Mechanical Insulation Design Guide - Introduction | WBDG

Mechanical insulation, although important to facility operations and manufacturing processes is often overlooked and undervalued. National standards, universal energy policies or generally accepted recommendations as to what should be insulated, what insulation systems are acceptable for a specific use and application best practices do not currently exist. As a result, the value of mechanical insulation is not being realized to its potential in reducing our dependency on foreign energy sources, improving our environment, improving our global competitiveness and providing a safer work environment.

Insulation is applied but rarely engineered. With the best intentions, but not necessarily with thorough knowledge, many specifications have evolved over the years primarily based upon modification of old documents. This practice combined with the lack of mechanical insulation educational and awareness programs as to the value in having a properly engineered, installed and maintained mechanical insulation system has led to the underutilization of mechanical insulation in energy conservation, emission reduction, process and productivity improvement, life cycle cost reduction, personnel safety, life safety, work place improvements and host of other applications.

In response, the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) formed a Committee to bring together major governmental agencies, private industry and organizations that are concerned with the design, installation and maintenance of mechanical insulation. This committee, referred to as the National Mechanical Insulation Committee (NMIC) offers the opportunity for a constructive public and private partnership in the examination of mechanical insulation practices, the development of recommendations, and the promotion of education regarding the merits and value of mechanical insulation.

National Mechanical Insulation Committee

Individuals from the following government agencies and industry associations worked together in the development of the Mechanical Insulation Design Guide with funding being shared equally between government agencies through NIBS and industry through NIA.

National Mechanical Insulation Committee (NMIC) Objective

The overall objective of NMIC is to identify, develop and disseminate information related to mechanical insulation in commercial and industrial applications by examining current policies, procedures and practices; identifying research or testing needs; developing recommendations utilizing the best science and information available; providing education and awareness programs as to the merits and value of proper insulation systems and to establish a roadmap to implement improvements in design, insulation system selection and establish application best practices.

The first initiative is the development of an internet based Mechanical Insulation Design Guide (MIDG) and to make it available through the NIBS Whole Building Design Guide. The MIDG is to be continually updated as deemed necessary and appropriate by the NMIC to reflect current and state of the art information.

Mechanical Insulation Market Definitions

MECHANICAL INSULATION is defined to encompass all thermal, acoustical and personnel safety requirements in:

1. Mechanical piping and equipment, hot and cold, applications
2. Heating, Venting & Air Conditioning (HVAC) applications
3. Refrigeration and other low temperature piping and equipment applications

Mechanical insulation in the BUILDING SECTOR is defined to include education, health care, institutional, retail and wholesale, office, food processing, light manufacturing and similar type applications. This Sector is often referred to as the Commercial Sector.

Mechanical insulation in the INDUSTRIAL SECTOR is defined to include power, petrochemical, chemical, pulp & paper, refining, gas processing, brewery, heavy manufacturing and similar type applications.

Scope of the Design Guide

The scope of this design guide includes the design, specification, installation, and maintenance of insulation systems for use within the markets defined above. Specialized insulated air handling products (flex-duct and duct board products) are not considered to be mechanical insulation industry from the perspective of this guide and accordingly are not addressed.

MIDG is part of the NIBS WBDG-Whole Building Design Guide®. The Whole Building Design Guide is an evolving web-based resource intended to provide architects, engineers, facility managers, project managers etc. with design guidance, criteria and technology for "whole buildings". The WBDG is continually augmented with updated and new information and is structured as a "vertical portal", enabling users to access increasingly specific information as they navigate deeper into the site. The Mechanical Insulation Design Guide has been developed within the same principles as the WBDG.

