The temperature and pressure of the steam being transported are important factors in selecting insulation materials. High-temperature, high-pressure steam requires high-temperature resistant, high-strength insulation materials, such as aluminium silicate, microporous calcium silicate, etc.; medium and low-temperature steam can use glass wool, rock wool, etc. For example, for steam pipelines transporting pressure of 2.5Mpa and temperature below 350℃, a composite insulation structure of aluminium silicate needled blanket + glass wool is commonly used. It can also combine inorganic insulation layers (such as microporous calcium silicate) and organic insulation layers (such as polyurethane) to meet the insulation needs in high-temperature, high-pressure environments.

Secondly,themethodoflayingthesteampipelineandtheenvironmentinwhichitislocatedmustalsobeconsidered,suchasundergrounddirectburial,overheadlaying,indoorandoutdoorenvironments,etc.Undergrounddirectburialpipelinesrequireinsulationmaterialstohavegoodwaterproofandcompressiveproperties;overheadlayingpipelinesneedtoconsiderthematerial’swindresistanceandUVresistance.Inhumidenvironments,priorityisgiventoinsulationmaterialswithgoodwaterproofandmoisture-proofproperties;inenvironmentswithariskofchemicalcorrosion,corrosion-resistantinsulationmaterialsmustbeused.

Ofcourse,duetothesignificantpricedifferencesbetweendifferentinsulationmaterials,costmustbecomprehensivelyconsideredunderthepremiseofmeetinginsulationperformanceandengineeringrequirements.Forexample,rockwoolandglasswoolhaverelativelylowcostsandarewidelyusedinprojectssensitivetocostandwithmoderateperformancerequirements;somehigh-performance,specialmaterials,althoughmoreexpensive,stillhaveapplicationvalueinimportantprojectswithextremelyhighrequirementsforinsulationeffectandservicelife.Atthesametime,constructioncosts,maintenancecosts,andothercomprehensivecostfactorsmustalsobeconsidered.

Theselectionofinsulationmaterialsforsteel-sheathedsteelsteaminsulationpipelinesrequirescomprehensiveconsiderationofvariousfactors.Byreasonablyselectinginsulationmaterials,theinsulationeffectofpipelinescanbeeffectivelyimproved,energylossreduced,pipelineservicelifeextended,andasolidguaranteeprovidedforthestableandefficientoperationofthesteamtransportsystem.