ICS 27.

010

F 04

NATIONAL STANDARD
OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
中华人民共和国国家标准
GB/T 8175-2008
Supersedes GB/T 8175-1987, GB/T 15586-1995

Guide for Design of Thermal Insulation of Equipments

and Pipes
设备及管道绝热设计导则

Issued on June 19, 2008 Implemented on January 1, 2009

Jointly issued by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine of the People's Republic of China and the
Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China
 Foreword
The Standard is formulated based on the content syndication and revision of GB/T 8175-1987
"Guide for Design of Thermal Insulation of Equipments and Pipes" and GB/T 15586-1995 "Guide for
Design of Low-temperature Insulation of Equipments and Pipes".
At the same time, this Standard will replace GB/T 8175-1987 and GB/T 15586-1995.
Compared with GB/T 8175-1987 and GB/T 15586-1995, this Standard has the following
changes:
——Requirements of thermal and cold insulation materials are consistent with the relevant
requirements of GB/T 4272;
——Modify the requirements of low-temperature adhesive;
——add waterproof material requirements in Chapter IV; add calculation method of direct-
buried piping insulation; add requirements of waterproof layer in the insulation structural
requirements;
——Annex A, Annex B and Annex C of this Standard are normative. This Standard was
proposed by the National Technical Committee 20 on Energy Fundamentals and Management of
Standardization Administration of China
This Standard is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee on Applied Technology of Energy-
saving Materials of National Technical Committee 20 on Energy Fundamentals and Management of
Standardization Administration of China.
Drafting units of this Standard: Technical Supervision and Research Center of the Building
Materials Industry and Institute for Environmental Health and Related Product Safety, China CDC.
Participating Organizations of this Standard: Armacell (Guangzhou) International GmbH,
Wuxi City Mingjiang Insulation Materials Co., Ltd., Lanzhou Pengfei Thermal Insulation Co., Ltd.,
Beijing Beigong Guoyuan Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Zhenshen Cold Insulation, China National
Water Resources & Electric Power Materials & Equipment Tianjin Corporation and Owens Corning
Asia Pacific
Major Drafting Staff of this Standard: Dai Zizhu, Jin Fujin, He Zhensheng, Zhou Mingang,
Wu Qingtao, Wu Shouyong, Wang Qiaoyun and Chen Bin
All previous editions of this Standard are:
——GB/T 8175—1987;
——GB/T 15586—1995

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 GB/T 8175—2008

Guide for Design of Thermal Insulation of Equipments and Pipes

1. Scope
This Standard specifies the basic principles of insulation design, insulation materials,
performance requirement and selection principle of major auxiliary materials, thermal insulation
calculation, cold insulation calculation, insulation structure and main construction technical
requirements of insulation project.
This Standard is applicable to general equipments and pipe, but not applicable to watercraft,
nuclear energy and inner lining or other devices and facilities of inner lining of industrial furnace and
boilers which have special requirements.
The temporary facilities, pipes and trace pipes of various thermodynamic instrument systems
under construction are not bound by this Standard.

2. Normative References
The following standards contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute
provisions of this Standard. For dated reference, subsequent amendments (excluding content of
corrigenda) to, or revisions of, any of these publications do not apply. However, Parties to agreements
based on this Standard are encouraged to investigate the possibility of applying the most recent
editions of the standards indicated below. For undated references, the latest edition of the normative
document referred to applies.
GB/T 4272-2008 General Principles for Thermal Insulation Technique of Equipment and
pipes
GB/T 8174 Method of Measuring and Evaluation Thermal Insulation Effects for Equipments
and Pipes
GB 50126 Code for Construction of Industrial Equipment and Pipeline Insulation Engineering
CJJ 104-2005 Technical Specification for Directly Buried Steam Heating Pipeline in City

3. Basic Principles of Insulation Design

3.1 The insulation shall be designed to meet the basic principles of heat loss reduction, energy
conservation, process requirement satisfaction, production capacity maintenance, improvement of
economic efficiency, amelioration of working environment and scalding prevention.
3.1.1 The equipment, pipe, pipe fittings and valve hereinafter, pipe, pipe fittings and valve are
collectively referred to as pipes) with one of the following conditions shall be insulated.
a) Equipments and pipes with outside surface temperature of higher than 323 K (50℃)
[surface temperature when the ambient temperature is 298 K (25℃)], and the equipments and pipe
must be with outside surface temperature of less than or equal to 323 K (50℃) according to the
requirements;
b) Equipments and pipes with medium freezing point of higher than that of the ambient
temperature
3.1.2 The equipments and pipes with one of the following conditions other than parts require anti-

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scald thermal insulation may not be heat insulated either.
a) Equipments and pipes require cooling or those must be exposed;
b) Joint flange on the equipments and pipes require timely detecting of leakage;
c) Parts must be monitored frequently, so as to prevent damage;
d) Equipments and pipes may not require insulation in the process production such as venting
and emptying
3.1.3 The parts of non-insulated equipments and pipes with surface temperature of higher than 333K
(60℃) require constant maintenance but cannot use other measures to prevent scalding shall be set
with anti-scalding thermal insulation in the following scope:
a) Height away from the ground or working platform is less than 2.1m;
b) The distance near the operating platform is less than 0.75 m
3.2 The cold insulation of the low-temperature equipments and pipes shall be designed to meet the
process production, maintain and promote the production capacity, reduce the cold loss, conserve
energy, prevent surface condensation and ameliorate working environment.
3.2.1 The low-temperature equipments, pipes and other accessories with one of the following working
conditions must be cold insulated:
a) Those cold medium need to reduce the temperature increase or vaporization during the
production and transport process;
b) That the equipments and pipes with temperature of lower than the normal temperature must
reduce the cold medium loss during the production and transport process;
c) That to prevent external wall surface condensation of the equipments and pipes at
temperature below room temperature and above 0℃;
d) That the low temperature accessories connected to the low-temperature equipment and
low-temperature pipes requires being cold insulated.