Using the Mechanical Insulation Design Guide

As the name implies, the Mechanical Insulation Design Guide is primarily intended to assist designers, specifiers, facility owners and users of mechanical insulation systems. The engineering design process is generally divided into a number of phases along these lines:

1. Identify the need or define the problem
2. Gather pertinent information
3. Identify possible solutions
4. Analyze and select a solution
5. Communicate the solution

For an insulation design project, these phases could be expanded and restated as follows:

1. Identify the design objectives (Why insulate?)
2. Identify what is to be insulated (What?)
3. Identify the location and appropriate ambient design conditions (Where?)
4. Identify the materials and systems available (How?)
5. Analyze and determine the acceptable solutions (How To? and How Much?)
6. Write the specification

For insulation, the design process boils down to developing answers to six basic questions:

Why?, What?, Where?, How?, How To? and How Much?

Example problems which illustrate the insulation design process, as well as the use of the Mechanical Insulation Design Guide can be viewed below.

The Mechanical Insulation Design Guide is organized to help develop these answers. The guide is divided into five sections as follows:

1. Design Objectives (Why, What, and Where)
   This section is aimed at first answering the question Why? It includes a discussion of each of the potential design objectives for mechanical insulation systems. It also contains a discussion of some of the design considerations (What and Where?) that must be addressed when designing or selecting an insulation system. An insulation system can be designed for specific objectives like energy conservation or condensation control or multiple objectives. To select the right insulation system you need to evaluate the objective(s) for the finished system.
2. Material and Systems (How)
   In most cases there are multiple types of mechanical insulation materials from which to choose from for any given application. The section discusses each of the respective material categories and provides resource information to testing methods and linkage to manufacturers of the various materials. The National Insulation Association (NIA) is the only trade organization focused upon representing the mechanical insulation industry. NIA has provided NIBS and the MIDG direct linkage access to their online library of technical literature, MTL Product Catalog, and as such is continually updated and maintaining the catalog. This direct linkage saves time in obtaining manufacturer information on their respective materials verses having to individually search a host of web sites. The majority of the mechanical insulation manufacturers participating in the United States markets are represented in the catalog.
3. Installation (How To)
   The section provides best practice information related to various mechanical insulation applications and provides a variety of field—job site working conditions that need to be considered during the installation period. Both new construction and maintenance applications are discussed.
4. Design Data (How Much)
   This section provides various useful equations, data and design examples. These data are intended to assist with analysis of insulation systems. The section also includes discussion and links to available software tools for use in analysis of mechanical insulation problems.
5. Resources
   The section contains a listing and contact information for the various resources utilized in the development of this guide and for additional resource requirements.

Example Design Problems

The following examples are intended to illustrate the insulation system design process as well as the use of the Mechanical Insulation Design Guide.

Example 1

A light manufacturing facility near Midway Airport in Chicago is expanding. 150 psig steam will be required for several of the new processes, and multiple natural gas fired boilers will be installed to provide the required steam. These boilers will also serve as the energy source for space heating in the plant and in the adjacent office area. The new boilers will be located in an existing boiler house remote to the main plant. The main steam line is a NPS 8 steel and will be located in overhead pipe racks adjacent to a pedestrian walkway. Total length of the outdoor run is 150 ft. The task is to design the insulation system for the NPS 8 line.

Step 1 Identify the design objective. (Why)
Design objectives and considerations are discussed in Design Objectives section of the MIDG. After reviewing this section, it is determined that this project has multiple design objectives. First, operating costs are a concern as the energy costs are expected to be a significant portion of the unit costs of the manufactured product. In addition, the overhead pipe rack will include a pedestrian walkway. Personnel protection will therefore be important. Abuse resistance will be a design consideration due to the proximity of the steam line to the pedestrian walkway.

Step 2 Identify what is to be insulated. (What)
The main piping run will be steel piping and will be oriented primarily horizontally. The steam pressure in this line will be controlled to a set point of 150 psig. The temperature of this saturated steam will be 366 °F.

