Introduction To DC Insulated Piping

Prefabricated Spray Insulated Piping Systems

for District Energy and Oil & Gas Applications

SLS-PRS-001-005-10-REV0
About Perma-Pipe

• Perma-Pipe Established in 1961 (Ricwil in 1910)

• Division of MFRI, Inc.
▫ NASDAQ traded company
▫ $200 + million / year revenues
• Perma-Pipe:
▫ Global manufacturer & engineering company providing piping systems &
solutions
▫ $100+ million / year revenues
▫ DHC, Environmental, Industrial, and Oil & Gas Markets
▫ Largest supplier of pre-fabricated / pre-insulated piping systems in North
America & the Middle East
▫ Installations all over the world
Perma-Pipe Credentials

• Holds the Chairman position on the ASTM Task Group responsible for developing
standards for pre-insulated piping standard for district heating & cooling.

• First member of International District Energy Association (IDEA). Member since

1921.

• Products Certified to EN 253 standards.

• Been supplying to the Middle East since 1975.

• Supplier of the worlds longest pre-insulated pipeline – 590 km from Rajasthan to

Gujarat

• Products successfully in service for over 30 years!

Manufacturing Facilities

Perma-Pipe, USA
Lebanon, TN
Manufacturing Facility
Manufacturing Facilities

Perma-Pipe Oil & Gas

New Iberia, LA
Manufacturing Facility
Manufacturing Facilities

Perma-Pipe Middle
East (FZC)
Fujairah, UAE
Manufacturing Facility
Manufacturing Facilities

Perma-Pipe Middle
East (FZC)
Fujairah, UAE
Manufacturing Facility
Manufacturing Facilities

Perma-Pipe Middle
East (FZC)
Fujairah, UAE
Manufacturing Facility
Manufacturing Facilities

Perma-Pipe India Ltd.

Gujarat, India
Manufacturing Facility
Manufacturing Facilities

Bayou Perma-Pipe
Canada,
Camrose, Alberta,
Canada
Manufacturing Facilities

Perma-Pipe Saudi
Arabia LLC.
Start production
October 1, 2011
Benefits of Pre-Insulated /
Prefabricated Piping
• Higher quality

• Factory tested and inspected

• Ease and quickness of installation

• Construction schedule improvements

• Lower installed cost vs. field insulated and fabricated piping systems

• Durable construction

• Reduced maintenance
Low Temperature Products

Polyurethane
insulation
-3200F to 2780F
-2000C to 1400C
Choice of jacket
materials
Underground Pre-Insulated Chilled
Water Piping Systems

• Carrier pipe: Steel, Coated Steel,

GRP, HDPE
• Insulation: Polyurethane(PUR),
Polyisocyanurate(PIR)
• Protective Jacket/Vapor barrier:
HDPE, metal (GI) or GRP
• Leak Detection/Location system
Steel Service Pipe
Advantages Disadvantages
Š Durable and ideal for higher pressure Š OD Corrosion: The insulated pipe must
applications be installed dry and kept dry.
Š Welded construction - No risk of field Š ID Corrosion: The water must be treated
joint leaks (non corrosive quality)
Š Relatively inexpensive
Š Contractors are familiar with the
welding and layout techniques
Š Field joint weld quality can be verified
with a variety of NDE methods (x-ray,
ultrasonic, magnetic particle)
Pipe Thickness Considerations
• Water Quality
▫ Water quality used in the Middle East is not be the same as what is used in Europe
▫ Water is mostly made from desalinated seawater so level of chlorides may be higher

• Longer Delivery Times

▫ Much lower availability of BS and EN standard pipes as compared to ASTM standard pipes – manufactured by fewer mills.
▫ Thin walled pipe is not carried by Middle East pipe distributors.

Design Pressure
Especially for larger pipe diameter.