4. Performance Requirement and Selection Principle of Thermal Insulation

Materials and Major Auxiliary Materials

4.1 Insulation materials
4.1.1 The main performance of products made of thermal insulation materials
4.1.1.1 When the average temperature is 298 K (25℃), the thermal conductivity shall be not more
than 0.080 W/(m·K), and be provided with thermal conductivity formula or chart within the service
density and service temperature; for the loose or compressible insulation materials and the products,
thermal conductivity formula or chart at service density shall be provided.
4.1.1.2 The density is not more than 300 kg/m3.
4.1.1.3 In addition to the soft, semi-rigid and bulk materials, the compressive strength of the rigid
inorganic products shall not be less than 0.30 MPa, while the compressive strength of organic
products shall not be less than 0.20 MPa.
4.1.2 The products made of insulation materials shall be equipped with the following performance
data:
a) Allowed maximum service temperature;
b) If necessary, it must be marked with fire resistance, water absorption, moisture absorption
rate, and thermal expansion coefficient, shrinkage ratio, folding strength, causticity and corrosion
resistance.

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4.1.3 The selection principle of insulation materials
4.1.3.1 The allowed service temperature of the products made of insulation materials shall be higher
than the highest medium temperature in condition of normal operation.
4.1.3.2 When a variety of materials are available in the same temperature range, products made of
materials with small thermal conductivity, small density, low cost and easy-to-construction shall be
selected and for comprehensive comparison therewith, and that with high economic benefit shall be
preferred.
4.1.3.3 Composite materials may be selected after the comprehensive economic comparison at hot
conditions.
4.2 Cold insulation materials
4.2.1 The performance requirements of cold insulation materials and its products
4.2.1.1 At 25℃, the thermal conductivity of the foam and the products shall be no greater than 0.044
W/( m·K), the density shall be no greater than 60 kg/m3, water absorption shall be no greater than 4%
and the compressive strength of the rigid molded product shall be no less than 0.15 MPa.
4.2.1.2 At 0℃, the thermal conductivity of the foam products shall be no greater than 0.036 W/(m·K),
the density shall be no greater than 95 kg/m3, and the vacuum water absorption be no greater than
10%.
4.2.1.3 the thermal conductivity of the foam glass and its products shall be no greater than 0.064
W/(m·K), the density shall be no greater than 180 kg/m3, water absorption shall be no greater than
0.5% and the compressive strength of the rigid molded product shall not be less than 0.3 MPa.
4.2.1.4 The oxygen index of the cold flame retardant materials shall be no less than 30%.
4.2.1.5 The cold insulation material shall also be provided with the following indexes:
a) Lowest and highest safe service temperature;
b) Linear expansion coefficient or linear shrinkage ratio;
c) If necessary, folding strength, combustion (non-combustible, flame retardant, fire-retardant)
performance, moisture-proof (water absorption, moisture absorption and water-repellent) performance,
corrosion, or corrosion resistance, chemical stability, thermal stability, freezing resistance and air
permeability shall also be provided.
4.2.2 Selection principle of cold insulation materials
4.2.2.1 When different cold insulation materials are available in condition that all main technical
performance meet the cold insulation requirements, materials with small thermal conductivity, small
density, water absorption, low moisture absorption rate, good cold resistance, easy-to-construction,
low cost and high comprehensive economic benefit shall be preferred.
4.2.2.2 The lowest safety service temperature of the cold insulation materials shall be lower than the
lowest medium temperature in condition of normal operation.
4.2.2.3 At low temperature and through comprehensive economic comparison, two or more cold
insulation materials may be used in composite, or products made of composite cold insulation
materials shall be selected directly.
4.3 Binder, sealant and wear-resistant agent for the construction of cold insulation layer
4.3.1 Performance requirement
4.3.1.1 The adhesive, sealant and wear-resistant agent shall be low temperature resistant, easy to be
solidifying, insoluble in cold insulation materials, and non-corrosion to metal wall, strong corrosion,
strong adhesion and good sealability. The wear-resistant agent (for foam glass only) shall be able to
prevent abrasion on the contact surface between the cold insulation material and metal external wall

