Success Story Summary

Keeping Biomedical Research Cool

When the National Institutes of Health (NIH) needed a reliable insulation to keep its chilled water system expansion protected, it chose FOAMGLAS^® Insulation. Because much of the chilled water produced at NIH's Bethesda campus is used in medical research and patient facilities where conditioned air is not recirculated, the results are extraordinarily high-ton usage. The summer 1999 peak for the 90-building campus reached almost 38,000 tons. In total, the NIH Bethesda campus boasts approximately 10 linear miles of chilled water piping supply and return lines in its utility tunnel network, direct burial and trench systems. All of the chilled water piping is protected with FOAMGLAS^® cellular glass insulation. FOAMGLAS^® Insulation was the only option that was impervious to water vapor and provided the mechanical strength necessary.

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