// OFFSITE STRUCTURAL SOLUTIONS
Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation can achieve an aged thermal conductivity as low as 0.025 W/mk (at 10°C mean) and has achieved Euroclass rating of BL
-s1,d0, with a reinforced aluminium foil vapour barrier jacket facing.
Best Practice for Pipe Insulation Specification
The choice of pipe insulation should be a key consideration on any project, whether working on or offsite. By ensuring these services are effectively insulated, specifiers can reduce long-term energy demand and operational costs. The most commonly used products feature phenolic or mineral fibre insulation. These solutions offer different performance characteristics, so it is important to consider carefully which is right for a project.
T
o support specifiers, BS 5422: 2023 provides best practice guidance when specifying pipework insulation for systems, covering a range of aspects including thermal and fire performance.
Thermal Performance
The most fundamental job of any pipe insulation product is to prevent the transfer of heat either to or from pipework. The measure of how efficiently a product can do this is its thermal conductivity. The lower the thermal conductivity, the more effective the product will be at preventing heat transfer.
Phenolic insulation products can achieve aged thermal conductivities as low as 0.025 W/m.K (at 10°C mean). By contrast, mineral fibre pipe insulation products typically achieve thermal conductivities around 0.033 W/mK (at 10°C mean). This can have implications for system design and installation in terms of insulation thickness.
BS 5422: 2023 provides tables with minimum or indicative insulation thicknesses for pipe insulation in different applications. It also provides additional tables with enhanced insulation thicknesses based on the legacy Energy Technology List. These can support project teams working to achieve net zero operational emissions.
In most cases, it is possible to meet the requirements within these tables with slimmer thicknesses of phenolic pipe insulation than would be possible with mineral fibre insulation. This reduction can be particularly notable when looking to meet the requirements in the enhanced tables. This can allow pipework to be fitted into
14 Winter 2025 M34
more compact spaces with no loss in thermal performance.
Reaction to Fire Performance
Another key consideration is the reaction to fire performance of the pipework insulation. For regulatory compliance, this is now assessed using the Euroclass (European Classifications) system.
This rating is broken down into three components:
• The Main Classification for reaction to fire performance which goes from A1 (best performing) to F (untested/worst performance in relation to its reaction to fire behaviour). A subscript L may be added to indicate testing has been carried out on linear pipe insulation samples as placed on the market;
• Smoke Production for which products are classified from s1 (little or no smoke) to s3 (substantial smoke); and
• Flaming Droplets for which products are rated from d0 (none) to d2 (several droplets)
Regarding reaction to fire performance ratings for pipe insulation products, BS 5422 states:
In buildings other than dwellings, the complete assembly of materials as placed on the market (whether faced or unfaced) shall be Class B-s3, d2 (European class) or better … In dwellings, the complete assembly of installed insulation materials (whether faced or unfaced) shall be Class C-s3, d2 (European class) or better.
There are foil faced phenolic pipe insulation products on the market which achieve a Euroclass rating of BL-s1, d0— meeting these requirements. For added assurance, certain
sizes or thicknesses of these products are also available with insurer approval from FM Global to FM Approval Class 4924. The manufacturer should be able to provide details on any insurer certifications.
In some cases, however, the project specification may require the use of a product with a Euroclass classification of A2-s1, d0 or better. In these cases, mineral fibre pipe insulation products can provide a practical solution.
Meeting the requirements
With many projects now looking to meet net-zero or net-zero ready status, it is important to ensure that building services perform efficiently. Phenolic pipe insulation solutions can provide excellent thermal performance whilst meeting the reaction to fire performance requirements set in BS 5422:2023. Mineral fibre pipe insulation solutions provide an alternative option for where project specifications require the use of a material with a classification of A2-s1, d0 or better.
www.kingspantechnicalinsulation.co.uk
Kingspan K-Roc Pipe
Insulation is a mineral fibre pipe insulation which achieves a Euroclass rating of A2L
/A2-s1,d0.
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