Challenging the Need for Insulation

Corrosion under insulation is an

endemic issue across the
process and chemical industries
and for which much time and
effort is expended.

The following article presents the

typical areas within a process
plant where insulation will have
been specified during the design
stages. The article then goes on
to describe the steps and
considerations when challenging
this requirement as an operation
matures.

Introduction
As an operating asset matures, the potential for corrosion under insulation (CUI)
increases. Without proper care and attention during installation and furthermore
when in service, moisture will penetrate and accumulate within the insulating
material. Dependent on the environment, this may lead to the accelerated external
corrosion of carbon steels and pitting of corrosion resistant alloys used in process
equipment and / or piping systems.

The option to remove insulation altogether and eliminate the CUI threat requires
continual assessment as part of an asset’s documented integrity management
system, [Ref. 1]. The original design conditions which led to the requirement for
insulating material in the first instance will often change. This is particularly relevant
in upstream and midstream operations where throughput and composition change
throughout the asset lifecycle.

This article provides some basic guidelines for the systematic review of the original
design intent against current operating conditions and parameters. This may done on
a rolling basis or as a single engineering re-evaluation of an asset’s insulation
philosophy.

In both cases, the assessment is ideally undertaken ahead of a CUI inspection

programme, such that when the insulation is removed for inspection purposes, the
case not to reinstate after completion of the inspection has already been made.

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 Reasons to Insulate large pressure drops across valves. As

operating conditions change compared
Understanding why the insulation was to the original design intent and flow
originally installed is clearly an rates for instance drop, there is an
important first step and this will often be opportunity to reconsider the
identified within original design requirement for acoustic insulation.
documents, such as a process basis of
design or more specifically an insulation Assessment against noise action levels
and winterisation philosophy or similar. is often difficult as many sources may
contribute to the overall noise levels,
P&IDs and Piping Line Lists should also such as alarm and tannoy volumes. A
be referenced as these will provide the specialist survey is often necessary to
definitive requirement for the insulation. assess whether acoustic insulation is
Typically this will be for one or more of required or may in fact be removed.
the following reasons, all of which have
the potential to create a CUI threat if the Before commissioning such a survey,
insulation is poorly installed: an initial review can identify likely
candidate lines that may no longer need
(a) Acoustic insulation acoustic insulation. For instance:
(b) Passive fire protection
(c) Heat conservation • Pipework where there has been a
(d) Low temperature conservation significant reduction in operating
(e) Anti-condensation velocities when compared to the
(f) Personal protection original design conditions.
(g) Winterisation
• Changes in walkway routings and
Each of the above requirements are thoroughfares such that certain lines
further explored within this article, are no longer sufficiently close to
including the reasons why the insulation walkways to require protection.
may be challenged out.

(b) Passive Fire Protection

(a) Acoustic Insulation
Acoustic insulation is often required on
piping systems and process equipment
as a means to reduce noise during
normal operations. As a guide this is
typically 80-85dB on walkways and
thoroughfares, and above which hearing
protection will be consistently required,
[Ref. 2].
The main causes of excessive noise
include rotating equipment, high
velocities in pipework or flow-lines, and
The purpose of passive fire protection
(PFP) insulation is to mitigate the
impact of fire on piping systems,
process equipment and structural steel.
The intent of the PFP might be to limit
the relief rate for a fire case on a
process vessel, provide more time to
blowdown a hydrocarbon inventory
and / or to limit the potential for a loss of
containment and subsequent
escalation.