• Welding
▫ Faster to weld thinner wall pipe
▫ Specialized TIG welding equipment and welders required

• Corrosion
▫ Annual corrosion rate for steel must be calculated. Depends on O2 content

• Pipe Handling
▫ Thin wall pipe is lighter and hence , may be easier to handle
▫ Thin wall pipe is much easier to damage during storage, transportation and handling
GRP Pipe
Advantages Disadvantages
Š Handles corrosive environment very Š Field joining is a slow process
well Š No means of inspection of field
Š Light weight: easier to handle joints
Š Fittings are rated the same as the Š Difficult to catalyze in warmer
straight pipe climate
Š Requires experienced labor
Š Sensitive to hairline cracks, very
easy to damage
Š De-lamination will cause “weeping”
HDPE Pipe
Advantages
Š Excellent ID/OD corrosion resistance
Š Relatively lower costs
Š Butt Fusion (done properly) can achieve the
same rating as the adjacent pipe
Š Lighter than steel but heavier than GRP
Disadvantages
Š Limited pressure ratings (SDR17 = 100 psig,
SDR11 = 160 psig, SDR9 = 200 psig, SDR7 =
265 psig) For example 36” SDR9 wall
thickness = 4 inches
Š Thick wall reduces inside diameter
Š Mitered fittings (elbows and tees) must be
de-rated from the straight pipe pressure
rating (must use higher SDR for fitting pipe)
Š Cold weld, bad joint preparation can cause
joint failure
Š Limited NDE methods to verify field joint
quality
Factory Insulation vs. Field Insulation

• Factory Insulation offers the following major advantages:

▫ Significantly higher quality insulation
x K Factor = 0.023 W/mK
▫ Detailed & documented Quality Control
▫ Major cost savings during pipeline operation through power saving
▫ Faster production
▫ Reduces risk on-site
▫ Cost competitive
Comparison of Injection vs. Spray
Applied PU Foam
Injected PU foam
• May have voids
• Not concentric
• Jacket may not bond to insulation
• Inconsistent density
• Inconsistent compressive strength
• Inconsistent thermal conductivity
• Predetermined thickness increments
• Higher cost
• Difficult inspection / lower quality
Sprayed PU foam
• No insulation voids
• Fully concentric
• Jacket fully bonded to the insulation
• Consistent density
• Consistent compressive strength
• Consistent thermal conductivity
• Precise thickness
• Lower cost
• Easy inspection / higher quality
Foam Injected Pipe

Jacket Disbandment
The lack of bonding
between HDPE Jacket &
Polyurethane Foam can
lead to pipeline failures.
Foam Injected Pipe

De-centric Service Pipe

The foam expansion process
is rather violent and can shift
the pipe inside the jacket.
This will only be found when
a cut is made in the middle
of the pipe.
Injection Voids

Insulation Voids
Voids in injected
insulation can be very
large and difficult to
detect without cutting
open the pipe
PU Injected Pipe - Voids

Insulation Voids
Voids in injected insulation
can be very large and
difficult to detect without
cutting open the pipe
Continuous Spray Application Process

Large Diameter Pipe

Insulation
40″ Diameter Spray
Insulated Pipe on the
Xtru-Therm line.
Spray Insulation Features

•Pipe lengths up to 15 meters

•Exacting tolerances
•Controlled thickness
•Controlled density
•Consistent concentricity
•Free rise
•No voids
Polyurethane

• An Engineered Material

• Compressive Strength vs. Density

• Thermal Conductivity vs. Density

Cell Structure
Spray Applied
Uniform Cell Structure
Results:
• Consistent Density
• Lower Thermal Conductivity
• Improved Compressive Strength
• Void Free
Injected
Compressed Cell Structure
Results:
• Inconsistent Density
• Higher Thermal Conductivity
• Inconsistent Comp. Strength
• Voids
Understanding Polyurethane - Density
• Selecting the right density is important to strike the best possible cost-
effectiveness ratio.

• The higher the density, the poorer the thermal conductivity.

▫ This relation however is not in proportion!
▫ The K value changes very little in the density range of 30 to 100 kg/m3

• The higher the density the higher the compressive strength.

• The higher the density, the higher the cost!

• Current EN 253 does not specify density.

Understanding Polyurethane – Thermal
Conductivity (K Value)
• This is what you pay for!

• The k value is the most important parameter in determining the efficiency of

the insulated piping system

• Initial k value is only an indication of the efficacy of the system. It does not
indicate how the insulation will age.

• The thermal conductivity of insulation materials decreases as the temperature

falls. Temperature increases on the other hand result in a minimal increase in
thermal conductivity.

