

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Pyrogel Enables Increased Pipe Density

Insulation Material Pyrogel Rigid Pipe Cover

20.75 in.16.25 in.2 in.

14.63 in.10.13 in.

8.38 in.5.38 in.

* Assumes 2 inch clearance space

2” Pipe: 56% more on a rack



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Aerogel Offers Simplified Inventory Management and Logistics

• Results of a trade study of a typical new-build plant insulation project…

Rigid Pipe Cover Pyrogel

Distinct Part No.’sInsulation only

28 1

Distinct Parts45:1 ratio

36,000 pieces 790 rolls

Packed Volume6:1 ratio

5700 m3 930 m3

Packed Footprint2 m stack height

53 m x 53 m 22 m x 22 m

Pyrogel can reduce the material handing and inventory management required on big jobs

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Cryogel Z and Pyrogel XTF Provide Excellent Fire Protection

0

1

2

3

4

5

0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200Thickness (mm)

Tim

e to

100

0°F

(h

ou

rs)

Cryogel Z

Pyrogel XTF Cellularglass

ExpandedPerlite

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Thickness (in)

UL 1709 test results based on a 10W49 I-beam:

Time-to-failure for different insulation types and

thicknesses

Calcium Silicate

Better

Worse

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Economics On 1000 m of 30” Pipe (North America)

$155$117

$122

$84

$36

$36

$150

$60

$33

$3

$15

$15

$0

$50

$100

$150

$200

$250

$300

$350

Pyrogel Calcium Silicate Mineral Wool

Tota

l In

stal

led

Co

st (

$100

0)

LogisticsOther MaterialsLaborInsulation

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Reference Projects

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Aspen Aerogels’ Products Have Been Specified Around the World

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Sulfur Tanks at Refinery in Veracruz, Mexico

• Scope: Five 24ft x ⌀105ft liquid sulfur tanks (roof and walls)

• Date: 4Q09• Process Temp: 275°F (135°C)• Design Goal: Heat conservation,

process control• Insulation: 2 layers (20 mm) of

Pyrogel XT, hung like curtains• Results:

– Before jacketing was installed, while the insulation was still bare and held on with only spray adhesive, a storm with heavy rain and 60 mph gusts blew in. Not a single piece of insulation was lost.

– Performance is in exceeding expectations.

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Coker Drums at Refinery in Lake Charles, LA

• Scope: Temporary insulation of coker drums after problems arosewith the current birdcage system

• Date: 1Q09

• Process Temp: 950°F (510°C)

• Design Goal: Heat conservation, process control

• Insulation: 3 layers (30 mm) of Pyrogel XT

• Results:– Installation labor was reduced by 60-75%

– Material continues to meet-or-beat expected thermal performance, despite exposure to the elements (the temporary nature of the install means that the weather barrier is incomplete, with many gaps)

– These “thermal band-aids” have proven so durable that Pyrogel XT is now the baseline insulation material for the next coker revamp

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Coker Feed Line at Refinery in Kuwait

• Scope: 200 ft of 12” pipe

• Date: 2Q10

• Process Temp: 930°F (500°C)

• Design Goal: Heat conservation


• Results:– Owner experienced problems with

binder burnout in the previously specified mineral wool pipe cover

– Burnout lead to a loss of concentricity, which led to thermal losses, openings in the jacket, and subsequent water ingress

– Pyrogel XT uses no organic binders, and so will not sag over time

Example of loss of concentricity

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Sulfur Recovery Unit at Refinery in Torrance, CA

• Scope: 12ft x ⌀5 ft carbon bed vessel

• Date: 2Q10

• Process Temp: 60-300°F (15-150°C) cyclic



• Results:– This vessel was particularly susceptible to

corrosion under insulation because of it’s cyclic service within the CUI zone (32-300°F)

– The previous insulation was water-absorbent and corroded out the bottom head within one year

– Pyrogel XT installed quickly with a novice insulation contractor

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Sulfur Recovery Unit Project / Maintenance in Dartmouth, NS

• Scope: Various piping and equipment

• Date: 2008-present

• Insulation: Pyrogel XT + VentureClad

• Results:– Various projects in 2008-09 were used

to benchmark aerogel productivity & cost against the baseline MW / SS spec

• A new sulfur recovery unit

• A 60’ asphalt tank (at right)

• 1200’ of 4” ET brine line

– Pyrogel XT + VentureClad was found to be cheaper on the basis of total installed cost, and provided energy, logistical, anti-CUI benefits

– Facility has since converted to 90% Pyrogel XT for maintenance and capital projects

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Towers, Vessels and Other Large Format Equipment

• The productivity advantages of blanket material vs. block is generally most pronounced on large-format piping and equipment, with labor savings approaching 80%

• Equipment and piping can also be pre-insulated, since aerogel can easily handle the rigors of shipping and erection Non-road diesel

project, Baytown, TX

Ethylene bullet, Southampton, UK

Distillation tower, Anacortes, WA

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SAGD Operation in Ft. McMurray, AB

• Scope: 3 km of 24” pipe

• Date: Summer 2009

• Process Temp.: 300°C (570°F)


• Other Factors: All pipingwas pre-insulated in Edmontonand trucked 6 hours to remote work site

• Results:

– Eliminated need for an on-site man camp

– Reduced effective labor rate from $200/hr to $45/hr

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Insulation Work Was Carried Out In Controlled Environment

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24” x 40ft Sections Fully Jacketed with 0.020” SE Aluminum

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Pre-Insulated Pipe Handled with Standard Equipment…

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…and Is Stacked, Ready for Shipment

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Summary and Conclusions

• Efficiency– Most efficient insulation materials in the world

– Saves energy

– Reduces touch temperatures

• Productivity– Flexible blanket form for increased productivity

– Streamlined planning, supply chain, and logistics

– Better space efficiency

– Enables pre-insulation of piping and equipment

• Durability– Resistance to damage by water, heat, and mechanical abuse

– Will not promote corrosion under insulation

– Exceptional fire protection

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Pyrogel-Enabled Coker Insulation Design from Becht Engineering

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Thank You

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Flexible Aerogel Insulation for Coker- and Sulfur …refiningcommunity.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/...Flexible Aerogel Insulation for Coker- and Sulfur-Unit Applications John Williams

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