Stainless steel and aluminum are often used for insulation jacketing, which is very important to industries such as oil and gas processing, petrochemical processing and even power stations. BS Stainless is currently finishing up the details of a brand-new jacketing system, which is the result of a two-year project focused on second reduction.
Oil and gas pipelines need effective acoustic insulation to ensure they are functioning. Current methods include covering the pipe with insulation material that is then wrapped with mass-loaded vinyl (MLV) for acoustic insulation before a stainless steel or aluminum jacketing sheet, secured with banding that is used for the final layer to hold everything together and provide weather protection. BS Stainless is proposing a product that will seamlessly combine the jacketing and acoustic insulation, providing both materials in a single item called Soundmet.
The product has been designed with three principles: effective damping of sound and vibration, a reduction in man-hours and the prevention of CUI. Soundmet acoustic insulation has been fully tested and analyzed and is now in its final stages of development, although it should be available by early 2015.