Chemical Engineering Department

School Year 2018 - 2019

Experiment No. 3
BARE AND LAGGED PIPES

1. Objective:
 To determine heat flow rate through the bare and lagged pipes.
 To determine the thermal conductivity of lagging material by assuming the input to be the
heat flow rate through lagged pipe.
 To determine the efficiency of insulating materials.
2. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs):
The students shall be able to:
2.1 Explain the principles behind from bare and lagged pipes considering the materials used in the
system.
2.2 Apply the appropriate standards and tables in the calculation of heat losses to improve the system
efficiency
3. Discussion:
I. ABSTRACT
Thermal conductivity is the measure of the ability of a material to allow the flow of heat from
its warmer surface through the material to its colder surface; it is determined as the heat energy
transferred per unit of time and per unit of surface area divided by the temperature gradient.
Temperature gradient is defined as the difference of temperature divided by the distance
between the two surfaces usually expressed in watts per Kelvin per meter. The objectives of this
experiment are to determine the thermal conductivity and efficiency of the lagging materials.
The heat input would be assumed equal to the heat flow rate through the lagged pipe. The
material being used in this experiment is the bare and lagged pipes set-up apparatus, boiler,
digital thermometers, heat resistant gloves, and container and steam condensate collector.

Heat transfer is the movement of thermal energy from one thing to another thing of different
temperature. These objects could be two solids, a solid and a liquid or gas, or even within a
 Chemical Engineering Department
School Year 2018 - 2019

liquid or gas. Heat transfer by conduction involves transfer of energy within a material without
any motion of the material as a whole. Energy transfers from more energetic to less energetic
molecules when neighbouring molecules collide. Heat flows in direction of decreasing
temperatures since higher temperatures are associated with higher molecular energy. The rate of
heat transferred naturally depends on the magnitude of the temperature difference, the thermal
resistance, and the heat transfer area. The use of insulation is the most common method of
minimizing the heat losses to the surroundings. This increases the resistance therefore lower the
rate of heat transfer. The rate of heat lost from a pipe carrying steam can be measured simply by
determining the rate of condensation of steam, m, which can be collected at a certain interval of
time.
4. Resources:
Materials/Equipment Needed:
1. Bare and Lagged Pipe Apparatus Set Up
2. Boiler
3. Digital Thermometers
4. Heat Resistant Gloves
5. Container
6. Steam Condenser Collector
5. Procedure:
The bare and lagged pipe apparatus set- up was preheated for five (5) minutes by allowing the
steam through the tubes until the temperature reading becomes stable. The valves were then
opened at the end of each tube. Then, a constant pressure of the incoming team was set by
adjusting the valve that controls the steam inflow. This was done by closing the valves at the
end of the tubes and measuring the pressure when it becomes constant. The corresponding
temperature was also measured. The valves at the end of the tubes were opened and the steam
was allowed to run through for five (5) minutes. The condensates at the end of the tubes were
collected using a metal basin. After five (5) minutes, the temperature at the inlet and outlet of
the tubes were recorded using thermometers. The temperature and the volume of the condensate
were measured. The temperature of the condensate was immediately recorded as it drops into
the metal basin so that the minimal heat is lost upon measurement.
 Chemical Engineering Department
School Year 2018 - 2019

6. Data and Results:

Trial 1:

Pressure: 15 psig Temperature: 125°C Time: 1 minute

Inlet Outlet Volume Temperature
Pipe Temperature Temperature Condensate Condensate
(°C) (°C) (mL) (°C)
Perlite 59 43 10 53
Bare Pipe 58 46 25 64
Pipe (3x Coated) 67 62 7.5 44
Insulated Pipe 58 54 0.7 42

Trial 2:
Pressure: 20 psig Temperature: 125°C Time: 5 minutes
Inlet Outlet Volume Temperature
Pipe Temperature Temperature Condensate Condensate
(°C) (°C) (mL) (°C)
Perlite 60 47 31 55
Bare Pipe 57 51 75 51
Pipe (3x Coated) 69 61 59 34
Insulated Pipe 56 53 16 39

Perlite Pipe :
Pipe inside Diameter: 0.41m
Pipe outside Diameter: 0.4396m
Pipe Thickness: 0.03m
Name of Insulator: N/A
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School Year 2018 - 2019

Thermal Conductivity of Insulator: N/A

Insulation Thickness: N/A
Length of Pipe: 2.657m

Bare Pipe:
Pipe inside Diameter: 0.41m
Pipe outside Diameter: 0.4395m
Pipe Thickness: 0.03m
Name of Insulator: N/A
Thermal Conductivity of Insulator: N/A
Insulation Thickness: N/A
Length of Pipe: 2.657m

3x Coated Pipe :
Pipe inside Diameter: 0.41m
Pipe outside Diameter: 0.4367m
Pipe Thickness: 0.03m
Name of Insulator: N/A
Thermal Conductivity of Insulator: N/A
Insulation Thickness: N/A
Length of Pipe: 2.657m

Insulated Pipe :
Pipe inside Diameter: 0.41m
Pipe outside Diameter: 0.4395m
Pipe Thickness: 0.03m
Name of Insulator: N/A
Thermal Conductivity of Insulator: N/A
Insulation Thickness: N/A
Length of Pipe: 2.657m
 Chemical Engineering Department
School Year 2018 - 2019

For trial 1,
Q/m = 2253.3594 kJ/kg

k insulator = 1.564

Lagging efficiency = 78.67%

Lagging efficiency is a quantity that characterizes the materials capability in performing as an insulator,
that is, it is a measure of the materials propensity of impeding the movement of heat or rather the loss
of heat from its respective source. For insulators, it is then apparent that such materials must possess a
large lagging efficiency while conductors should have lower values in comparison. This quantity is
often measured as the volume of condensate of an Insulated pipe against the volume of condensate of a
bare pipe under the same operating conditions. The Bare pipe has a lagging efficiency equivalent to
zero since the said pipe does not possess any form of insulation and it is the point of reference for the
efficiency.

