Design and simulation of a vacuum insulation tube for steam pipes.

Abstract

An industrial steam boiler is a closed vessel. which is used to heat -water into vapour(steam) Steam is a colorless, odorless gas with the ability to transfer large amounts of thermal energy due to its high enthalpy This high enthalpy makes steam an excellent candidate for wide variety of applications such as heat treatment, sterilization pharmaceuticals, energy production, and drying (Kandel. 2010). During the transfer of steam through the steam the temperature of steam heats up the interior of the steam pipe creating a temperature gradient between the interior and the exterior of the pipe. This temperature gradient causes heat to flow from the interior of the pipe to the exterior thus heating up the surface of the pipe. This results into skin burn accidents and heat losses due to condensation of the steam among other problems. On noticing this, many researchers have tried to come up with possible solutions to these problems by designing insulators like Asbestos insulation, Fiberglass Blanket Insulation, Calcium Silicate Insulation, among others. However, these insulations are not efficient in the long run because they heat up and expand creating gaps within the insulator which leads to accidents. Furthermore, these insulators are designed with a very thick -material leading to Wastage of resources. Therefore, this project is aimed at designing vacuum insulation tubes (VIT), so as to solve problems of the previous insulations VIT' technology is an insulating method designed with concentric tubes separated by an and a vacuum to prevent heat loss from the steam pipes by conduction. This technology is able to achieve the surface touch temperature thus eliminating skin bum accidents, reducing heat losses and keeping the steam pipes warm. The technology is also easy to install has a longer-lifespan and requires negligible maintenance. The VIT technology design is able to keep the surface touch temperature below 600C for more than 36 hours in the simulated environment. The VIT design. is simulated with matlab and solid works. rnatlab simulation is a 2D model and solid works simulation is a 3D model.