Step 3 Identify the location and appropriate ambient conditions. (Where)
The 8 NPS steel piping runs outdoors between the boiler house and the main plant. After reviewing the Resources section of the MIDG, we recognize that design weather data for the Chicago is available from the ASHRAE Handbook - Fundamentals. Annual average weather data is available via the National Climatic Data Center website. For energy calculations, we will use the average annual temperature and wind speed at Midway Airport (51 °F and 10 mph). For personnel protection, we will use the ASHRAE 0.4% summer design temperature of 92.3 °F and 0 mph wind speed.

Step 4 Identify the materials and systems available. (How)
Candidate insulation materials and systems are reviewed in the Materials and Systems Section. After entering the operating temperature of 366 °F into the Performance Property Guide (Table 1), there are seventeen available insulation materials that satisfy the operating temperature requirement of 366 °F. Selecting the material types that pertain to pipe insulations, we identify the following candidate materials:

• Cellular Glass (ASTM C 552)
• Mineral Fiber Pipe (ASTM C 547 Type I Fiberglass)
• Mineral Fiber Pipe (ASTM C 547 Types II - V Mineral Wool)
• Polyimide (ASTM C 1482)
• Calcium Silicate (ASTM C 533)
• Expanded Perlite (ASTM C 610)

Referring again to Table 1, these insulation materials differ in several key properties (e.g. density, thermal conductivity, and compressive resistance) but all would meet the thermal requirements for the project.

For jacketing/finishing systems, we note that the location is outdoors so weather protection is required. We also note that abuse resistance is a consideration for the design for the piping located in the pipe rack. Possible jacketing materials include metal, UV stabilized PVC jacket, synthetic rubber laminates, and multi-ply laminates. Since low water vapor permeance is not a consideration for this project, we will specify aluminum jacketing.

Step 5. Analyze and determine the acceptable solutions. (How Much and How To)
After reviewing the Design Data section of the MIDG, we utilize the NAIMA 3E Plus computer program to analyze the candidate systems to estimate the surface temperatures and heat losses. For these calculations, we assume horizontal pipe and a jacket emittance of 0.1 (corresponding to weathered aluminum). Starting with the personnel protection objective (with a max surface temperature criterion of 140 F) at the summer design condition of 92.3 °F and 0 mph wind speed, we calculate required thicknesses for each of the candidate materials.

Thickness Required for Personnel Protection NPS 8 Piping

Based on these results, we conclude that approximately 2 to 2-1/2 inches of insulation will be required to keep the temperature of the outer surface of the insulation system at or below 140 °F.

The next step is to analyze the candidate insulation systems with respect to operating costs. Using the Cost of Energy function in the 3E Plus program, and using the expected cost of natural gas of $10/MCF with a boiler efficiency of 75%, we generate the following table:

Annual Cost of Lost Energy, $/ft/yr

Reviewing these data, it is apparent that there are significant cost savings available by going beyond the 2 to 2-½" thicknesses required for personnel protection. Using the default cost data from the Economic Thickness section of 3E Plus, with a labor rate of $60/hr, a discount rate of 8% and an estimated life of 10 years, we determine that a thickness of 4" insulation (single layer) minimizes the life cycle cost of the insulation system. This result, however, is dependent on the installed costs of the insulation material and could vary from the default values.

At this point the designer should recognize that the operating cost estimates for several of the candidates are sufficiently close to warrant additional analysis. Using the links in the Materials and Systems section, he could reference product data sheets for specific insulations to refine the analysis. The additional design consideration of abuse resistance may warrant the review of additional product properties (e.g. compressive resistance). After this review, he could prepare the specification around several of the best candidates and competitively bid the project.

Step 6. Write the specification
The final step is to communicate the design intent utilizing the specification (How To). The designer may have access to one or more guide specifications (e.g. ARCOM MasterSpec or UFGS 23 07 00) which could be utilized.

Example 2

A standby diesel powered generator set is to be installed to provide backup power for a large hospital complex. The generator set is located in an unconditioned but ventilated detached building on the hospital grounds. Exhaust gases will be piped out of the building but will pass near high traffic walkways accessible to maintenance personnel. The generator set will be run periodically for testing and maintenance, but is designed to run continuously if needed. The exhaust gases are estimated to be about 1,000 F under full load conditions. Exhaust piping is NPS 12 steel.

