Economic Insulation Thickness

The insulation thickness that minimises total cost for your energy and material prices, with its payback.

Unit system

Inputs

Nominal pipe sizePipe scheduleSteam pressure (absolute)

The pipe temperature is taken as the saturation temperature of this pressure.Ambient temperature

Insulation materialOuter claddingHeat energy price

Use the figure from the steam unit cost calculation — the price of DELIVERED heat, not of fuel.Annual running time

Installed insulation price

€/m³

Material + labour + cladding, per unit volume. Thicker insulation is a bigger cylinder — cost rises with cross-section, not thickness.Payback horizon (years)

Economic thickness

100mm

Annual saving per metre

339.9€

Details

Loss per metre at this thickness	0.03773 kW
Bare loss per metre	1.1 kW
Outer surface temperature	28.04 °C
Insulation cost per metre	23.56 €
Payback (years)	0.07
Reduction in loss	0.966
Assessment	At the economic optimum the surface is 28 °C — below the touch-safety limit.

Assumptions

The optimum is found by scanning in 1 mm steps. The curve is flat-bottomed, so a few millimetres change the total by a fraction of a per cent.
The insulation cost is volumetric and spread linearly over the horizon; interest and inflation are not included.
The pipe is held at saturation temperature; with superheated steam the real loss is higher.

Continue with this result

Detailed heat loss at this thicknessPipe Heat Loss & Surface Temperature

Calculation report

A PDF carrying the inputs, results, assumptions and the source. A one-time code is sent to your address.

Source

EN ISO 12241 · Boru ve ekipmanda ısı geçişi — yüzey ve yalıtım dirençleri · 2022
Toplam maliyet en küçüklemesi · yıllık toplam = yatırım ÷ yıl + enerji kaybı bedeli
IAPWS-IF97 (R7-97) · Doyma sıcaklığı · 2007

Results are for engineering pre-assessment and are not a product selection commitment. Final responsibility rests with the user.