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or products made of cold insulation materials.
4.3.1.2 The service temperature scope of low-temperature adhesive is -196℃~50℃; its softening
temperature shall be greater than 80℃. In the service temperature scope, the adhesive strength shall
be greater than 0.05 MPa. As for the condition conditions of high temperature purging and service at
both high and low temperature, the adhesive shall meet the requirements of service temperature.
4.3.1.3 The service temperature scope of wear-resistant agent is -196℃~100℃; its heat resistance is
good, without free flowing and metachromatism at 100℃, and without obscission and
metachromatism at -196℃. Moreover, it is featured for good cohesive force; if being painted on the
foam glass, no obscission occurs after drying.
4.3.2 Selection principles of adhesive, sealant and wear-resistant agent
4.3.2.1 The main technical performances of the adhesives, sealants and wear-resistant agent must be
assorted with the characteristics of the materials used on cold insulation lagging.
4.3.2.2 The examples of adhesives, sealants and wear-resistant agents mating with the material of the
cold insulation lagging are as follows:
a) Rigid, blind hole and flame-retardant polyurethane-based foam products may dual-
component polyurethane-based adhesive or FG low-temperature adhesives, and it may also double as
sealant;
b) The self-extinguishing expandable polystyrene foam products may adopt non-solvent-
based adhesives (for example, solvent-free phenolic resin-based glue), and which may double as
sealant;
c) The foam glass may adopt FG low-temperature adhesive and special wear-resistant sealant.
4.4 The performance requirements of material for moisture-proof layer
4.4.1 For the materials with good anti-vapor permeability, strong moisture-proof and water-proof
ability, the water absorption shall be no greater than 1%.
4.4.2 For flame-retardant, the material may be self-extinguishing in 1 s~2 s after the flame left, and
the oxygen index is no less than 30%.
4.4.3 For the materials with good adhesive property and sealing property, and the adhesive strength is
no less than 0.15 MPa at 20℃.
4.4.4 The safety service temperature scope is large: if with certain temperature tolerance, the softening
temperature is no less than 65℃, and it will neither be foaming nor flowing in summer; if with certain
freezing resistance, it will neither be cracking nor shedding in winter.
4.4.5 The material with good chemical stability, and the volatiles is no more than 30%, corrosion
resistant, and shall not have dissolution or corrosion resulting for the materials of the cold insulation
layer and protective layer.
4.4.6 Stability that can maintain at climatic change and vibration conditions
4.4.7 The drying time is short, and can be used at room temperature, it also facilitates the construction.
4.5 Performance requirement of the materials on the water-proof layer
The materials shall not only be able to effectively prevent moisture penetration, but also be
non-combustible or flame-retardant and with good chemical stability.
4.6 Performance requirements of the materials on the outer protective layer
4.6.1 Water-proof, moisture-proof, good atmospheric corrosion-resistance, non-combustible or flame-
retardant and with good chemical stability
4.6.2 High strength, non-cracking at temperature changes and vibration conditions, long life, neat and
beautiful appearance, and convenient for the construction and maintenance.

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4.6.3 The materials for the protective layer of insulation equipments or pipes for storing or
transporting flammable and explosive materials, and other insulation pipes laid on the same support or
cross with the support as these pipes must use non-flammable materials.
4.6.4 The fire resistance of the surface painting of the outer protective layer shall comply with
relevant regulations of current national standards and codes.
4.7 Relevant regulations of insulation engineering materials
4.7.1 The insulation engineering material must be provided with product quality certificate or factory
conformity certificate, while the technical requirements of its specification and performance shall
comply with the requirements of design documents and current product standards at all levels.
4.7.2 When the indexes listed in the product quality certificate or factory conformity certificate of the
insulation engineering material are incomplete, or the quality of products (including on-site own
product) is doubted, the main physical and chemical properties of the products shall be sampled on-
site before the construction of large and medium-scale insulation project, or when the chloride ion
content indexes requirements of insulant for the austenitic stainless steel equipment or pipes shall be
provided, so as to delivery to the testing unit for review, and shall be provided with qualification test
report.
4.7.3 The testing for the main physical and chemical properties of insulation engineering material
shall be taken by the authorized testing unit, and the adopted testing method and instrument or
equipment shall comply with the requirements of relevant standard of the nation.
4.7.4 Where the new insulation engineering materials unidentified by the national, ministry,
provincial and municipal (bureau) levels shall not be used for large and medium scale insulation
engineering.

5. Thermal Insulation Calculation

5.1 Calculation principle
5.1.1 That the pipes and cylindrical equipments with outside diameter of greater than 1000mm may
calculate the insulating layer thickness according to the plane; others shall calculate the insulating
layer thickness according to cylinder surface.
5.1.2 The thickness of the insulating layer to reduce heat loss shall be calculated by the economic
thickness method.
5.1.2.1 For the low caloric value, insulation material-based product or high construction cost, when
the heat loss exceeds the maximum allowed one specified in Table 1 or Table 2 of GB/T 4272-2008
due to the economic thickness being small if calculated by the formula, the insulating layer thickness
shall be calculated based on 80%~90% of the maximum allowed heat loss specified in the table.
5.1.2.2 For the higher caloric value, insulation materials-based products or cheap construction cost
and pipes laid side by side, support structure, floor area and other comprehensive economic benefit
shall be considered, and the thickness may be less than the economic thickness.
5.2 Calculation of the insulating layer thickness and heat loss
5.2.1 Calculation formula of economic thickness of the insulating layer
a) The calculation formula of the plane sees formula (1):

(1)
Where:
δ——Insulating layer thickness, in: m;

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 fn——Caloric value, in: Yuan/GJ;
λ——The thermal conductivity of the products made of insulation materials shall be that at
installation density for soft materials, in: [w/(m·K)]
τ——Annual operation time, in: h;
T——Outside surface temperature of the equipments and pipes, in: [K(℃)];
Ta——Ambient temperature, in: [K(℃)];
Pi——Unit price of insulation structure, in: Yuan/m3;
S——Annual absorption rate of investment loan for the thermal insulation engineering, the

interest is calculated according to compound interest: ;

i——Annual interest rate (compound rate);
n——Interest-bearing years;
a——Heat transfer coefficient between the external surface and air on the insulating layer, in:
[W/(m •K)].
2

b) The calculation formula of the cylinder sees formula (2):