Step 1. Identify the design objective. (Why)
Design objective are discussed in Section 1. The design objective here is personnel protection. Since we are dealing with exhaust gases ducted outside the building, energy conservation is not a concern. The insulation system will be designed to keep the surface temperature below 140 F at worst case conditions. Since the exhaust piping will be near a high traffic area, abuse resistance is a design consideration.

Step 2. Identify what is to be insulated. (What)
The 12 NPS steel piping in the generator building and has both horizontal and vertical runs. The temperature of the exhaust gases in this piping will vary depending on the load on the generator set. For the purpose of this example, we will assume full load conditions (1,000 F).

Step 3 Identify the location and appropriate ambient conditions. (Where)
The exhaust piping is located in the stand-alone generator building. This building is unconditioned during the summer months. Ventilation in the form of exhaust fans is provided. The thermal conditions in the generator building will vary with the outdoor weather and with internal loading.

For outdoor conditions, design weather data (ASHRAE Handbook—Fundamentals) shows four values for the outdoor design dry-bulb temperature for Charlotte.

Design Cooling Temperatures for Charlotte, NC

The 0.4%, 1%, and 2% levels represent the annual cumulative frequency of occurrence. In other words, we could expect, based on the thirty-year weather record examined, that the outdoor dry-bulb temperature would exceed the 1% level 1% of the time (i.e. 88 hours per year). The exhaust piping, however, is not located outdoors. Conditions indoors may be warmer (particularly if the generator set is running at full load). How much warmer is difficult to determine, but it seems prudent to select an indoor design temperature of 95 F for this example.

Since this generator building would be ventilated during equipment operation, air movement around potions of the exhaust piping could be significant. However, since this is a personnel protection design, we will assume no air movement.

Step 4 Identify the materials and systems available. (How)
Materials and systems are reviewed in Section 2. Referring to Table 1, there are three currently available insulation products that satisfy the operating temperature of 1,000 F:

• Calcium Silicate Pipe (ASTM C 533, Type I)
• Mineral Fiber Pipe ( ASTM C 547, Types II-V)
• Expanded Perlite Pipe (ASTM C 610)

Referring again to Table 1, these insulation materials differ in several key properties (e.g. density, thermal conductivity, and compressive resistance) but all three would meet the thermal and physical requirements for the project.

For jacketing/finishing systems, we note that the location is indoors so weather protection is not required. We also note that this is an above ambient application so a vapor retarder is not required. Referring to Section 1, we note that personnel protection applications should utilize a high emittance surface to minimize surface temperatures. We also note that abuse resistance is a consideration for this design. We therefore identify painted metal as a candidate jacketing material.

Step 5 Analyze and determine acceptable solutions. (How Much and How To)
Utilizing the NAIMA 3E Plus computer program, we analyze the three candidate systems to estimate the surface temperatures assuming horizontal pipe.

Calculated Surface Temperatures of Three Insulation Options

Based on this analysis, we conclude that approximately 5 to 6 inches of insulation will be required. We also note that the calculated surface temperatures are very similar, all falling within a range of about 5 F. This again indicates that all three of these options would provide an acceptable solution. At this point the designer could reference product data sheets for specific insulation products to refine the analysis. Alternatively, he could prepare the specification around all three choices and competitively bid the project.

Step 6 Write the specification.
The final step is to communicate the design intent utilizing the specification. The designer may have access to one or more guide specifications (e.g. ARCOM MasterSpec or UFGS 23 07 00) which could be utilized.

Calcium Silicate Insulation Market

Calcium Silicate Insulation Market was valued at USD 256 million in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 320 million by 2026, growing at 4.6% cagr from 2021 to 2026. The growth of the calcium silicate insulation market is primarily triggered by its increasing use in the transport and power generation industries. Factors such as increasing capacity expansions and joint venture activities by end users in high-growth markets will drive the calcium silicate insulation market. APAC is the key market for calcium silicate insulation globally, followed by Europe and North America, in terms of value.

