What is heat? And, how does it flow from object to object? Heat is a form of energy. And heat ALWAYS moves from warm to cold. It does this until both objects reach the same temperature. Cold is merely the absence of heat... even ice cubes contain some heat; until you get to absolute zero.

There are 3 types of heat transfer: Conduction, convection and radiation. Poor conductors of heat are good insulation products. A good conductor of heat is water. Water and water vapor is the prime enemy of an insulation system.

When reviewing the manufacturers data sheets to calculate your insulation requirements you will need to be concerned with BTU's, K, R and C Factors.

BTU is a British Thermal Unit. (BTU/HR/SF/inch thickness) It measures the quantity of heat. It is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound (lb) of water 1 degree F and enables us to measure a material's ability to resist heat flow (insulate).

K Value is the material property which measures conductivity. It is the same number regardless of the thickness of insulation. It is the quantity of BTU's/HR that pass through a l" Thick X l2" Wide X l2" Long section of insulation lowering the temperature from the hot side to the cold side 1 degree F. Materials with lower K Factors are better insulators. Most manufacturers report their product's insulation value in K at 75 F degree mean temperature.

Mean Temperature is the inner surface temperature plus the outer surface temperature, divided by 2. As mean temperatures rise, so does the K Factor of a product. Be careful when examining the data sheets. Make sure you are comparing insulations at the same reporting temperatures. Also, it is important when comparing materials to obtain the insulation curve from the manufacturer at the lower pipe operating temperatures found in refrigeration systems as each materials ability to insulate is not linear.

C Factor measure thermal conduction. It is the rate of heat flow through an actual thickness of material.

R Factor: Thermal resistance is resistance to heat flow provided by a given thickness of material. It is obtained by dividing the thickness of material by the K Factor. R Values change as the thickness of the insulating material changes. Primarily building building insulation products and plans are measured and specified by the material's R Factor.

Heat Flow (Round VS Flat) -It is important to note that the heat flow is different from a flat surface as compared to round surfaces. Because of the orientation of the cellular structure(fibrous in above ambient) of the insulation being vertical versus horizontal (flat); and the addition of a horizontal joint in pipe covering, the apparent thermal conductivity could be 20% or higher than a flat piece of block(board). Make sure that appropriate safety factors from the manufacturer's data is properly representing the thermal values you need for design in your application.

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