Refinery & Petrochemical Insulation
Industrial Insulation to Help Maintain Critical Process Conditions, Protect Assets from Corrosion Under Insulation and Maximize Process Yields in Refineries and Petrochemical Plants
For more than 20 years, the largest refineries and petrochemical facilities in the world have depended on Pyrogel® and Cryogel® aerogel insulation to help solve their toughest insulation challenges. With class-leading thermal performance, superior CUI defense, and complimentary engineering support, our aerogel insulation solutions are a top choice for helping facilities meet or exceed their production goals and extend the life of assets.
From maximizing performance in harsh environments such as delayed coking to developing passive fire protection solutions for offshore facilities, our team of engineers is ready to support your project. The combination of our innovative industrial insulation products and Technical Services support has helped facilities save thousands—in many cases millions—of dollars by reducing operation, maintenance, and labor costs.
Benefits
Discover the 6 Time-Saving Advantages of Pyrogel and Cryogel During Turnarounds
Project Profiles
Meeting Tight Deadlines for an Isomerization Tower at a U.S. Refinery
In less than a week, a 120’ tall by 12’ wide isomerization tower needed to be pre-insulated and trucked across the country. Delaying the deadline would cost the contractor thousands of dollars in penalties but continuing with their original plan of calcium silicate would increase labor hours by 40%. Not sure what to do, the contractor called Aspen Aerogels. Pyrogel XTE was selected not only for its thermal protection and speed of installation, but it also drastically simplified logistics. The site went from hundreds of boxes of rigid material to only fifteen, 850 sq. ft. rolls of Pyrogel XTE.
The Result – In just 3 ½ days, not only was insulation completed—but the entire tower was jacketed and scaffolding demobilized, easily beating the tight deadline.
Gulf Coast Refinery Restarted 3 Days Early After an Unplanned Shutdown
A refinery experienced an unexpected shutdown of one of its units, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars each day it was offline. Although the team had incumbent insulation at the ready, it would take too long to install. An emergency call was placed to Aspen Aerogels and it was decided to throw out $125k worth of perlite because the cost savings of Pyrogel offset material waste. By 5PM, 90 rolls of Pyrogel were delivered and installation began immediately.
The Result – The facility opened 3 days ahead of schedule. And when the upcoming turnaround arrived, Pyrogel was removed and reused without additional insulation spend required.
Unplanned Work on A Desalter Unit
When severely damaged rigid insulation was removed from a desalter unit at a Midwest refinery, a bad case of CUI was found underneath. The vessel would need to be completely stripped and reinsulated according to API-521 standards—but the lead time offered by the rigid material manufacturer would have meant a delay of up to six weeks. Pyrogel XTF was on-site and ready for use within four hours after receiving the initial call.
The Result – Weeks of possible downtime transformed into only twenty-four hours. The desalter was fully insulated with Pyrogel XTF in under a day.