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Impact of COVID-19 on Calcium silicate insulation Market

The global pandemic has affected almost every sector in the world. The calcium silicate insulation market is negatively affected due to disruptions in the global supply chain and the hindrance in the building construction activities, which constitutes the majority share in the consumption of calcium silicate insulation. The market is highly dependent on the metal processing, power generation, chemical, and construction industries.

Covid-19 outbreak has severely impacted business and consumer sentiment across key global markets, leading to building & construction sectors recording significant decline. Though the market is slowly recovering, it will take a while before residential and commercial construction sectors return to a stable growth trajectory. Growth is expected in affordable housing segment to bounce back faster than mid-tier and luxury segments. Office and retail segments are expected to witness a slow recovery as collapsed demand will take 6-8 quarters to recover completely. Infrastructure construction sector is expected to maintain growth momentum, supported by public spending.

Driver: Rapid urbanization and infrastructure development

The global construction market has grown at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2015 to 2019. There was however a decline in the market in 2020 because of the pandemic which had hampered the growth of the construction industry. The growth decline is mainly due to lockdown and social distancing norms imposed by various countries and economic slowdown across countries owing to the COVID-19 outbreak and the measures to contain it. However, the reviving construction and infrastructure industry plays important role in consumption in calcium silicate insulation.

On the other hand, increasing investments in power generation capacities and urbanization is expected to drive the growth. Rising government expenditure for infrastructure development in emerging economies including India, China, and Brazil is expected to have a positive impact on the calcium silicate industry over the next few years.

Infrastructural development in economies, such as China, India, Brazil, and South Korea, are expected to boost industrial activities and increase the consumption of insulation materials during the forecast period. In 2019, countries, such as China, the US, Australia, the UK, and France spent 5.57%, 0.52%, 1.69%, 0.92%, and 0.84% of their GDP in construction and maintenance of infrastructure. India has also launched various infrastructure projects, such as the smart city initiative, urban transformation schemes, new industrial estates, and business parks, which are expected to boost sector growth during the forecast period. An increase in spending and industrial activities are thus expected to provide major opportunities for the growth of the calcium silicate insulation market as well.

Restraints: Low awareness regarding the use of insulation products

Energy conservation is a major focal point for all industries including power, food & beverage, and petrochemical. Insulation materials are simple yet significant requirement in any industry dealing with various heat transfer operations. Proper use of insulation materials results in reducing heat loss and, in turn, saves the cost. Lack of awareness for the usage of insulation materials, specifically in developing countries is a major restraint for the market.

Increasing demand of renewables sources for electricity generation is another factor restraining the growth of insulation materials including calcium silicate. Renewable energy sources do not require much insulation materials as there are less thermal energy-related operations involved, as compared to conventional counterparts. However, these technologies have their own limitations, such as dependency on weather, low capacity, and large area requirements for installation.

Opportunities: Rising demand for green building material

In response to increased pressure for environment safety, many infrastructure investors are strengthening their environmental, social and governance (ESG) focus and want to invest in environmentally sustainable assets. In addition, several standards and frameworks have emerged to integrate climate-related factors into investment decisions and redirect capital to environmentally sustainable projects. As ESG reporting becomes more mainstream and policy pressure increases, it is reasonable to anticipate further demand for such assets in the future. The pandemic and climate change are both global problems, and in responding to the former, there is an opportunity to build resilience for the latter.

The trend of green buildings has brought about an increase in the demand of green materials. Calcium silicate insulation is used widely in the building and construction industry as wall facades, partitions, ceilings etc. With the growing demand for green building materials along with their excellent properties such as moisture resistance, fire resistance, and long shelf life, the demand for calcium silicate is also increasing. Furthermore, the European Calcium Silicate Producer Association (ECSPA) aims to facilitate the sustainable competitive growth of the European construction products industry by promoting efficient housing and infrastructure solutions.

