It is common knowledge that considerable energy savings can be
achieved through the optimal insulation of buildings. However the
energy saving benefits of insulating air conditioning and
refrigeration systems are sometimes overlooked, with structural
insulation requirements more readily considered. Yet it is
investments in the insulation of HVACR service equipment that are
recovered much faster. This is equally true for refrigeration and
air-conditioning as it is for heating systems.
Buildings account for almost half of energy consumption and carbon
emissions in the UK and air conditioning and refrigeration in
buildings account for up to a third of annual electricity costs
(Department for Communities and Local Government, Guide to Reducing
Energy Emissions in Businesses). Any measures to increase energy
efficiency in this area therefore have great environmental and cost
saving potential.
The insulation of cold pipes is usually aimed at preventing
condensation, with insulation thicknesses of 6 to 13mm being common
practice to control condensation. However as the results of a recent
study carried out by Armacell show such thicknesses are not
optimally designed to reduce associated energy losses, with
substantial energy and CO2 savings possible when thicker insulation
materials are used.
The objective of the study was to find an optimal, cost-effective
insulation thickness for various types of plant. For this purpose,
Armacell determined the savings which are achieved through the use
of thicker levels of insulation. These savings were then compared
with the cost of investment. A wide range of applications were
tested, incorporating building air-conditioning systems with
different cooling demands, together with typical refrigeration
systems used in supermarkets for food and drink storage.
THE RECOVERABLE COSTS OF OPTIMAL INSULATION THICKNESSES
Irrespective of the complexity of the system and the cooling demand,
an optimal insulation thickness of 15.5 to 25.0 mm Armaflex
insulation was determined for chilled-water pipes. The higher
investment for this thicker insulation pays for itself in the course
of the service life, accruing considerable financial savings after
only a few years. For refrigeration system pipework an even thicker
level of insulation pays off and for these applications Armacell
recommends 32 to 50mm as the optimal insulation thickness. Even at
this level of thickness costs are recoverable after just 7 to 9
months of normal plant operation.
CONSIDERABLE POTENTIAL FOR CO2 SAVINGS
Unsurprisingly the results are also extremely favourable from an
environmental point of view. CO2 emissions from the systems
investigated were reduced by several tonnes annually, just by
insulating the pipes to the optimal thickness. These findings allow
the following generalisations about the environmental performance of
the insulation material.
Per installed cubic metre of Armaflex, the use of optimal insulation
thicknesses allows annual CO2 savings of:
• approx. 1,150 kg in the operation of air-conditioning systems,
• approx. 1,900 kg in the operation of refrigeration systems with a
line temperature of -5 °C and
• approx. 2,550 kg in the operation of refrigeration systems with a
line temperature of -36 °C.
The study clearly shows that considerable potential for savings
exist through the use of optimal insulation levels in refrigeration
and air-conditioning applications. Moreover, the investigation
findings were not achieved on specialised equipment, but with
standard commercial systems. In future, the objective when
insulating pipes in cold applications should therefore not only be
condensation control, but also energy saving for sound economic and
ecological reasons.
Armacell is a manufacturer of engineered foams and the world market
leader in the field for flexible technical insulation materials.
Headquartered in Münster, Germany, Armacell has a gross annual
turnover of around €399 million, employing 2,300 people worldwide,
with 18 factories in 12 countries. Apart from ARMAFLEX, the leading
brand in the field of flexible technical insulation, the company
also produces thermoplastic insulation materials, covering systems,
fire protection and noise control products and special foams for a
multitude of industrial applications.
Further information or a copy of Armacell report ‘Considerable
Energy Savings through Optimal Insulation of Air-Conditioning and
Refrigeration Systems’ is available by email.
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