• Aged k value is what should be considered in the design of an insulated piping

system. It is important to note that all polyurethane insulations will age. The
difference is the duration over which the insulation will age.
Anti Aging

• Don’t be fooled by initial K factor

• Blowing Agents diffuse outward through plastic jackets
• Air diffuses inward, which raises k value

• Aluminum diffusion barrier stops this aging process

• Improves long term thermal efficiency by over 30%
HDPE Jacket over Aluminum Gas
Diffusion Barrier
K Value Graph
Polyurethane Thermal Conductivity

Thermal Conductivity Thermal Conductivity

Insulation Insulation
@ @
Density Density O O O O
3 3 74 F (23 C) 74 F (23 C)
(lb/ft ) (kg/m ) 2O O
(Btu in./hr. ft. F) ( W/m- C)
2 32 0.16 0.023
4 64 0.18 0.026
6 96 0.19 0.027

• Polyurethane insulation thermal conductivity decreases at lower temperatures.

• Superior polyurethane thermal conductivity results in reduced insulation
thickness and cross section size for equivalent thermal design.
Thermal Conductivity vs. Density

0.24
Thermal Conductivity (BTU-in/hr-ft2-oF)

0.20

Thermal conductivity is
directly proportional to
0.16
density

0.12
0 2 4 6 8 10
Density (lbs/ft3)
Understanding Polyurethane -
Compressive Strength
• This parameter is the second most important consideration for
designing insulated piping systems.

• PERCEPTION: The HDPE Jacket provides the loading properties of the

system.

• FACT: Compressive Strength of the foam provides the loading

characteristics the system .

• Must be high enough to resist the soil loads, but low enough for a good
K value
Polyurethane Compressive Strength

Insulation Minimum Minimum

Compressive Strength Compressive Strength
(psi) (KPa)
2 lb/ft3 / 32 kg/m3 30 207
4 lb/ft3 / 64 kg/m3 60 414
6 lb/ft3 / 96 kg/m3 90 620
Cellular glass 87 600
Understanding Polyurethane - Closed
Cell Content
• This parameter determines the water absorption characteristics of the polyurethane
foam.
• Critical in underground piping systems because in-case of a leak – insulation will get wet.
▫ Wet insulation is no insulation.
▫ Water is the dielectric for corrosion.
• Every step and effort must be taken during design, manufacturing, transportation
storage, installation and operation to keep water out of the system.
• The higher the closed cell content the slower the gas diffuses out of the foam and hence
slower the aging.

▫ Note: Even though not listed in the revision changes this parameter was removed from
latest version of EN 253. Previous EN 253 standards specified the requirement as
88%.
Polyurethane Foam –
Blowing Agents K Factor

Blowing Agents W/mK Usage

HCFC R-141b 0.021 Used in Middle East
HFC 245fa 0.022 Used in USA
HFC 365mfc 0.022 Used in Europe
Cyclopentane 0.024 Used Anywhere
CO2 (Water blown Foam) 0.026 Used Anywhere

The insulation properties of rigid polyurethane foam are

determined by blowing agents.

Thermal conductivity of foam made with various blowing

agents.
Average Thermal Conductivity vs. Temperature

HCFC 141b & HFC 245fa

have much lower thermal
conductivity than
Cyclopentane

(Data provided by Association of

Home Appliances Manufacturers,
AHAM, USA)
Average Aged Foam Thermal Conductivity

Foam with HFC-245fa and

R141b have lower K-
Factors after aging than
Cyclopentane.
Understanding Blowing Agents – HCFC
141B
• Excellent insulation and other material properties but will be phased out in
accordance with environment regulations in the coming years

• As per the Montreal Protocol

▫ Baseline - Average 2009-2010
▫ Freeze – 2013
▫ 10% reduction- 2015
▫ 35% reduction – 2020
▫ 67.5% reduction- 2025
▫ 97.5% reduction- 2030
▫ 100% reduction- 2040
Understanding Blowing Agents – Water
Blown Foam (CO2)
• CO2 blown foam provides the worst thermal conductivity as compared to other
blowing agents.

• CO2 has very small molecules that will diffuse into the air or into the cell walls
and be replaced by Nitrogen molecules.

