External influences on the pipe system
Pipe suspensions for pipe and duct systems shall be able to carry a total calculated load from the pipe / duct and insulation system, as well as all other loads that may affect the pipe system.
It is crucial that deflection of the pipe / duct system does not occur and therefore one must take into account e.g. the following loads:
Weight for different pipe types including medium (eg water, coolant, etc.)
Weight of insulation material and event. mantling systems as a whole
The weight of pipe components included in the pipe system
The additional weight for a person or persons who may need to clean or maintain the system
The choice of type of pipe / duct suspension or support must be determined after these conditions have been taken into account.
Use of the wrong type of insulation material
In addition, there may also be a factor that many do not think about when insulating cooling systems with the wrong type of insulation material, that over time you can get a wetting of condensation water in the insulation. This can in a short time give a significant extra weight depending on the operating conditions. For example. In Denmark, mineral wool insulation has been tested on cooling insulation, where after a ½- to 1 year, a humidification has been obtained which corresponds to around ½-liter of water per. meters of pipe and where you see that the humidification continues to increase over time. This is also an important factor in weight loads of the pipe system.
Environmental impact for the company, the customer and employees
Lighter insulation also has an environmental effect. Heavy lifting and carrying of the building material plays a major role in the companies' HSE work. Most often, the insulation material must be carried over longer distances or in height. In the worst case, such heavy lifting can lead to sick leave in the company, which in turn will affect HSE work. Therefore, the weight of the insulation material is important.
(Bjørn Frostmann, Armacell GmbH)