Aerogel Academy

As winter weather approaches, power plant operators and managers must remain vigilant in preventing freezing of their equipment. Frozen piping, valves, actuators, and instrumentation systems can result in ruptures, leaks, and failures that have devastating consequences—such as costly downtime and unplanned outages.

Operators and managers must ensure that all means of freeze protection are in place before it is too late. One way to prevent a freeze-related catastrophe is to select and install the right kind of thermal mechanical insulation.

Many of you know that Aspen is based outside of Boston and, of course, it is a time for celebration as our beloved Boston Red Sox won the World Series just two nights ago. While we’re enjoying this championship and the fanfare that comes with it, what’s truly inspiring to us is how the team’s preparation and planning led to the ultimate win. The Red Sox won because of their game plan. They were prepared to face the toughest of teams, situations, and challenges. That’s what we do every day at Aspen—we help industrial organizations plan and prepare to keep their assets performing optimally with world-class insulation that prevents Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI).  

Excitement is burbling at Aspen Aerogels as we get ready to participate in Gastech—the leading exhibition and conference for the global gas, LNG, and energy industries. Gastech will take place from September 17-20, 2018, in Barcelona, Spain. We’d love to see you there at stand # O113—while you're there, don't forget to enter to win our daily raffles. We have some special prizes to give away.

Wondering what we have in store? Here are Four Great Reasons to Visit Aspen Aerogels at Gastech 2018. 

Since we know not everyone can attend the event, use this list as a quick cheat sheet on the advantages Cryogel® Z aerogel insulation offers to the LNG and gas processing industries.

No one will argue that insulating process piping and equipment isn't a smart choice for industry—energy is conserved and personnel are protected. But when that insulation breaks down due to heat, water or mechanical abuse, the disadvantages go beyond just increased energy consumption. A recent experience with a US refinery is a good example of how the right choice of insulation can provide immediate, tangible benefits to operations.

When an event resulted in damage to the existing removable insulation blankets on a gas turbine, it led to an unplanned outage at a combined cycle generating facility. Exiting the outage and restarting the plant was contingent upon re-making the insulation blankets and applying them to the turbine as quickly as possible. That's why the facility's contractor turned to Pyrogel® HPS. 

The weight of insulation is becoming increasingly critical for today's congested industrial sites. For some sites, turnaround and maintenance schedules can be negatively impacted by space and weight limitations—just think about the use of cranes where space is restricted as an example. In this post, we focus on the weight of thermal insulation, including when it becomes an important consideration for refinery and chemical processing engineers.

What comes to mind when you think of the word versatility? Multipurpose tools are versatile. All-around athletes are versatile. But your industrial insulation? 

Something that's versatile can be adapted to many uses—and nothing exemplifies that more than a roll of Pyrogel® or Cryogel® flexible aerogel insulation blankets. With their simple roll format, and single product SKU, Pyrogel or Cryogel can be easily adapted to fit a multitude of forms and to meet a wide range of functions.

Versatile insulation, however, means more than just being useful in diverse applications and in nearly any area of your plant. In fact, the biggest advantage of versatile insulation is that it can save you significant time and expense.  Here's how: 

Rain, winds, and recent flooding have affected our families, friends and colleagues around the world. As recovery efforts get underway, we want to help our customers and contractors restart impacted plants and processes safely and efficiently. If thermal insulation on your facility has been impacted by recent destructive weather events, refer to the following Technical Bulletin for guidance.

When an industrial facility gets flooded, low-lying thermal insulation is often one of the first elements to be affected. High winds, moving water, and falling debris can further damage insulated surfaces. To safely and quickly navigate the restart of insulated piping and equipment, consider the following four steps:

Would you recognize a steam vault if you walked over one?  

If you're like most people, you’re probably not aware that steam vaults exist—until the vault providing process steam or heat to your building requires maintenance.

Network operators devote a significant amount of time and energy to keeping their steam systems running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. If you never notice a steam vault, they've done their job. We have the same objective. If a steam vault insulated with Pyrogel® XTE aerogel blankets goes unnoticed, it means our insulation is doing its job. 

So, how can you tell if steam vault insulation is or isn't working? There's a telltale sign to look for next time you're out and about, and it's as green as the grass you walk on. 

During his post-doctoral fellowship at Brookhaven National Laboratory, George Gould, Vice President of Research & Development at Aspen Aerogels, was first introduced to aerogels—nanoporous solids that are extremely important not only for thermal insulation, but also for the future of energy and energy savings.

Since then, George and the team at Aspen have been engineering products for performance, safety, and sustainability—effectively changing the way people think about insulation. As George told us, he truly believes that through advancements in chemistry and engineering, our products can make the world a better place.

It's this "changing the world kind of passion" that makes having a conversation with George so captivating. It's also why we decided to record our most recent sit-down with George so we could share his—and the company's—point of view regarding how aerogel technology innovations are making a difference today.