PRESS RELEASE AUL12
ARMACELL INSULATION PROTECTS WWT PLANT
FROM WEATHER EXTREMES
The Scottish Highlands are no stranger to cold weather but the winters of 2010 and 2011 were severe
even for this part of the world, with temperatures regularly reaching –15 ºC.
The town of Fortrose located on the Moray Firth, about 10 km north east of Inverness, was certainly
no exception as the small coastal burgh is exposed to all the elements the cold North Sea has to
throw at it.
So when Inverness based mechanical and electrical engineers Commissioning Solutions Scotland were
appointed to replace failed process pumps for the local waste water treatment facility, careful
consideration had to be given to the insulation material used to protect the equipment and process
flows from freezing.
For this challenging and exposed environment David Hawthorn of Commissioning Solutions Scotland,
working in conjunction with thermal insulation contractors McDonald & Co, specified Armacell’s
Class O Armaflex nitrile rubber insulation material.
Armaflex offered a number of benefits for this application over the conventional glass fibre insulation
material which had previously been used and failed on site. Glass fibre or mineral wool insulation is
reliant on an easily punctured external foil vapour barrier to prevent moisture ingress. If this barrier
is compromised, the result is wet insulation that causes Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) and loss of
thermal performance, especially in tough conditions such as those encountered at the Fortrose waste
water treatment works.
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As a closed cell foam material, Armaflex provides an integral vapour barrier against water ingress
and condensation, with no additional water vapour barrier required. The material has a moisture
resistance factor of >7,000 µ so even if the material becomes damaged in some places, it will still
provide protection against condensation and water ingress as the closed cell structure is built-up
throughout the material’s thickness.
The thermal conductivity of Armaflex is 0.034 W/(m • K) at 0 ºC meaning, at outdoor temperatures
of –15 ºC and initial line temperatures of 7 ºC, a 25mm layer of Armaflex will provide over 40 hours of
frost protection on an 89 mm diameter steel pipe or 52 hours on a 114 mm diameter pipe when
containing static fluids. Local water supply regulations specify 12 hours protection at ambient
temperatures of –6ºC so the 25mm Armaflex well exceeds these minimum requirements.
Due to its flexible foam structure Armaflex sheet can be easily cut and fabricated to cover fittings,
pumps and valves. For outdoor use Armafinish 99 paint is required to provide protection against UV
degradation. Alternatively HT/Armaflex UV resistant EPDM rubber material can be used without the
need for additional painting.
For additional protection against mechanical impact (or even seagulls and rodents using the material
for nesting) Armacell’s flexible Arma-Chek R covering or as was the case at Fortrose, metallic
cladding can be used.
Owner of McDonald & Co thermal insulation contractors, Frank Cameron, has been an advocate of
Armaflex insulation for many years and even during the exceptionally cold winters has never had any
failures of equipment with the nitrile rubber material. Frank explained “on the large number of
water facilities projects I have worked on over the years, Armaflex has offered the most reliable
performance in cold weather. Add to this the ease of installation and affordability of the material,
it is the best choice for providing frost protection in extreme weather conditions.”
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For colder processes such as cryogenic applications, Armacell has recently developed Armaflex LTD
utilising a diene terpolymer with a much lower glass transition point. This is the point (-50°C), where
the mechanical behaviour of conventional nitrile rubber materials change, with the rubber
increasingly losing flexibility through hardening. However, the Armaflex LTD products maintain full
strength and flexibility over the temperature range of -200°C to +125°C. This ensures that vibration
and impacts can be absorbed, with the risk of cracking from extreme temperature cycling or
mechanical strain considerably reduced. The closed cell material has a very low thermal conductivity
and also a high resistance to water vapour transmission providing a ‘built-in’ vapour barrier. These
characteristics reduce the risk of CUI, providing significant savings on installation, while the
cryogenic foams, unlike rigid foams, also eliminate the need for expansion joints or additional vapour
barriers to achieve even further installation savings.
Further information is available on request:
Armacell UK Ltd, Mars Street, Oldham, Lancashire OL9 6LY
Telephone: 0161 287 7040
Fax: 0161 633 2685
e-mail: info.uk@armacell.com
www.armacell.com/uk
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including photographic annotation)
General Information
Supplier:
Armacell UK Ltd
Press Release No:
AUL12
Press or publishing inquiries to:
Steve Lloyd
Enterprise Marketing Services Ltd
The Coach House, 1 Dunstall Road, Barton under Needwood,
Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, DE13 8AX, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1283 713185
Fax: +44 (0) 1283 716172
e-mail: info@enterprise-marketing.co.uk
Reader response inquiries to:
Mr Anthony Barnett, Communications Advisor of Armacell UK Ltd
Downloads:
The press release text (MS Word and PDF format) and image are
available for download at:
www.enterprise-marketing.co.uk/aul/AUL12.html
Our Reference:
AUL12/05/12/V3
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FURTHER INFORMATION
Armacell is a manufacturer of engineered foams and the world leader in the market for flexible technical
insulation materials. In the financial year 2010, the company had a gross annual turnover of around 427
million Euros. The group of companies has approximately 2,500 employees and 18 factories in 12
countries. It is headquartered in Münster, Germany. 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, special foams for a multitude of industrial
applications and foam cores which are used as composite materials.
Fortrose WWT plant pumps, valves and pipework fitted with metal
cladding and Armaflex insulation.
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Typical products from the Class O Armaflex product range, available
from Armacell UK Ltd.
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