Microporous insulation is a very thin, highly efficient material that has been used in aerospace and other high-tech industries for more than 35 years. Insulation powerhouse Johns Manville holds patents on various microporous insulations going back 25 years, and now Industrial Insulation Group (IIG), JM’s division dedicated to the industrial insulation market, has made news with the development of InsulThin™ HT, a microporous, hydrophobic, quilted blanket insulation perfectly suited for applications with space restrictions.
Because of its flexibility, InsulThin HT works extremely well in situations where space requirements are paramount, and conventional insulation is too large and bulky to fit easily within the given space constraints. Some of these applications include pipe-within-pipe applications, offshore rigs, or steam tunnels on university and hospital campuses.
It’s also ideal in environments where the weight of the insulation is a key consideration, such as insulation for piping aboard ships. In fact, the hydrophobic formulation of InsulThin HT makes it very well-suited to marine environments because it resists moisture and therefore helps to minimize the probability of corrosion under insulation (CUI).
InsulThin HT is available in thicknesses of 5mm and 10mm. The contractor-friendly roll sizes are 36” and 60” wide. The rolls come in lengths of 25’ (10mm thick) and 50’ (5mm thick).
Like most specialty, high-tech materials, InsulThin HT is not the cheapest possible solution. However, by using InsulThin HT in tandem with an outer layer of a conventional insulation like Thermo-12® Gold calcium silicate, contractors can capitalize on some of the space-saving benefits of InsulThin HT while limiting the investment required to achieve the desired performance of the insulation system. This sort of “hybrid” combination offers a number of benefits:
– It minimizes the risk of CUI with a one-two punch solution. Since the inner layer (InsulThin HT) is hydrophobic, and the outer layer (Thermo-12® Gold) is manufactured with XOX corrosion inhibitors as part of its formulation, the insulation offers two levels of protectiongainst CUI.
– It reduces the overall cost of the project vs. using 100% thin blanket.
– It takes advantage of the space-saving efficiencies of InsulThin HT.
– The inherent strength provided by the Thermo-12 Gold outer layer will provide greater resistance to physical abuse.
– It simplifies the job; standard aluminum jacket and fitting covers fit nicelynd are readily available as stock items at most industrial insulation distributor locations.
By introducing InsulThin HT, Industrial Insulation Group has become the only manufacturer to offer a broad range of industrial solutions with the expertise to help you select the best material for your application:
– Calcium Silicate (Thermo-12® Gold)
– Expanded Perlite (Sproule WR 1200®)
– Mineral Wool (MinWool® 1200)
– Thin Profile Flexible Blanket (InsulThin™ HT)