Pipe fittings — such as elbows and tees — are one of the most vulnerable spots for industrial insulation on a piping system.
Failure of an industrial insulation system is likely to occur at the fittings where water ingress most commonly takes place. Furthermore, fittings are often located at low spots in the piping system where water may pool. In addition to vastly diminished thermal performance, the ingress and pooling of water into an industrial insulation system is known to be the key driver of CUI, a well-recognized and costly problem for industrial facilities.
Traditionally, industrial insulation for pipe fittings has been fabricated from straight run sections of pipe insulation, where small pieces are mitered then glued together to approximate an elbow. Not only are these mitered elbows labor intensive, but they contain numerous glued joints that offer seams through which heat loss and water ingress have been proven to occur. Furthermore, mitered fittings are often known for their poor fit — both around the metal piping and into the pressed metal jacketing used to protect the underlying insulation system.
SMC Industries, a manufacturer of molded perlite silicate industrial-insulation systems, offers an extensive line of pre-molded fitting covers for use in place of mitered fittings on high temperature, rigid insulation systems, such as perlite and calcium silicate. Manufactured specifically for a given size and type of fitting, SMC’s pre-molded perlite fitting covers can be installed quickly and efficiently, providing up to 65% cost savings over fabricated mitered elbows.
In addition to cost savings, SMC’s molded perlite fittings outperform mitered fittings at a particularly vulnerable part of any industrial insulation system. The lack of glue joints otherwise found on single and multilayer mitered elbows leads to 15-20% greater conservation of heat, and drastically reduces the number of throughseams at which water may penetrate the system. SMC’s pre-molded fitting covers are manufactured to ASTM C450 and C585 specifications, guaranteeing an easy fit that butts up tightly to the adjoining pipe insulation.
SMC Industries produces over 1,700 different sizes of fitting covers, from small bore to large bore, for socket weld, screwed, short and long radius butt weld, traced lines, tees and a variety of other applications. SMC’s pre-molded fitting covers are readily available for use, with over 400 common sizes in stock at its Houston manufacturing facilities.
In addition to molded fitting covers, SMC also offers its patented AU-1200 reinforced perlite pipe cover and block for straight run pipe insulation and equipment. Together, the molded fittings and reinforced pipe and block insulation allows for the complete industrial insulation system — turnkey and ready to install — available from a single vendor and manufactured in Houston.
SMC’s industrial insulation systems are available for purchase through all major distributors.
For more information, visit smcindustries.com, email sales@smcindustries.com or call (281) 890-9950.