(2)

Where:
D0——Outside diameter of the insulating layer, in: m;
Di——Inside diameter of the insulating layer, in: m;
Description of other symbols is identical to that of the formula (1)
5.2.2 Calculation formula of heat loss on the insulating layer surface
a) The calculation formula of the plane sees formula (3):

(3)
Where:
q——Heat loss of unit surface,
Plane: in unit of (W/m2);
Pipe: in unit of (W/m);
Ri——Thermal resistance of the insulating layer,
Plane: in unit of [(m2•K)/W];
Pipe: in unit of [(m•K)/W];
Ra——Surface thermal resistance of the insulating layer,
Plane: in unit of [(m2•K)/W];
Pipe: in unit of [(m•K)/W];
b) The calculation formula of the cylinder surface sees formula (4):

(4)
5.2.3 Calculation formula of outside surface temperature of the insulating layer
a) The calculation formula of the plane sees formula (5):

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 (5 )
Where:
Ta——Outside surface temperature of the insulating layer, in unit of [K(℃)];
b) The calculation formula of the cylinder surface sees formula (6):

(6)
5.3 Selection principle of main data for insulation calculation
5.3.1 Temperature
5.3.1.1 Surface temperature T
a) The surface temperature T of the unlined metal equipments and pipes is the temperature of
the medium at normal operating condition
b) The lined metal equipments and pipes shall determine the outside surface temperature b
heat-transfer analysis
5.3.1.2 Ambient temperature Ta
a) For the equipments and pipes set outdoors, the ambient temperature T for the calculation of
economic thickness of insulation and heat loss takes the average of the mean annual temperature in
the past years at normal operation; and average of daily mean temperature during the operation period
is taken for the seasonal operation.
b) The ambient temperature T for the equipments and pipes set indoors in the calculation of
economic thickness of insulation and heat loss is taken as 293 K (20℃);
c) When the medium temperature T = 352 K (80℃), the ambient temperature T of the pipes
set in the trench shall be taken as 293 K (20℃); when the medium temperature T = 354 K ~ 383 K
(81℃ ~ 110℃), the ambient temperature Ta is taken as 303 K (30℃); when the medium temperature
T≥ 383 K (110℃), the ambient temperature T is taken as 313 K (40℃);
d) In review of calculation for the insulating layers with process requirements, ambient
temperature Ta shall be valued according to the worst conditions.
5.3.2 Surface heat-transfer coefficient α
5.3.2.1 In the economic thickness and heat loss calculation, the heat-transfer coefficient α for the
external surface of the insulation structure of the equipments and pipes shall be taken as 11.63
W/(m2·K).
5.3.2.2 In reviewing the calculation for the surface temperature of the insulation structure, generally, it
is calculated by formula α = 1.163 (6 + 3 ) W/(m2·K), of which, ω is the wind speed, in unit of m/s.
5.3.2.3 If the calculated value requires being closer to the true value, the heat-transfer coefficient of
radiation and convection shall be calculated respectively according to the impact of emissivity and
ambient wind velocity of different external surface materials on α, and then, sum up them both.
5.3.3 Thermal conductivity λ1)
The thermal conductivity or thermal conductivity formula of insulation materials-based
products shall be provided by the manufactory and shall be in accordance with those specified in 4.1.1.
5.3.4 Unit price Pi of insulation structure
The unit price shall include the main material costs, packaging costs, transportation costs, loss,
installation (including supporting materials costs) and structure protection fees.
5.3.5 Interest-bearing years: n
The number of years for calculation, 10 years generally

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5.3.6 Annual interest rate i
Compound interest is taken.
5.3.7 Caloric value fn
It shall be determined according to physical circumstances of all localities and departments
5.3.8 Annual operational time T
Annual operation is generally calculated as 8000h; the heating period for the heating
operation is calculated by 3000h; and the heating period shall be calculated by the actual heating
period (hours) for regions with long heating period; others select the operation time according to the
actual conditions.
5.4 Insulation calculation of direct-buried pipes
The buried pipe insulation may be calculated by referring to 5.2 of CJJ 104-2005.

6. Calculation of Cold Insulation

6.1 The principles of calculation of cold insulation
6.1.1 In order to reduce the cold loss (heat inhalation) and to prevent the cold insulation of external
surface condensation, economic thickness method is adopted for the calculation of thickness of the
cold insulation layer, and review the external surface temperature with thermal equilibrium method,
the temperature shall be higher than the dew-point temperature of the environment, otherwise it shall
be thickened for the review again, till it meets the requirements.
6.1.2 In order to prevent the cold insulation of external surface condensation, surface temperature
method is adopted for the calculation of thickness of the cold insulation layer.
6.1.3 Technologically, cold insulation of cold loss is allowed; calculate the thickness of the cold
insulation lagging by thermal equilibrium method, and review the outside surface temperature. The
temperature shall be higher than the dew-point temperature of the environment, otherwise, it shall be
thickened and reviewed again, till it meets the requirements.
6.1.4 The pipes and cylindrical equipments with nominal diameter of greater than 1000 mm shall be
calculated according to the insulation calculation formula of plane; when the nominal diameter is
equal to or less than 1000mm, it shall be calculated according to the insulation calculation formula of
the cylinder surface; while the spherical vessel is calculated by the insulation calculation formula of
the spherical vessel.
6.1.5 When one cold insulation material is adopted for the cold insulation of the same pipe or
equipment, it shall be calculated by insulation calculation formula of single-layer; when two cold
insulation materials are adopted for the cold insulation, it shall be calculated by insulation calculation
formula of double-layer (excluding composite precast products), and the interlayer surface
temperature (namely the outside surface temperature of the inner cold insulation layer) of the double
cold insulation layers shall be no less than the lowest safety service temperature of the cold insulation
material of its adjacent outer layer.
6.2 Thickness calculation of the cold insulation layer
6.2.1 Economic thickness calculation of the cold insulation layer
a) The calculation formula of the plane sees formula (7):