• The process of aging is hence the fastest in the case of CO2 blown foam.
Understanding Blowing Agents – HFC
245fa
• HFC 245fa blown foam excels on all parameters over pentane
• Non flammable
• Superior long term aging
• Better compressive strength for foot traffic.
• Contains no chlorine
• Insulation closer to 141b and better than pentanes
• Lower K values – better insulation
Polyisocyanurate (PIR) Foam
Fire Test

• Spray applied PIR foam

insulation
• Aluminum tape vapor
barrier applied on top of
PIR
• Galvanized Iron jacket
applied on top of
Aluminum/PIR
Fire Test - Results

• The system is not

flammable
• Smoke is developed
initially but disappears
after 5 minutes
• Foam and aluminum
vapor barrier will
combust/char
• Damage will not spread
BS 476 Certification

System third party

tested to comply with
BS476 – Section 7
Why is Bonding Important?

• Bonding is required to design the system as “strain based”

with virtual anchors (buried pipes).
• Load distribution to insulation and service pipe.
• No puncture from even sharp objects in the back filling and
surrounding material
• No gas /vapour transfer longitudinal to the pipe
• Torsion resistance to pipe movement in fitting areas
• Pipe support performance
Shear Strength Test

• EN253 Requirement
is >0.12 MPa

• Achieved minimum
0.15 MPa during
testing
PE Outer Jacket

• High Density
Polyethylene
• Controlled Thickness
• Bonds to Foam
• Flexural Strength
• Excellent mechanical
Properties
Understanding the Function of the
HDPE Casing
The outer casing has 2 main functions:
1. Mechanical Protection
x During material handling at the plant and on-site
x During freight & transportation
2. Vapor Barrier
x Preventing water ingress during installation due to trench flooding
x Isolating underground water during operation
x Significantly reduces diffusion of the blowing agent gas from the PU cell
structure
Why does EN 253 require thicker HDPE
casing than required for the application?
• Foaming is exothermic – heat deforms the casing

• EN standards written based on process limitations of the injection

system

• Thin casing damaged during storage & transportation especially for

larger diameters piping
HDPE Casing –
How thick is thick enough?
• Case Studies
▫ Soda Ash Project
x Mountains of North-West Colorado
x 12” pipe, 50 mm insulation - 150 km
x Less than 2mm jacket thickness

▫ Barmer to Salaya cross-country Pipeline (BSPL)

x Rajasthan to Gujarat, India
x 24” pipe , 90 mm insulation - 590 km
x Various rugged terrain including desert, marsh-land and forest
x Followed EN 253 quality standard and 5 mm HDPE casing

▫ Typical jacket thickness for Western Canadian Oil & Gas market is 1.5 mm

▫ Supplied thousands of kilometers of insulated pipe with less than 5 mm jacket without any
quality problems
EN 253 vs. Recommended
Casing Thickness
EN 253 Perma-Pipe
Nominal Jacket Actual Jacket
Jacket Jacket
Diameter Diameter
Thickness Thickness
Inches mm Inches mm Inches mm Inches mm
4 100 4.3 110 0.118 3.0 0.100 2.0
6 150 6.3 160 0.118 3.0 0.100 2.0
8 200 8.9 225 0.126 3.2 0.100 2.0
12 300 12.4 315 0.161 4.1 0.125 3.0
18 450 17.7 450 0.205 5.2 0.125 3.0
24 600 24.8 630 0.260 6.6 0.150 4.0
36 900 35.4 900 0.343 8.7 0.150 5.0
55 1400 55.1 1400 0.492 12.5 0.150 6.0
Insulation Jacket Materials

Variety of Insulation Jacket Materials and Thicknesses Available

▫ Stainless Steel
▫ Galvanized Steel
▫ Coated Steel
▫ Aluminum
▫ GRP
▫ HDPE
GI/Al Casing

• Applications
▫ Above-ground applications
▫ Fire-retardant property

• Options
▫ Spiral formed casing
▫ Cigarette wrap casings
GRP Jacket

• High strength and impact

resistance

• Can be filament Wound Directly

onto polyurethane foam

• Relatively high temperature

• Bonds well to polyurethane foam

• Fire retardant additives for

above ground systems
HDPE End-Seal –
A Water Spread Limiting System

Seamless HDPE Wind-

Down End Seal

Moisture contained to
field joint or to one
length of pipe
End Seal Certification Test

Pressure Vessel Gauge

Reading Test pressure
is 11 PSI (76 KPa).
Removing Test
Specimen From
Pressurized Testing
Chamber
End Seal Certification Test

