heat loss through pipe 4

[mechanicaldup]

What formula can be used to determine the heatloss of a pipe insulated with a certain material?

 

[zdas04]

Look for references to "Thermal Entry Length" in your text books and/or search engine. This concept was a big part of my Masters Theses in 1993 and there simply is no way to get any useful results from a Reader's Digest condensation of the theory. As I recall, the "formula" you are looking for was 10 closely-typed pages in my theses and a solid month of 20 hour days.

Few pipeline problems seem to require that sort of rigor, but since I needed to know condensation performance of a warm 100% RH gas as it cooled to ground temperature in a decreasing-pressure environment then I don't know what steps I could have skipped. That was before the days of cheep FEA.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

http://www.muleshoe-eng.com

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

The harder I work, the luckier I seem

 

[kenvlach]

There is a new version (4) of the free 3E Plus® Insulation Thickness Computer Program developed by the North American Insulation Manufacturers. It can

"Calculate the thermal performance of both insulated and uninsulated piping, ducts and equipment,
Translate Btu losses into actual dollars,
Calculate greenhouse gas emission and reductions,
et., etc."

http://www.pipeinsulation.org/

 

[mechanicaldup]

Is there perhaps useful tables that can be used for various diameter, insulation materials and fluid temperatures?

thks