Success Story Summary
FOAMGLAS® Insulation Protects Chilled-Water Pipelines from Variety of Hostile Weather Conditions
To sustain site growth, Pharmacia & Upjohn, Inc. increased the chilled-water capacity of its two manufacturing operations in Kalamazoo, Mich., by connecting them into one common district-cooling system. To do this, an existing above-ground trestle located between the two facilities was rebuilt to accommodate additional chilled water piping. The pipe trestle supports are elevated between 22 and 30 feet above ground level. This trestle system now carries about 150 different piping systems, including electrical conduits, brine (a mixture of water and methanol), solvents, compressed air, steam, condensate and a number of chemicals. Michigan's hostile weather environment can cause a number of problems for the operation of any piping system, but this is true for chilled water systems in particular. Since the pipelines on the trestle are exposed to temperatures below 0°F (-17°C) in the winter as well as hot, humid conditions in the summer, specifying a proven insulation system was of the utmost importance. The engineering staff at Pharmacia & Upjohn chose FOAMGLAS
® cellular glass insulation to be used on all piping that transports chilled water, brine, steam and condensate because it performs well over a wide variety of temperatures and weather conditions and is impermeable to moisture, providing long-term insulating value.
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