CONCLUSION:
No evidence of water
ingression test
establishing the
functionality of a
seamless end-seal.
Coatings

External coating Internal coating

• Zinc rich epoxy primer • Costumer specific and
system application specific
• Costumer specific • Pipe sizes from 4” and up
systems
• All pipe sizes
Corrosion Protection

• Insulation is a very good anti-corrosion coating because of its excellent

electrical insulation value
• However, when wet, insulation no longer acts as a corrosion protection layer
• Leaks may not occur from inside but could also be from outside
• If leak from outside the water will be very corrosive
• Surface Preparation – Blasting to SA 2 1/2
• Zinc or Epoxy coating
• Case Study: Princess Noura University
▫ Heavy rains in Riyadh earlier this year
▫ Trenches flooded
▫ Water entered hundreds of joints
Fabrication

• Fabrication done in-house by

trained, tested and certified
welders
• MIG/TIG/SAW/GTAW/GMAW/FCA
W/Plasma Cutting/Victaulic
Grooving
• All required testing facilities on
site
▫ Ultrasonic Testing (UT)
▫ Radiography Testing (RT/X-Ray)
▫ Magnetic Particle Inspection
(MPI)
▫ Die Penetration (DP)
Extrusion Welded Fittings

• High quality
extrusion welds by
trained welders
• Same quality void-
free spray foam as
straights.
Seamless Molded Fittings

• No welds or seams
• High quality
• Lower costs
• Ease of fabrication
• Available for Ts and
Elbows
Pre-insulated HDPE Fittings

Roto-molded 900
Elbows – insulated
using polyurethane
foam injection
Test consideration for
Insulated Piping Systems
• Testing of Essential Components and Properties
▫ End seal certification test (straights and fittings)
▫ 3rd party test witnessing and certification
• In Processing Testing
▫ Density test (PU foam)
▫ K factor test / thermal conductivity (PU foam)
▫ Compressive strength test (PU foam)
▫ Closed cell content test (PU foam)
▫ Water absorption
• Remember not all PU foams are the same
Conclusions –
Underground Piping Systems
• Standards are useful as a quality assurance guidelines but
specification should be written based on project requirements
• Spray insulation is far superior to the injection technique
• The K Factor is what you buy!
• The blowing agent determines the K factor
• CO2 is the poorest blowing agent of the options available
• Pentane is an inexpensive and hazardous blowing agent that
contains VOCs
• The mechanical and thermal properties of Pentane are relatively
poor
• The best blowing agents available are 141B and 245fa
• End seals are a very cost-effective insurance policy
 Perma-Alert
Leak Detection Systems
PAL-AT Cable Systems
& LiquidWatch Probe Systems

• PAL-AT uses coaxial cables and probes to monitor for liquid

leakage. The system can detect and locate leaks, breaks, shorts on
the sensor cable as well as probe activations.

• LiquidWatch is a probe monitoring system and can monitor up to

64 probes from a single panel. The probes are monitored for
activation, breaks and shorts.
Time Domain Reflectometry (PAL-AT)
• TDR is a cable measuring technology related to sonar and radar.

• By sending energy pulses down the center conductor of a coaxial

cable and measuring the reflected energy a map can be stored of the
cable and monitored for change.

• When change occurs the type of alarm and its location is displayed
on the panel.
TDR Trace of Dry Cable
TDR Traced with Leak Detected
TDR Trace of System with Wet Cable
TDR Trace Showing Growing Leak
Map 3 response
Second Leak Detected
Monitoring with Liquid on the Cable
Break Detected
Short Detected
Leak Detection Probe Activated

Example of a Probe Activated at 150 Feet. Total system length is 240 feet.
Map 1 is the initial probe condition. Current is the active probe.
PAL-AT Panels
• AT20C - Monitoring up to 2,000'
(600m) on a single cable
• AT50C - Monitoring up to 5,000'
(1,500m) equivalent length on a
single cable
• AT20k - Monitoring up to 7,500'
(2,250m) equivalent length per
cable with a maximum of two
cables
• AT40k - Monitoring up to 5,000'
(1,500m) equivalent length per
cable with a maximum of eight
cables
• AT80k - Monitoring up to 7,500'
 Thank You
For Being A Wonderful Audience