Subject: Unit Operations Lab 1 Experiment No: 3

Group No: 1 Section: 51102
Group Members: Date Performed:
Calasanz, Bllie Jean S. & Castasus, Nicole Faye Date Submitted: November 13, 2018.
Flores, Jernel G. & Layug, Kez M. Instructor: Engr. Robert Delfin
Martinez, Ryan Christopher S.

7. Calculations:
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School Year 2018 - 2019

a. Insulated Pipe
For Trial 1:
𝑄/𝑚 = 𝐶𝑝∆𝑇 + (ℎ𝑣𝑎𝑝 − ℎ𝑙𝑖𝑞)

At Steam: Ts = 125 ºC = 398.15K

Ps = 15 psi ~ 103.421 kPa
Cp = 1.897 kJ/kg-K
Tsaturation = 108.8 ºC = 381.95 K
Ts > Tsaturation
Therefore, steam is in superheated state

At Tsaturation = 381.95 K
Hvap = 2678.852 kJ/kg
Hliq = 456.224 kJ/kg

𝑄/𝑚 = (1.897)(398.15 − 381.95) + (2678.852 − 456.224)

Heat flow rate:

Q/m = 2253.3594 kJ/kg

Tave of pipe = 47ºC = 320.15 K

𝐴2 −𝐴1 𝐴3 −𝐴2
𝐴 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛1 = 𝐴 𝐴 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛2 = 𝐴
ln( 2 ) ln( 3 )
𝐴1 𝐴2

2𝜋(2.657𝑚)(0.201885𝑚−0.171885𝑚)
𝐴 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛1 = 0.201885 = 3.11 𝑚2
ln( )
0.171885

2𝜋(2.657𝑚)(0.464735𝑚−0.201885𝑚)
𝐴 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛2 = 0.464735 = 5.26 𝑚2
ln( )
0.201885

(𝑇𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚 − 𝑇𝑎𝑣𝑒, 𝑝𝑖𝑝𝑒)

𝑄= 𝑟2 − 𝑟1 𝑟3 − 𝑟2
+
𝑘𝑝𝑖𝑝𝑒 𝐴𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛1 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝐴𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛2

(393.15 − 320.15)𝐾
2253.3594 =
0.201885 − 0.171885 0.464735 − 0.201885
+
78.92(3.11) 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 (5.26)
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k insulator = 1.564

Lagging Efficiency
𝑉𝑏 − 𝑉1
𝐿𝑎𝑔𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 = 𝑥 100
𝑉𝑏

Where Vb = volume of condensate in bare pipe

Vl = volume of condensate in lagged pipe (on this case, Insulatred pipe 1)
75−16
𝐿𝑎𝑔𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 = 𝑥 100 = 78.67%
75

8. Conclusion:

It can be concluded that the determined experimental and theoretical heat losses for each pipe
shows reasonably same results through the use of the heat transfer coefficient for convection and
radiation in computing for heat losses. The Insulated Pipe, gave the highest lagging efficiency among
all the pipes. The lagging efficiency is used in order to measure the performance of an insulator.
On our group we were able to achieve that the inlet pressure is an important variable that affects
the amount of steam that is allowed to flow through the pipes, in a nutshell, the pressure is directly
proportional to the amount of supplied steam. The amount of heat transferred during the supplanting is
also multiplied by a certain factor but is often minimized through the utilization of an insulator. This
flow concept is often quantized and given through explanation by the principles of Momentum Transfer
and Heat Transfer. The flow however is a quantity that cannot be accurately measured nor precisely
computed since the variable s necessary in obtaining such a value cannot be attained.
Thermal conductivity (often denoted k, λ, or κ) refers to the intrinsic ability of a material to
transfer heat. It is one of the three methods of heat transfer, the other two being convection and
 Chemical Engineering Department
School Year 2018 - 2019

radiation. Thermal conductivity occurs through molecular agitation and contact, and does not result in
the bulk movement of the solid itself. Heat moves along a temperature gradient, from an area of high
temperature and high molecular energy to an area with a lower temperature and lower molecular
energy. This transfer will continue until thermal equilibrium is reached. Thermal conductivity is the
opposite of the function of an insulator, it is only correct, that such a constant must be low since
insulators do not conduct but rather, they hinder such measure of heat. However, this quantity is prone
to unconventionalities due to several factors such as the oldness of the equipment, particularly the
eminence of the pipes, the availability of instruments when it comes in measuring the quantities needed,
and the data available for the specifications of the tube itself.
9. Pictures:

10. Further Readings:

 Chemical Engineering Department
School Year 2018 - 2019

Cao, E. (2010). Heat transfer in process engineering. Boston: McGraw-Hill Professional.

Cengel,Y.A. and Ghajar, A.J. (2011). Heat and mass transfer: fundamentals and applications (4th ed.).
New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hellemans, M. (2009). The safety relief valve handbook: design and use of process safety valves to
ASME. Massachusetts: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Kakac,S., Liu, H., and Pramuanjaroenkij, A. (2012). Heat exchangers: selection, rating and thermal
design. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.
Kothandaraman, C.P. and Rudramoorthy, R.(2011). Fluid mechanics and machinery (3rd ed.). United
Kingdom: New Academic Science.
Strathmann, H. (2011). Introduction to membrane science and technology. Germany: Wiley-VCH
Verlag & Co.
13. Assessment (Rubric for Laboratory Performance):
Chemical Engineering Department
School Year 2018 - 2019