(7)
Where:
δ——Insulating layer thickness, in: m;

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 fn——Caloric value, in: Yuan/GJ;
λ——Thermal conductivity of products made of cold insulation materials at service
temperature, in unit of [W/(m·K)]
τ——Annual operation time, in: h;
ta——Ambient temperature, in: ℃;
t——Outside surface temperature of the equipments and pipes, in: ℃;
1)
Generally, the testing laboratory dries the materials to the constant weight, and then, makes
the test, the obtained λ often deviates from the actual value. In order to make design calculation be
closer to reality, thermal conductivity λP corrected by impact of environmental factor may be adopted
to replace λ tested by the testing laboratory
as——The heat transfer coefficient of the external surface and air on the cold insulation layer,
in unit of [W/(m·K)];
Pi——Unit price of cold insulation structure, in: Yuan/m3;
S——Annual absorption rate of investment load of cold insulation engineering, it is
calculated by the compound interest:

i——Annual interest rate (compound rate);

n——Interest-bearing years;
b) The calculation formula of the cylinder surface sees formula (8):

(8 )

Where:
Do——Outside diameter of the insulating layer, in: m;
Di——Inside diameter of the insulating layer, in: m;
6.2.2 Thickness calculation of cold insulation layer to prevent the surface condensation
a) Single cold insulation layer of the plane;

(9)
Where:
δ——The total thickness of the thickness of the single cold insulation layer and of the double
cold insulation layers, in unit of m;
λ——Thermal conductivity of products made of materials of the single cold insulation layer
at service temperature, in unit of [W/(m·K)]
t——The outside surface temperature of the wall of the metal and cylindrical equipments and
spherical vessel, in unit of℃;
ta——Outside surface temperature of the single cold insulation layer or the outside surface
temperature of the second layer (outer layer) of the double cold insulation layer, in unit of℃;
ts——Outside surface temperature of the cold insulation layer, in: ℃;
b) Double cold insulation layer of the plane;
Total thickness of the cold insulation layer:

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 (10)
Where:
λ1——Thermal conductivity of products made of materials of the first cold insulation layer at
service temperature, in unit of [W/(m·K)]
λ2——Thermal conductivity of products made of materials of the second cold insulation layer
at service temperature, in unit of [W/(m·K)]
t1——Outside surface temperature of the first cold insulation layer (inner layer), the
interfacial temperature between the first and second cold insulation layers, in unit of ℃;
Thickness of different cold insulation layers:
First floor (inner layer):

(11)
Second layer (outer layer):

(12)
c) Single cold insulation layer of the cylinder surface:

(13)

Where:
D0——The outside diameter of the pipe, cylindrical equipments or spherical vessel, in unit of
m;
D1——The outside diameter of the single cold insulation layer of the pipes, cylindrical
equipments or spherical vessel, or the outside diameter of the first (inner layer) cold insulation layer,
in unit of m;
d) Double cold insulation layers of the cylinder surface:
Total thickness of the cold insulation layer:

(14)

Where:
D2——Outside diameter of the second (outer) cold insulation layer, in: m; )
Thickness of different cold insulation layers:
First floor (inner layer):

(15 )

Second layer (outer layer):

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 (16)

6.2.3 Thickness calculation of cold insulation layer controlling the allowed loss
a) Single cold insulation layer of the plane;

(17)
or

(18)
Where:
qp——Unit cold loss of cold insulation layer of the plane, in unit of (W/m2);
R2——Heat-absorbing resistance of cold insulation layer of the plane to the ambient air, in
unit of [(m2• K)/W]
b) Double cold insulation layer of the plane:

(19)
or

(20)
c) Single cold insulation layer of the cylinder surface:

(21)

or

(22)

Where:
qL——Unit cold loss of cold insulation layer of the cylinder surface, in unit of (W/m);
R1——Heat absorbing resistance of the cold insulation layer of the cylinder surface to the
ambient air, in unit of [W/(m·K)]
d) Double cold insulation layers of the cylinder surface:

(23)

or

12
 (24)

6.2.4 Thickness calculation of the cold insulation layer of the spherical vessel

(25)

Note: The thickness of the cold insulation layer shall be rounded to 10 mm in each step, such
as 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, ....
6.3 Cold loss calculation of the cold insulation layer
6.3.1 Cold loss calculation of the cold insulation layer of the plane
a) Single cold insulation layer:

(26)
b) Double cold insulation layers:

(27)
6.3.2 Cold loss calculation of the cold insulation layer of the cylinder surface:
a) Single cold insulation layer:

(28)
b) Double cold insulation layers:

(29)
6.3.3 Cold loss calculation of the cold insulation layer of the spherical vessel
Single cold insulation layer:

(30)
Where:
Q——Total cold losses of the cold insulation layer surface of each set of spherical vessel, in
unit of W/set.
6.4 Calculation for the outside surface temperature of cold insulation layer
6.4.1 Calculation for the outside surface temperature of cold insulation layer of the plane
a) Single cold insulation layer:

(31)
or

(32)

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 b) Double cold insulation layers:

(33)
or

(34)

(35)
6.4.2 Calculation for the outside surface temperature of cold insulation layer of the cylinder surface:
a) Single cold insulation layer:

(36)
b) Double cold insulation layers:

(37)
or

(38)

(39)
6.4.3 Calculation for the outside surface temperature of cold insulation layer of the spherical vessel

(40)
6.5 Calculation of cold shrinkage
6.5.1 At cold insulation temperature, calculate the cold shrinkage respectively according to the linear
expansion coefficient of the materials of the cold insulation layer and the cold insulation equipments
or pipes; in low temperature cold insulation engineering, expansion joint shall be set reasonably in the
cold insulation layer according to the difference among these shrinkage.
6.5.2 Shrinkage calculation of per meter of pipe or material of cold insulation layer at cold insulation
temperature

(41)
Where:
△L——Linear expansion, in: mm;
β——Linear expansion coefficient of object, in: ℃-1;
L1——Length of pipes or materials of cold insulation layer at ordinary temperature, in: mm;
tm——Mean temperature of pipes or materials of cold insulation layer, in: ℃;
ta——Ambient temperature, in: ℃;
6.6 Selection principle of main data for cold insulation calculation
6.6.1 Data calculated by economic thickness method
a) Outside surface temperature t (℃)

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 Surface temperature t of unlined metal equipments and pipes, taking the normal operating
temperature tf of the medium (℃)
b) Ambient temperature ta (℃)
For that run all year round, average mean annual temperature in the past years shall be taken;
for that seasonally run, average daily mean temperature during the operation period shall be taken.
c) Surface thermal conductance as [W/(m2•K)]
Heat transfer coefficient as of external surface of the cold insulation structure to the ambient
air
When the surface temperature must be checked,
Lay side by side:
Lay in single root:
Where ω is the wind speed, taking annual average wind speed in the past years (m/s)
d) Interest-bearing years: n
4~6 years is generally taken
e) Annual interest rate i
10% is taken (compound interest)
f) Caloric value fn (Yuan/GJ))
It shall be determined according to such physical circumstances as different localities and
different cooling scales
g) Annual operation time τ (h)
Generally, calculate by 8000h for annual operation as for the interval or seasonal operation, it
shall be calculated by the design or the actual specified days.
6.6.2 Data for the calculation with surface temperature method
a) Outside surface temperature t (℃)
The surface temperature t of the unlined metal equipments and pipes is the temperature tf of
the medium at normal operating condition
b) Ambient temperature ta (℃)
Taking the dry bulb calculated temperature outside the air-conditioning room in summer in
the past years
c) Dew-point temperature td (℃)
Dew-point temperature td shall be the mean relative humidity of the hottest month outdoors in
the past years, taking the dew-point temperature correspondent with the ambient temperature ta
specified in b) of this Article.
d) Outside surface temperature ts of the cold insulation layer (℃)
taking ts=td + (l~3)℃
For the polyurethane foam, when △t=(ta-td)≤2℃, the lower limit shall be taken; when
△t≥4℃, the upper limit shall be taken.
e) Interlayer interfacial temperature t1 of the cold insulation layer (℃)
The interlayer interfacial temperature of the inner and outer cold insulation layers (namely,
the outside surface temperature t1 of the inner cold insulation layer shall be no less than the lowest
safety service temperature of the materials of the adjacent outer cold insulation layer)
f) Surface thermal conductance as, generally, taking 8.14 W/(m2•K)
Heat transfer coefficient as of external surface of the cold insulation structure to the ambient
air

15
 g) Thermal conductivity λ [W/(m•K)]
Thermal conductivity λ of the cold insulation material, it shall be corrected according to the
service temperature
6.6.3 Data calculated by thermal equilibrium method
a) The selection principles for the data like surface temperature t, ambient temperature ta,
dew-point temperature td, interlayer interfacial temperature t1 of the cold insulation layer, thermal
conductivity λ of the cold insulation materials and heat transfer coefficient as of the external surface
of the cold insulation layer shall be identical to the calculation of the surface temperature.
b) The checking for the relevant data of outside surface temperature ta of the cold insulation
layer is identical to that calculated by surface temperature method shown in 6.6.2.

7. Thermal Insulation Structure

7.1 Thermal insulation structure
Thermal insulation structure made up by anticorrosive coating, thermal insulation layer, damp
course (or named vapor barrier), protective layer, erosion resistant coating and identifying layer from
inside to outside. Erosion resistant coating may be double as identify layer, and the protective layer in
insulation structure may be double as damp course. The design of thermal insulation structure shall
meet the requirements of best heat insulating effect, convenience for construction, perdurable and
esthetic appearance.
7.2 Anticorrosive coating
Anticorrosive coating on the external surface of carbon steel and ferritic alloy steel pipes,
equipments and their accessories shall be painted after cleaned out. Anticorrosive coating on the
external surface of stainless steel and non-ferrous metal and nonmetallic material pipes, non-ferrous
metals and their accessories need not to paint after cleaned out.
7.3 Thermal insulation layer
Whether the layer has adhesive bonding, casting, spraying, filling and multi-layer composite
structure is the most important for the determination of the heat insulating effect. The technical
performance and thickness of the required materials must meet the design requirement, and the
thickness shall be even, the joint be tight, fastening be rational, tightness be proper and shape be intact,
so as to ensure the good heat insulating effect. When the thickness is greater than 80 mm, it must be
under layered construction.
7.4 Damp check
The damp check is an important layer for ensuring the good heat insulating effect of the cold
insulation layer. The damp check is provided with adhesive bonding, film coating and wrap round and
other structure. The damp check must be featured for proper lapping, even thickness, integrate and
tight, and without defects like hole, bubbling or cracking. And it shall also be characterized by fire-
retardant, water-proof, steam penetration resistance and ageing resistance.
7.5 Water-proof layer
Water-proof layer is an important layer for ensuring the good heat insulating effect of the
insulating layer. The layer shall be able to effectively prevent moisture penetration, and characterized
by non-combustible or flame-retardant and with good chemical stability.
7.6 Protective layer
The protective layer is the outer jacket of the thermal insulation structure, covering metal and
non-metal structure, with the purpose of protect the damp check and cold insulation layer from the

