The island of Guernsey is partly dependent on heavy fuel oil for its power generation. The oil has to be imported by ship and taken 0.5km by pipe along the docks and local roads to the power station.
This gives three potential problems: the oil needs to be heated to keep flowing, the pipe has to be buried, and corrosion failure is an ever-present risk.
FOAMGLAS® helps prevent corrosion under Insulation
Guernsey Electricity has suffered pipe failures in the past and so it was critical to them that the pipe was protected against all possible causes of failure including corrosion. In addition to anti-corrosive paint coatings on the pipe, cathodic protection was specified. This meant that no metals, not even foils or bands, were allowed around the pipe and so a non-metallic coating, Terostat, was factory applied to the FOAMGLAS®. Furthermore the 100% closed-cell glass structure of FOAMGLAS® gives protection against water ingress and corrosion under insulation.
FOAMGLAS® prevents fire hazards
Trace heating temperatures meant that plastic foams were unsuitable due to the risk of scorching. FOAMGLAS® cellular glass insulation will not scorch or burn.
FOAMGLAS® buried under access roads
Burial under roads and docks meant that a load bearing insulation was required. FOAMGLAS® has exceptional compressive strength and so is ideal for buried applications.
FOAMGLAS® allows for pre-insulation
The short site programme meant that pre-insulation was essential. The strength of FOAMGLAS® meant that 12m spools of 8" pipework could be pre-insulated on site and lifted with just a 2-point lift making installation straightforward.
FOAMGLAS® cellular glass insulation
FOAMGLAS® is totally impermeable to moisture of any kind, resists the development of corrosion by minimising water intrusion and retention, does not contribute to the corrosion of carbon or stainless steels and becomes an integral component of a corrosion protection barrier. FOAMGLAS® is effective in the temperature range -270°C to +480°C.