THERMAL PROPERTIES · REFERENCE
Pipe Insulation Sample Conductivity
Experiment-fitted values at a mean temperature of 10 °C for eight specific pipe insulation samples.
Before using these values
These results apply to specific samples and are not design values for a material category or other products. The author fitted measurements at several temperatures, calculated the values at 10 °C and rounded them upward to 0.001 W/(m·K); they are not direct readings at 10 °C.
Composition, density, temperature, moisture, aging, installation and sample condition can affect results. The paper also reports non-repeatable consecutive measurements for PEF-1 at 80 °C; this does not establish the behavior of all polyethylene foams. This table has only one temperature point and must not be interpolated or extrapolated. For engineering design, use verified data for the specific product and actual conditions.
Sample results at 10 °C
Diameters are the sample outer diameter D₂ and the heater pipe outer diameter D₀, not the insulation inner diameter. The original millimetres have been converted to centimetres. There can be an air gap between the heater and insulation. The table can be scrolled horizontally on small screens.
| Sample ID | Material | Density kg/m³ | Sample outer diameter D₂ cm | Heater outer diameter D₀ cm | Conductivity W/(m·K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MW-1 | Mineral wool | 98.0 | 6 | 2 | 0.033 |
| MW-2 | Mineral wool | 97.6 | 10 | 2 | 0.033 |
| PUR-1 | Polyurethane foam | 40.2 | 10 | 2 | 0.034 |
| PUR-2 | Polyurethane foam | 43.0 | 7 | 2 | 0.035 |
| PEF-1 | Polyethylene foam | 19.7 | 7 | 2 | 0.036 |
| FEF-1 | Flexible elastomeric foam | 62.0 | 7 | 2 | 0.039 |
| FEF-2 | Flexible elastomeric foam | 59.4 | 8.4 | 2 | 0.041 |
| EPS-1 | Expanded polystyrene | 16.5 | 12 | 2 | 0.036 |
Lookup example
For mineral-wool pipe sample MW-1, the MW-1 row gives a fitted, upward-rounded conductivity of 0.033 W/(m·K) at 10 °C mean temperature. This applies to that sample, not a design value for other products, and is not for interpolation.
Method and license
The author tested pipe insulation specimens. This table selects sample properties from Table 1 and fitted results from Table 3. The paper reports an expanded measurement uncertainty of 3.64% (k = 2); this does not directly represent the complete uncertainty of the fitted and rounded values here.
Source: Jan Porzuczek, Comparative Study on Selected Insulating Materials for Industrial Piping, Materials 17(7), 1601 (2024), doi:10.3390/ma17071601. © 2024 Jan Porzuczek; Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). This site selected and rearranged the fields, translated labels, and converted diameters from mm to cm; conductivity values are unchanged.
The data are provided without warranty under the original license. Attribution does not imply endorsement of this site or any product by the author or institution.
For reference to the specific research samples only; not a substitute for product testing and design verification.