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 PFP is sometimes applied as a sprayed
intumescent coating and therefore
forms part of the equipment or pipework
corrosion protection. Such applications
typically char and expand into a layer of
thermal insulation when exposed to
intense heat and do not contribute to
CUI.
PFP can also be applied as a system of
flexible and removable mats which are
wrapped and secured around piping
components, including valves, actuators
and instrument connections. Such
systems if fitted poorly can on the other
hand contribute to CUI.
The specification of PFP is normally
established as part of a formal safety
assessment for a major accident hazard
site. Removal can be considered but
only after careful assessment of the
hazards which the PFP was originally
intended to mitigate. Considerations
include:
• Changes in operating conditions and
parameters, such as reduced
hydrocarbon inventories, operating
pressures and composition.
• Retirement or decommissioning of
adjacent processing facilities which
reduce or eliminate an escalation
path.
(c) Heat Conservation
Pipework with heat conservation
insulation can be reviewed to determine
the effect of insulation removal,
particularly if there has been a change
in operating conditions. The option to
provide additional process heat to
compensate for heat loss can also be
considered, particularly where heat
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conservation insulation was originally
specified to minimise the demand on
heat exchangers and associated
heating medium systems. Examples of
where insulation removal may be
considered include:
• Increasing water-cut in late life
offshore operations often lead to
increased process temperatures and
therefore a reduced need for
stabilisation heat. Furthermore,
heating medium systems can often
accommodate the extra heating
required to make up for the removal of
insulation.
• Originally over-specified process
heaters and exchangers such that
there is considerable overcapacity in
process heat which can therefore
accommodate relatively minor losses
following the removal of pipe
insulation.
• Reducing superheat for offshore gas
turbines, as fuel gas becomes
increasingly lean in late life assets.
Depending on the operating
conditions, this can mean the dew
point moves such that the required
superheat is closer to atmospheric
temperatures, therefore removing the
need for heat conservation.
Image courtesy of Thermal Supports

 If unable to justify the full removal of (e) Anti-Condensation

insulation for heat conservation
purposes, the limited use of wire mesh
cages may provide a useful alternative,
particularly for pipework operating in
excess of 70°C, (see Personal
Protection). Such cages might be
installed around piping components
which are otherwise difficult to insulate
and fully seal against water ingress,
such as valves.
( d ) L o w Te m p e r a t u r e
Conservation
Application of insulation is often
required to inhibit the condensation of
moisture on the surface of the pipework
from the atmosphere. In such cases, the
insulation is designed to be maintained
above the water dew point temperature
which in turn prevents condensation.
The insulation will prevent moisture
from subsequently falling onto electrical
equipment, walkways, or normally
occupied areas where it could form a
nuisance or a hazard.

Low temperature or cryogenic The main purpose of an insulation

applications are often found in
refrigeration systems and furthermore
gas systems where pressure has been
reduced through a turbo-expander or a
Joule-Thompson (JT) valve.
review would be to ensure that
insulation is only installed where
dripping condensation or ice build-up
might form an operational or personnel
hazard.

In such cases, the insulation is typically

intended to provide low temperature
conservation as part of the process
design. The insulation will also prevent
the build-up of ice on exposed sections
of pipework and process equipment,
potentially resulting in structural
damage and furthermore creating an
operational hazard by impeding access
to small bore pipe-work and instrument
fittings.

Clearly, the removal of insulation in

such circumstances does not provide a
benefit. Furthermore, the CUI threat is
also much decreased at low
temperatures, though this would be on
the basis that the plant is not subject to
intermittent or cyclic operation.

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 Considerations when assessing the and also provide heat or cold

removal of anti-condensation insulation
include:
• Small quantities of water falling onto a
walkway already exposed to the
weather may probably not constitute
an additional nuisance or operational
hazard.
• Changes to walkway routings might
mean that anti–condensation
insulation is no longer required in
certain areas.
(f) Personal Protection
Personnel protection is used on lines
that have operating temperatures either
below -10°C or above 70°C, [Ref. 3].
The purpose is to protect personnel
from heat or frost burns. Application
should be restricted to areas which are
typically less than 2.1m vertically and
0.8m horizontally from any walkway,
thoroughfare, ladder or normal working
area, [Ref. 3].
conservation. Care should therefore
be exercised to ensure that such
additional functionality is not impaired
as a consequence of removing the
insulation.
• Where justified, personnel protection
should be provided by wire mesh
cages as opposed to insulation to
eliminate the CUI threat. It may be
possible to replace limited amounts of
insulation with mesh cages around
certain piping components such as
valves which are difficult to insulate
effectively and without impairing the
heat conservation requirements of the
process.
• Where insulation has been removed
from either hot or cold lines which are
located away from normal working
areas, it would be appropriate to
provide labelling to warn personnel of
the possible hazard.

As previously noted, high temperature

pipework is often associated with
heating medium systems and gas
compressor discharges whereas cold
temperature pipework might be found in
refrigeration systems and cryogenic
applications.

Protection is not necessarily required

outside such areas on the basis that
appropriate permit controls may be put
in place to prevent contact with
pipework and process equipment.

