Catalytic reformer at a refining/chemical complex in Texas, USA.
An unplanned shutdown left only three days to re-insulate a catalytic reformer — and the incumbent perlite required six. Pyrogel® XTE went in inside the three-day window, returning the unit to service ahead of schedule.
3 days of window, 6 days of perlite.
The site had already purchased perlite to re-insulate the unit, but the unplanned shutdown collapsed the available window from six days to three.
- Unplanned shutdown mid-TAR. Window dropped from planned to emergency.
- Perlite already purchased. Material was on site, but its install time exceeded the available days.
- $250k revenue lost per operational day. Every additional shutdown day had a direct, large-dollar cost.
Switch to Pyrogel® XTE inside the three-day window.
An on-site engineer proposed Pyrogel® XTE; the team converged within the morning, took delivery the same afternoon, and installed inside three days.
- Pyrogel® XTE re-insulated in record time. Installed in 3 days versus 6 with the original perlite spec.
- Benefit of time exceeded sunk material cost. Operator agreed to absorb the perlite write-off.
- ROI under 2.1 days. Revenue recovered from earlier restart paid for the material almost immediately.
- Reusable for future inspections. Material can be removed for inspection and reinstalled.
- ~150 rolls of Pyrogel® XTE. Delivered same-day from distribution.
50% faster turnaround and a $750K revenue gain.
The substitution to Pyrogel® XTE compressed the insulation phase by half and returned the unit to service in time to capture roughly $750k in revenue that would have otherwise been lost. The operator added Pyrogel® XTE to plans for the upcoming sitewide rejuvenation program.
Stuck in an unplanned outage with no time to install?
Aspen can ship Pyrogel® XTE same-day from distribution — install rate beats every traditional cold-pipe insulation.