TSA Insight Magazine Issue 26 - Magazine - Page 26
RETHINKING
THERMAL
I N S U L AT I O N : A
SMARTER APPROACH
TO MOISTURE
CONTROL AND CUI
PREVENTION
By addressing
both thermal
performance and
the risks associated
with moisture
ingress, modern TIC
technologies offer
a practical route to
improved operational
reliability and
reduced lifecycle
costs.
s
energy
costs
continue to rise and
efficiency
targets
become increasingly
demanding,
optimising
thermal
insulation has become a critical
operational priority. Operators across
the oil and gas, petrochemical and
chemical
processing
industries
typically need to keep storage tanks
and process vessels within specific
temperature ranges to preserve
product
quality
and
optimise
efficiency. Traditionally, this has
involved
encasing
temperaturecontrolled assets in mineral-based
materials which are then protected
with an outer layer of protective
cladding, with expensive gas heating
used to compensate for energy loss
and return product to the desired
temperature.
A
Historically,
the
inefficiencies
associated with traditional insulation
systems were often tolerated because
energy and maintenance costs
remained relatively low. However,
rising energy prices, labour costs
and increasing pressure to improve
operational efficiency have made
these shortcomings significantly
more expensive.
26
I N S I G H T
M AG A Z I N E
Moisture Ingress - The Hidden
Problem
A significant and often-overlooked
part of the problem is water. Moisture
can breach the protective cladding of
traditional insulation systems within
only a few weeks of installation. Often
this happens because of precipitation
leaking through gaps or damaged
areas of cladding, or through
condensation formed by thermal
cycling. Once moisture penetrates
the insulation system, it can become
trapped within the insulation layer,
significantly
and
permanently
reducing thermal performance. While
dry mineral wool can deliver thermal
efficiency of around 95%, a moisture
content of just 6.5% can reduce
performance to as little as 55%. This
causes temperature fluctuations,
particularly during the colder, wetter
months of the year.
This moisture also poses a second,
even greater threat - Corrosion Under
Insulation (CUI). The moisture in the
insulation reaches the asset’s steel
surface, where it combines with
oxygen, salts and other electrolytes
to cause corrosion. Often referred
to as a ‘silent threat’, CUI gradually
undermines asset integrity over
time and can often go unnoticed for
years. Because CUI occurs beneath
insulation
and
cladding,
early
identification is difficult. Inspection
and monitoring are costly and labourintensive and requires either invasive
visual inspection methods, such
as removing areas of cladding and
insulation, or less invasive but still