“The high temperature is the largest calcium silicate insulation temperature for calcium silicate insulation market in 2020”

The growing aluminum, cement, glass, and petrochemical industries in developing economies and rebound in power generation and other industrial activities in developed economies are expected to drive the market for the high temperature range segment. The need for sustainable thermal insulation in high temperature processing industries and increased regulations supporting the same are driving the calcium silicate insulation market.

“Metals is estimated to be the largest end-use industry of calcium silicate insulation market between 2021 and 2026.”

Calcium silicate insulation is used in metal processing industries for steel, aluminium, and ferrous & non-ferrous casting application such as billet and ingot casting as transition plates, floats, spouts; head boxes for continuous casters; tips for continuous sheet casters; sprue bushes, tubes, nozzles and feeder box liner in low pressure die casting; hot face linings for dosing/holding furnaces and in launders & dams. It is also used for thermal insulation of liquid metals, for instance, it is used in direct contact with liquid aluminum alloys for transport, distribution and flow control of the metal. In order to achieve fire resistance rating, steel structures are cladded around with calcium silicate to provide thermal insulation. Other applications in the metal industry includes providing components for the manufacturing of bolts and ingots in horizontal and vertical casting, for example nozzles, floats, stoppers and hot top rings. It is also used as an insulating medium for metal cladding.

“APAC is expected to be the largest calcium silicate insulation market during the forecast period, in terms of value.”

APAC has dominated the global calcium silicate insulation market due to the growing investments in developing countries and manufacturing capacity additions across end-use industries, especially power generation, petrochemical, transport, metal processing and industrial infrastructure activities is increasing in developing economies such as China and India. This drives demand for thermal insulation, which has contributed significantly to the growth of the calcium silicate insulation market in APAC. China is the key market for calcium silicate insulation in the APAC due to its increasing industrialization and low-cost manufacturing technology. Most key players operating in the calcium silicate insulation market have their production capacities in APAC since the region’s production cost is lower than that in other regions. Some major players in APAC are A&A Material Corporation, Nichias Corporation, Sanle Group, Taisyou International Business Co. Ltd., Guangdong New Element Building Material Co. Ltd. and Beijing Hocreboard Building Material Co. Ltd. The demand for calcium silicate insulation is growing, especially in North America and the Europe. Thus, the markets in these regions are expected to register higher growth in comparison to other regions.

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Europe is estimated to be the second-largest calcium silicate insulation market during the forecast period.

The market in Europe is largely regulated with REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical Substances) closely monitoring and issuing guidelines to ensure a high level of protection of environment and human health from the risks that can be posed by chemicals. The focus on sustainability is significant in Europe, which is why, it is the most regulated market, especially when it comes to certifying and commercializing insulation materials. This also provides a huge opportunity to the sustainable calcium silicate insulation market in the region. The metal, transport, and power generation industries provide a huge potential for the growth of the calcium silicate insulation market in the region.

Europe has a few of the largest calcium silicate insulation market players such as Skamol (Denmark), Promat (Etex Group) (Belgium), and Anglitemp (UK).

Calcium Silicate Insulation Market Players

The key market players profiled in the report include Skamol (Denmark), A&A Material Corporation (Japan), Promat (Etex Group) (Belgium), BNZ Materials (US), Johns Manville (US), Anglitemp (UK), NICHIAS Corporation (Japan), Calsitherm (Japan), SANLE Group (China), Taisyou International Business Co. Ltd. (Taiwan), Guangdong New Element Building Material Co. Ltd. (China) and Beijing Hocreboard Building Material Co. Ltd. (China).

