AE A403/603 Arctic Engineering Heat Loss through Insulated Pipe 10/16/2015

Heat Loss Through Insulated Pipe

after PTC MathCAD ebook on Building Thermal Analysis

As in multilayered walls, conduction is assumed to be

one-dimensional. The thermal resistance of an uninsulated cylinder
of inner radius ri and outer radius ro is given by

ro
ln
R=
ri
2 k L

For a pipe with one layer of insulation (conductivity k ins), the thermal
resistance of the insulation is calculated in a similar manner, but
with ri and ro being the inner and outer radii of the insulation. The
total thermal resistance of the insulated pipe is thus calculated by
adding the thermal resistance of the interior and exterior films
(surface resistances) to the thermal resistance of the pipe and the
insulation.

Example: The insulated copper pipe shown below carries hot water at
80 degC from a solar collector to a hot water storage tank. Insulation of
thermal conductivity 0.03 watt/mdegC is employed to reduce heat loss.
Determine the heat loss per meter of length for thickness of insulation in
the range 0.01 m - 0.06 m. What is the surface temperature in each
case?

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AE A403/603 Arctic Engineering Heat Loss through Insulated Pipe 10/16/2015

degC 1 L := 1 m

Tw := 80 degC To := 10 degC

ri := 0.025 m ro := 0.026 m

watt
k := 386
m degC
thermal conductivity
of pipe and insulation
watt
kins := 0.03
m degC

x := 0.01 m , 0.02 m .. 0.06 m

watt interior heat transfer

h i := 300
2 coefficient
m degC

watt exterior heat transfer

h o := 14
2 coefficient
m degC

1 interior film
R inside :=
2 ri h i L resistance

1 exterior film
( )
R outside( x) :=
2 ro + x L h o resistance

ro + x
ln insulation thermal
R ins( x) :=
ro resistance as a function
2 kins L of insulation thickness x

ro pipe thermal resistance

ln (usually very small
R pipe :=
ri compared to the other three
( 2 k L) resistances)

R tot( x) := Rinside + Rins( x) + Rpipe + Routside( x)

Tw - To
q ( x) := heat loss from pipe
R tot( x)

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AE A403/603 Arctic Engineering Heat Loss through Insulated Pipe 10/16/2015

Rtot( x)
=
degC

x q ( x)
= =
m watt watt
variation of thermal
0.01 2.063 33.924
resistance with
0.02 3.295 21.243 insulation thickness
0.03 4.295 16.299 x
0.04 5.136 13.63
0.05 5.861 11.943
0.06 6.5 10.77

40

30
q( x)
watt
20

10
0.02 0.04 0.06
x
m

Tsurface ( x) := To + q ( x) Routside( x)

x Tsurface( x)
= =
m degC
22
0.01 20.713
20
0.02 15.25
0.03 13.309 18
Tsurface( x)
0.04 12.348 16
degC
0.05 11.786 14
0.06 11.424 12

10
0.02 0.04 0.06
x
m

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