Underdeck insulation – heat reducing technique in industrial process or plant

Underdeck insulation in an industrial process or plant is often neglected but is one of the most important techniques to reduce the heat inflow. Underdeck insulation ensures low consumption of energy that is spent on maintaining inner atmosphere of the plant and also stops the radiant heat entering the factory that increases the temperature substantially. Underdeck insulation may not add to the cost of construction as its payback period in the form of lower energy bills is very short. It should be noted that underdeck insulation helps not only to reduce energy consumption and energy bills but also helps to make significant input for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Different types of underdeck insulation materials are available in the market. Supreme Industries manufactures two products, viz., INSUshield and INSUreflector which can be effectively used in underdeck insulation in any industrial process or plant.

INSUshield - a non-fibrous, fire retardant, closed-cell, tri-dimensional chemically cross-linked polyethylene foam suitable for AC duct insulation, underdeck insulation, pipeline, and acoustic flooring. As it is more than 90% closed-cell, there is negligible water/moisture absorption. INSUshield is chemically inert, thus providing resistance to chemical attack. Prolonged exposure to extreme operating temperatures will not have any impact on INSUshield, as it performs well in wide operating temperature range from -40°C to + 80°C.

INSUreflector is a radiant heat reflective insulation material made of polyethylene Air Bubble Film (ABF) laminated with aluminium foil on one or both sides. INSUreflector is a low e-reflective insulation material with a low mass to air ratio, which effectively blocks the radiant heat transfer. Its air bubbled polyethylene film has a quality of slow reaction against the temperature variation and also acts very slowly for transmitting thermal heat due to its closed air bubble. At the same time, aluminium foil on the other side acts as a reflective material and reflects 96–99% infra-red radiation received by the surface of the heated slated roof. Together aluminium and polyethylene film also act as a moisture-barrier and builds odourless atmosphere inside the process room.

Both INSUshield and INSUreflector are certified 'Class O' in Fire Propagation and 'Class 1' in Surface Spread of Flame as per BS 476 Part 6 & Part 7, respectively. Both are widely used as insulation material and are proven to be very cost-effective.