16
mechanical damage and erosion or impaction of the outdoor rain, snow, wind and hail. The protective
layer must be tight, water-proof, moisture-proof, and weather-resistant, light aging resistant, non-
combustible or flame-retardant; it must also be with small blackness, light capacity, non-cracking, and
with adequate mechanical strength, long service life, as well as ensure the regularity and esthetic
appearance of the cold insulation structure.
7.7 Anti-corrosion and recognition layer
Anti-corrosive paint may be painted on the external surface of the protective layer as required, its
outermost layer may adopt anti-corrosive paint of different colors or make corresponding color code,
so as to identify the type and flow direction of the medium inside and outside the pipes and
equipments, therefore, the erosion resistant coating may also double as the identification layer.

8. Main Technical Requirements for Construction of Thermal Insulation

Engineering
8.1 Insulation Project
8.1.1 Insulating layer
8.1.1.1 The equipment, straight pipes, pipe fittings and other parts dispense with repair should adopt
fixed insulation engineering, while the flange, valve and manhole should adopt removable insulation
engineering.
8.1.1.2 The insulation thickness should be in grade unit of 10mm. When the design thickness of the
insulating layer is greater than 80mm, the insulation structure should be considered layer by layer; and
the inner layer shall be staggered with the outer layer.
8.1.1.3 When soft and semi-rigid insulation materials are used, the design shall specify the
construction compression amount according to the optimal insulation density of the materials or the
density may guarantee collapse prevention for the long-time running.
8.1.1.4 Support and fastening of the insulating layer:
a) The vertical equipments and perpendicular pipes higher than 3m, and the pipes over 45° away
from the level and in length of more than 3m shall be set with support ring, and the spacing between
them is generally 3 m~6 m.
b) For the rigid material construction, expansion joint shall be reserved. That the materials set
with support ring shall preserve expansion joint under it. The slot width shall be considered according
to the difference between the expansion of the metal wall and the insulation materials. The space
among the expansion joints shall be filled with soft materials in thickness of hard materials, and the
service temperature of the material shall be greater than the surface temperature of the equipments and
pipes.
c) The insulation layer shall adopt adequate measures for fastening.
8.1.2 Protective layer
8.1.2.1 The protective layer shall be characterized by insulating layer protection and water-proof
performance.
8.1.2.2 The general metal protective layer shall have casing made of zinc-coated steel sheet or
corrosion-resisting aluminium alloy plate in thickness of 0.3mm ~ 0.8mm and the casing joint must be
lapped to prevent meteoric water ingress.
8.1.2.3 The protective layer of the glass cloth is generally used indoors. The finishing protective layer
of the fiber cement shall not be used outdoors.

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8.1.2.4 Materials of other new approved reliable outer protective layer may be adopted.
8.2 Cold insulation engineering
8.2.1 Cold insulation layer
8.2.1.1 The thickness of the cold insulation layer shall meet the design requirement; when the design
thickness of the cold insulation layer is greater than 80mm, the cold insulation structure should be
considered by layers; the inner layer shall be staggered from the outer layer. When making the layered
construction, it shall be fastened in successive layers.
8.2.1.2 When making the cold insulation layer construction, the joint shall be staggered in the same
layer and covered in the up-and-down layers. The joint shall be filled jam-packed, scraped, cemented
and sealed by adhesive and sealant, and the joint width shall not be greater than 2mm.
8.2.1.3 The metal fastening of the cold insulation engineering shall not penetrate the cold insulation
layer.
8.2.1.4 The support, hanger and bracket of the cold insulation engineering shall adopt rigid heat
insulation pad, or be supported by the rigid wooden cushion pads with moisture-proof and mothproof
processing.
8.2.1.5 When polyurethane foam is adopted for the field cast or spray of the cold insulation layer, trial
cast or trial spray must be made previously according to the technical requirements before the formal
casting or spraying.
8.2.1.6 After filling the cold insulation layer in the cold insulation tank, the joint opening must be
sealed, and airing leak-off-test shall be made thereafter.
8.2.1.7 The preservation of the expansion joint shall be in accordance with the following requirements:
a) Position of the expansion joints among the double or multiple cold insulation layers must be
staggered, and the staggering distance should not be greater than 100 mm;
b) The cold insulation layer of the long straight pipe on both ends of the elbow may be reserved
with a beam of expansion joint. When the distance between the two elbows is small, the expansion
joint on the cold insulation layer of the straight pipe may determine whether to be reserved one or non
according to the medium temperature.
c) An expansion joint shall be reserved at the part 100 mm~ 150 mm away from the cylinder cold
insulation layer of the horizontal equipment
d) The vertical equipments and perpendicular pipes shall reserve an expansion joint in width of
25mm under the support ring;
e) Spherical vessel shall be reserved with expansion joints according to the design requirements;
f) The expansion joints of the cold insulation layer shall be filled by soft foam strip, or wedged in
aerating adhesive. The outside is sealed by self-adhesive tape in width of 50mm. The expansion joint
must also be cold insulated thereafter.
8.2.1.8 At one of the following conditions, proper expansion gap must be reserved according to the
other side of the travel direction of the expansion:
a) Filling-type compensator and corrugated compensator;
b) When the sliding support height is less than the thickness of the cold insulation layer;
c) The space in the holes penetrated by cold insulation structure and such stationary members as
wall, beam, rail, platform and support or pipe.
8.2.2Damp check
8.2.2.1 The outdoor construction of the damp check shall avoid proceeding in rainy and snowy day.
8.2.2.2 The external surface of the painting type damp check shall be smooth, uniform and tight, and

