Assessment of energy efficiency of application heat-insulating paint for the needs of district heat supply systems

Energy conservation is a priority for most of the nation states. Its relevance in modern world energy industry is growing every year. This problem acquires particular importance when a country is characterized by a lack of fuel and energy resources or adverse climatic conditions. The most effective way to reduce heat losses from heat network pipelines to environment is the use of heat insulation. This paper presents the results of application heat-insulating paint on the surface of main pipeline. The infrared thermometry devices (pyrometer and thermal imager) were used to evaluate the energy efficiency of modern high-tech insulation. The thermograms from thermal imager and the readings from pyrometer were analyzed, it was established that the absolute difference in temperatures of an isolated pipeline section and an unpainted section are 5-10 °C. The studies have also shown that when a 250×6 pipeline is coated with a 1 mm thick heat-insulating paint, it will save 126.1 m3 of natural gas per 1 running meter per year. In monetary terms it will be approximately 610 rubles or about $9 (for the first half of 2020). The payback period of this energy-saving measure should not exceed six months. Increasing the thickness of liquid heat insulation layer is not economically feasible. The equivalent fuel economy is approximately 65% when the heat-insulating paint is of 1 mm thickness, and it will increase by only 8% for a thickness of 1.5 mm.