Press Release
RTIPR001EN0311
Rockwool Technical Insulation identifies potential to save energy
and reduce CO2 emissions
Effective insulation of technical installations – such as hot pipes, boilers and tanks – can save literally
millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), helping to protect the environment, whilst at the same time
saving operators millions of euros – typically recovering original insulation investment costs in two years
or less.
Rockwool Technical Insulation, a global leader in the design and application of insulation for technical
installations, has introduced a calculation tool to help identify possible savings in both energy and CO2
emissions for the process industry, where differences between the internal and external temperature of
very hot pipes can exceed 600°C.
In a recently published report the company provides an example of the calculation: “50 mm of insulation
is common for a 250°C hot pipe. Our calculation shows that even a moderate increase to 100 mm will
off course incur additional insulation costs, however, for a 10 km long pipe with a 150 mm diameter,
nearly € 2 million extra can be saved in energy costs - at current price levels.” This conservative
example presupposes a complete turnaround of the entire pipe installation after 10 years, but actually
the potential lifetime of the technical insulation can be more than 25 years.
Frank Jacobs, Managing Director - Rockwool Technical Insulation, points out that in practice, if
insulation is specified at all, it is more as a practical necessity for personal protection than for energy
conservation. This is known as “safety engineering”. Consequently the insulation is of minimal thickness,
sometimes as thin as only 30 mm. Apart from the obvious loss in heat and energy, insufficient insulation
can also lead to losses in speed and productivity.
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Rockwool Technical Insulation identifies potential to save energy and CO2 savings for the process industry
Frank Jacobs: “Effective insulation practices are now common in the building sector, with the
introduction of nearly zero-energy buildings such as passive houses. However, the process industry has
not yet adopted standardised and/or specified energy efficiency requirements. If we were to insulate hot
processes with the same drive as new buildings, the benefits would be phenomenal.”
Sustainable design
Today’s standard designs do not leave sufficient space to insulate pipes properly. They are often put too
close to other pipes or construction components to allow for sufficient insulation. Rockwool Technical
Insulation supports sustainable design solutions. This requires pipes, ducts, boilers and hot process
equipment to be redesigned for a low energy, low carbon future. In very hot processes insulation
thicknesses of 300 mm or more will ensure that processing plants are saving both energy and money,
whilst at the same time reducing their impact on the environment.
Frank Jacobs adds: “The insulation for technical installations we have installed around the world in this
one year will save nearly 4,000 million tonnes of CO2 in its lifetime. Investing in the insulation of hot
pipes and processes can be extremely profitable, with annual returns on investment reaching 100%.”
About Rockwool Technical Insulation
Rockwool Technical Insulation (RTI) is part of the Rockwool Group. RTI is a leading supplier of high
quality stone wool products that provide solutions which insulate and protect technical installations in the
process industry and marine & offshore. With more than 70 years of experience the company has built a
vast range of techniques and systems for providing fire-safe insulation solutions for the protection of
technical equipment and installations. Key applications include insulation for pipe work, vessels, boilers,
storage tanks, columns etc. of industrial plants, and insulation of fire rated constructions, bulkhead and
deck constructions, engine rooms, doors, panels and floating floors for the marine and offshore sector.
With a strong focus on sustainability, RTI sets the standard in innovative solutions, high quality service
and a wide range of products with an unrivalled thermal, fire, acoustic and sustainable performance. For
more information, please visit www.rockwool-rti.com.
About The Rockwool Group
The Rockwool Group is the world’s largest producer of stone wool. The Group was founded in 1909 and
today employs more than 7,800 highly skilled individuals. The Rockwool Group operates 26 factories in
three continents (Europe, North America and Asia) and has a world-wide network of sales offices,
distributors and partners ensuring that its stone wool products reach all parts of the globe. Group
headquarters, the R&D and environmental departments are based in Hedehusene, near Copenhagen.
For more information, please visit www.rockwool.com.
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Rockwool Technical Insulation identifies potential to save energy and CO2 savings for the process industry
For reader enquiries, please contact:
For Benelux: John Quicken : john.quicken @rockwool.com
For France: Alexis Besnard : alexis.besnard@rockwool.com
For Germany: Andreas Nowoczin : andreas.nowoczin@rockwool.com
For Poland: Agnieszka Lisikiewicz : agnieszka.lisikiewicz@rockwool.com
For further information, please contact:
Nancy van Heesewijk
Paul Mc Nicol
EMG
Rockwool Technical Insulation
Lelyweg 6
E-mail: paul.mcnicol@rockwool.nl
4612 PS Bergen op Zoom
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 164 317 018
Fax: +31 164 317 039
E-mail: nvanheesewijk@emg-pr.com
www.emg-pr.com
Rockwool Technical Insulation calculates sustainability and energy efficiencies for industrial
applications. (Photo Rockwool Technical Insulation, RTIPR001)
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Rockwool Technical Insulation identifies potential to save energy and CO2 savings for the process industry
Insulation of technical installations – such as hot pipes, boilers and tanks – represents a vast potential
for energy and CO2 savings. (Photo Rockwool Technical Insulation, RTIPR001)
This press release and relevant photography can be downloaded from
www.PressReleaseFinder.com
Alternatively for very high resolution pictures please contact Nancy van Heesewijk
(nvanheesewijk@emg-pr.com, +31 164 317 018)
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