Some additional considerations include:

Image courtesy of Thermal Supports
• Insulation installed for personnel
protection may often be dual purpose

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 • Blowdown lines require careful The requirement for insulation can often
consideration as these only be avoided with appropriate mitigating
experience low temperatures during measures in place, such as the
transient conditions. Blowdown pipe- following:
work also tends to be found in
inaccessible locations. • Pipework and equipment is drained
down when not in use, inclusive of
any dead-legs;
(g) Winterisation • A minimum flow rate is maintained in
lines with the potential to freeze, such
Winterisation insulation is applied to
as a firewater ring main;
prevent freezing or crystallisation of
fluids in pipework caused by low
• The use of circulating solutions such
ambient temperatures. Equipment
as 30% TEG plus water as a cooling
holding static fluids for periods of time
medium in a closed system.
without being adequately drained may
also require winterisation.
When considering winterisation
insulation criteria, the lowest ambient
Equipment and pipework is often
temperature is usually described as the
insulated, with or without heat tracing,
lowest daily temperature after rejection
when the following conditions occur at
of the lowest 1% of daily temperatures
the lowest ambient temperature:
in the year. For the UKCS, this is
generally taken to be -7°C.
• Flow rates are such that fluids may fall
Winterisation should only be applied to
below the pour point or freezing point.
external lines where the temperature
can realistically fall towards such
• Undesirable phase separation,
temperatures.
deposition of crystals or hydrate
formation may occur.
The winterisation of seawater lines
requires additional consideration. At
• Fluid viscosity is so high that it is not
typical salinity, stagnant seawater starts
possible, with the available pressure,
to freeze at -2°C. The water will freeze
to establish an adequate flow rate.
from the inner surface of the pipe
towards the centre, leaving the inner
• Moisture which may be introduced
core with increasing salinity and a
during a transient condition is below
correspondingly lower freezing
freezing point. Areas where such
temperature. By -7°C, the seawater will
moisture may collect may cause a
still be less than 85% frozen by weight.
blockage, such as flare lines, small
bore instrument lines and PSV pilot
Judgement is therefore required when
lines.
assessing seawater lines. Insulation on
dead-legs, small bore lines (say less
• Rapid cooling of surfaces by snow, ice
than 4 inch NB), instrument tubing and
or hail could cause condensation
impulse lines in exposed areas may
leading to a partial vacuum or
need to be maintained, whereas a case
undesirable reverse flow.

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 for the removal of insulation from larger
bore pipework in sheltered areas or
within a module can be made.
The criticality of the service should also
be considered, such as the requirement
for instantaneous flow from say a
firewater ring-main versus the gradual
start-up of a seawater cooling system.
Winterisation insulation is an area
where significant removal is possible.
Each winterised line should be
considered individually and carefully
and balanced against the corrosion
threat which very often outweighs the
potential for freezing.
Insulation Review Process
A systematic and prioritised approach to
challenge and justify insulation
requirements needs to be adopted. This
can either be applied as a single and
periodic study which considers all the
insulation requirements across a facility
or on a rolling basis as each corrosion
circuit is considered ahead of a planned
CUI inspection. Attachment 1 provides a
simple flowchart which summarises this
process.
Appropriate multi-discipline input using
a management of change procedure
should be adopted in the challenge
process, as it is often the case that the
insulation has been installed for more
than one reason. For instance, heat
conservation and personal protection
combined.
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In Summary
The article provides a number of
considerations for the systematic
challenge of insulation on process
equipment and piping systems. The
objective is to justify the ongoing
requirement for insulation and reduce
the use of insulation to the extent
possible along without the ongoing
effort required to manage the CUI
threat. Process conditions continually
evolve as an asset matures across its
design life. This may be because of
changing feedstock, throughput or
composition.
Finally, the figures quoted within this
article are based on current industry
standards and it is always important to
refer back and cross-check against any
company standards which may
supersede industry standards.
Further Reading and
References
1. Energy Institute: Guidelines for the
Design, Installation and Management
of Thermal Insulation Systems
2. H e a l t h a n d S a f e t y E x e c u t i v e :
Controlling Noise at Work
Regulations 2005
3. Norsok Standard R-004: Piping and
Equipment Insulation

Attachment 1: Insulation Review Process

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 Ar cle peer reviewed by Yunnan Gao. With over 24 years experience in
materials, metallurgy, corrosion and asset integrity, Yunnan holds a PhD in
materials science, is a chartered engineer and chartered scien st, a fellow of the
IMMM and ICorr as well as a NACE cer ed corrosion specialist.

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