Calcium Silicate Insulation Market Report Scope

Report Metric

Details

Market Size Value in 2021

USD 256 million

Revenue Forecast in 2026

USD 320 million

CAGR

4.6%

Years considered for the study

2017-2026

Base Year

2020

Forecast period

2021–2026

Units considered

Value (USD Thousand)

Segments

Temperature, End-use Industry, and Region

Regions

APAC, North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and South America

Companies

Skamol (Denmark), A&A Material Corporation (Japan), Promat (Etex Group) (Belgium), BNZ Materials (US), Johns Manville (US), Anglitemp (UK), NICHIAS Corporation (Japan), Calsitherm (Japan), SANLE Group (China), Taisyou International Business Co. Ltd. (Taiwan), Guangdong New Element Building Material Co. Ltd. (China) and Beijing Hocreboard Building Material Co. Ltd. (China)

This report categorizes the global calcium silicate insulation market based on temperature, end-use industry, and region.

On the basis of Temperature, the calcium silicate insulation market has been segmented as follows:

• High Temperature
• Mid Temperature

On the basis of End-use industry, the calcium silicate insulation market has been segmented as follows:

• Metals
• Industrial
• Power Generation
• Petrochemical
• Transport
• Others

On the basis of region, the calcium silicate insulation market has been segmented as follows:

• Europe
• North America
• APAC
• Middle East & Africa
• South America

Recent Developments

1. In November 2019, Johns Manville signed an agreement to acquire ITW Insulation Systems, a business owned by Illinois Tool Works Inc. and well known for its premium, low-temperature polyisocyanurate foam insulations and metal jacketing solutions. This deal can offer a strategical opportunity for the company to expand its insulation systems business.
2. In July 2018, Calsitherm signed an agreement to acquire International Syalons (Newcastle) Ltd., a leading supplier of sialon and silicon nitride based advanced ceramics. International Syalons (Newcastle) Ltd. serves industries such as molten metal handling and metal forming, aerospace and automotive, industrial wear, oil and gas, welding, chemical processing, and high temperature sensing. With this acquisition Calsitherm will be able to solve attrition, corrosion and heat resistance problems in products used for variety of industrial applications.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

What are the factors influencing the growth of calcium silicate insulation?

Rising investments in infrastructure development and rapid growth in urbanization has boosted the demand for residential and commercial buildings which is likely to drive the calcium silicate market growth in construction industry. This chemical acts as a substitute to toxic building materials such as asbestos and phthalates as it provides effective sound insulation, light density and is immune to water damage. Calcium silicate materials are lighter than fiber cement board which makes them suitable for roofing, bricks and floor tiles applications. Growing building & construction industry along with increasing investment in infrastructure projects across the globe shall stimulate the product demand during the forecast period

What are different end-use industries of calcium silicate insulation?

The different end-use industries of calcium silicate insulation are classified as metals, industrial, power generation, petrochemical, transport, and others. Calcium silicate insulation are used in these end-use industries due to their high compressive strength, corrosion-inhibiting properties, and high-temperature structural integrity. Calcium silicate are used in these end-use industries as structural, technical and fireproofing insulation materials. Factors such as eco friendliness, non-combustibility, lightweight, frost resistant, minimum hygric expansion and contraction, thermal resistance and easy to machine & work makes calcium silicate an ideal material for thermal insulation in different end-use industries.

What is the biggest restraint for calcium silicate insulation?

The biggest restraint faced by calcium silicate insulation market is the low awareness regarding the use of insulation products. Energy conservation is a major focal point for all industries including power, food & beverage, and petrochemical. Insulation materials are simple yet significant requirement in any industry dealing with various heat transfer operations. Proper use of insulation materials results in reducing heat loss and, in turn, saves the cost. Lack of awareness for the usage of insulation materials, specifically in developing countries is a major restraint for the market.
Increasing demand of renewables sources for electricity generation is another factor restraining the growth of insulation materials including calcium silicate. Renewable energy sources do not require much insulation materials as there are less thermal energy-related operations involved, as compared to conventional counterparts. However, these technologies have their own limitations, such as dependency on weather, low capacity, and large area requirement for installation .

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