18
the thickness shall meet the design requirements.
8.2.2.3 For the bandage-type damp check, the lap width of the wrapper materials' joint shall be no less
than 50mm, and the lapping part must be pasted tight. The position of the longitudinal joint of the
horizontal equipment and horizontal pipes shall be lapped on both sides, with the joint opening opens
downward. The circumferential joint of the vertical equipments and perpendicular pipes shall be
"upper laps lower". The adhesive mode may be helical type enwinding or layering.
8.2.3 Protective layer
8.2.3.1 The general metal protective layer shall have casing made of zinc-coated steel sheet or
protective case made of corrosion-resisting aluminium alloy plate in thickness of 0.5mm~1mm. The
metal coating of the large-scale equipment shall adopt case assembled by wave-type or corrugated
metal protective case plate. The structure and fastening form of the metal protective case must meet
the requirements of expansion joint and expansion gap of the cold insulation layer. The joint of the
metal protective cases shall be lapped or cut; when fastening the metal protective case, the damp
check must not be pierced.
8.2.3.2 At the acid-alkali-base environment, flame-retardant non-metal anti-corrosion materials may
be used as the protective layer.

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 Annex A

(Normative)

Calculation Method of the Insulating Layer Thickness

At allowed heat drop condition, the insulating layer thickness of the transmission fluid pipeline
shall be calculated by the thermal balance method.
A.1 Pipes without branches (nodes)
T1  T a
A.1.1 When >2:
T2  Ta
 
D  Lc 1 
ln 0  2    (A.1)
D1  T1  Ta D0 
 q m  C  ln T  T 
 2 a 

D0  D1

2

T1  Ta
A-1.2 When <2:
T2  Ta

D0  L T  Ta  1 
ln  2  c m   (A.2)
D1  q m  C T1  T2  D0 

D0  D1

2

Lc  K r  L (A.3)

Where:
T1——Medium temperature at point 1 of the pipes, in: [K(℃)];
T2——Medium temperature at point 2 of the pipes, in: [K(℃)];
L0——Calculate length of the pipes, in: m;
Kr——Added coefficient of heat loss when the pipe is passing through the hanger;
L——Actual length of the pipes, in: m;
Tm——Arithmetic mean temperature, in: [K(℃)];
qm——Mass flow of the medium, in unit of (kg/h);
C——Heat capacity of the medium, in unit of [J/(kg·K)].
A.2 Pipes with branches (nodes)
Temperature at the node is calculated by formula (A.4):

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 Lc 1c
q
Tc  Tc 1  Ti  Tm  n mc 1c (A.4)
Li 1i

i  2 q mi 1i

Where:
Tc, Tc-1——Temperature at the node c and the front node c-1, in: K (℃);
Ti——Temperature of the starting point of the pipe, in: [K(℃)];
Tn——Temperature of the terminal of the pipe, in: [K(℃)];
Lc-1→c——Length of pipe section between the node c and the front node c-1, in: m;
Li-1→i——Length of pipe section between the node i and the front node i-1, in: m;
qmc-1→c——Mass flow of the pipe medium between node c-1 and c, in: (kg/h);
qmi-1→i——Mass flow of the medium between any node i and the front node i-1, in: kg/h;

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 Annex B

(Normative)

Calculation Method of the Insulating Layer Thickness

Insulating layer thickness for delaying of the medium freezing and solidification of medium in
the pipe shall be calculated by thermal balance method.
 
 
D0  K r  t fr 1 
ln  2  (B.1)
D1  2T  T fr Vc  V p  p c p  0.25VH fr D0 
  
 T  T fr  2Ta T fr  Ta 
D0  Di

2

Where:
Kr——Added coefficient of heat loss when the pipe is passing through the hanger;
tfr——Dwell time for the freezing prevention of medium in the pipe, in: (h);
Tfr——Freezing temperature of medium in the pipe, in:℃;
V, Vp——The medium volume and pipe wall volume respectively, in: (m3);
ρ, ρp——Medium density and pipe density respectively, in: (kg/m3);
c, cp——Medium heat capacity and pipe heat capacity respectively, in: [J/(kg·K)];
Hfr——Medium thaw heat, in: (J).

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 Annex C

(Normative)

Thickness Calculation Method of Double Insulation Layer of Different

Materials
C.1 The thickness of the inner layer is calculated by the surface temperature, while the thickness of
the outer layer is calculated by economic thickness method.
C.2 The temperature at the inner and outer layers' interface shall be calculated by 0.9 times of the
maximum service temperature of the insulation materials on the outer layer.

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