
Article
Find out what heat leaks are, their causes, and how to solve them in your industrial processes with thermal insulation systems.
By Christian Tavira
Application Engineering & Technical Support Manager - NUTEC
Within industrial processes, temperature control is essential to guarantee product quality, energy efficiency, and worker safety. However, the equipment can often leak heat, causing significant energy losses.
In addition, heat leaks can increase production costs, shorten equipment life, and pose a risk to worker safety and the environment. Therefore, having processes to detect possible failures and employing effective thermal insulation systems are essential elements for achieving the best possible operation.
This article delves into what heat leaks are, what types exist, and how you can address them in your industrial processes.
Heat leakage is the release of thermal energy from an industrial system or process to its surroundings. This can be caused by factors such as:
So, we might find them occurring in various pieces of equipment and industrial processes, such as boilers, pipes, tanks, furnaces, kilns, etc. They can also weaken an operation’s energy efficiency levels - as well as adversely affecting equipment, worker and environmental safety.
Having adequate thermal insulation can prevent or significantly reduce heat leakage, allowing for better temperature control and reduced energy costs.
When the heat generated in a process is transferred to the surrounding environment instead of being used for other purposes, there is heat leakage.
However, once identified, it is advisable to determine the causes of it. Although these may vary according to the context, we present the most frequent:
This is known as collateral damage present in the work environment. It typically occurs when the insulation receives some sort of impact during a charge and discharge process.
This type of damage can also occur in situations where poor maintenance practices have occurred, with insufficient care given to protection of the materials, consequently giving rise to the creation of cracks, fractures, or damage to the insulation, which leads to heat leakage.
Leaving unsealed seams, knocking into insulation during installation, or failing to ensure proper compression of insulating materials can generate heat leaks. For this reason, it is vital to have an engineering team with the necessary experience to guide you in the thermal insulation installation process.
Likewise, you must be able to provide as much information as possible about your process to the engineering team that will be undertaking your insulation installation project.
Insulating materials are frequently exposed to reducing conditions that harm the ceramic fiber. That is, reducing atmospheres can decrease the thermal qualities of the material or alter the process (for example, hydrogen saturation can increase the thermal conductivity, which may require a reassessment of the insulation system).
Insulation systems tend to degrade over time due to their continuous shrinking process during use or the incidence of factors such as airspeed (causing erosion).
Some steps that can be followed to identify heat leaks in industrial processes are:
Pro tip 1: Contact us if you require a thermographic inspection for your industrial process.
Heat loss in your system can be a complicated matter due to the various consequences it can give rise to. On the other hand, implementing effective measures for its correction can provide you with the following advantages:
Leak detection and remediation can be complex and require a multidisciplinary approach. It is advisable to have a team of insulation experts who can help identify and correct heat leaks in your installation.
To solve a heat leak, it is necessary to consider factors such as the following:
Pro tip 2: Some products allow you to increase the useful life of the insulation, such as MaxPumpable.
Pro tip 3: Several factors influence the choice of a thermal insulation solution. Read about them here
Implementing an insulating solution requires proper installation and effective planning. It is crucial to have professionals trained and experienced in installing thermal insulation systems to guarantee the effectiveness of the insulation used in the process.
In addition, performing periodic maintenance of these systems to ensure their proper functioning and to detect possible leaks or damage to the material is essential. This would bring the following benefits:
Thermal insulation systems help maintain proper temperatures, increasing both the efficiency and safety of the process. In summary, improving an industrial operation’s efficiency, productivity, and profitability is a wise investment overall.
Contact us today if you want to explore and acquire NUTEC's high-temperature engineered solutions.
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