The Project and the duration requirement
In all projects of the insulation and construction sectors, a guarantee of the product used is requested, and this pre-supposes a measure / technical evaluation of its characteristics over time. Legal Regulations attempt to approach reality by describing this behaviour though laboratory measurement by mathematic extrapolations of the measured value, or though simulations by submitting the material to accelerated ageing, in extreme conditions of temperature, and / or pressure. They are necessary to support provisional calculations, especially in the absence of real data, when, in terms of application, product and legal regulations they are only in the initial stage.
However we should consider that they are based on conventional and mediated choices, and the real situation could be, case by case, slightly different. Furthermore, they do not take into account installation, which significantly influence the performances of the final application, both after installation and long-term. As we all know, on-site verifications are becoming more and more frequent, also spurred by modern laws and regulations. This is an important step ahead toward the verification of the application's real performance, and alsomake it possible to obtain information about its life and that of its components (by conveniently seprating the contribution of the components: materials, type of structure and installations quality.) We, as producers, feel involved in this activity, with the intention of supplying the best technical support to our customers and designers, also because we are convinced that a good product can be seen in the preservation of its qualities through time. ...like a good wine, for instance.
TROCELLEN vintage
We are involved in many projects on an international scale too and this enables us to know many applications and make bst use our experience in support of experience measures. In the insulation and building sectors, these activities have developed in over 30 years, especially thanks to companies better known with the name Italkalor, Weiss industriale, HT, and polifoam.
We can therefore affirm that some types of Trocellen products have exceeded 10 years of life in different situations: underground as an acoustic anti-vibration element for city tram lines; or in the extreme conditions of the desert or of Siberia, as a water shield in car doors. But how can we demostrate that it has been used for more than 30 years to insulate canals and pipes to help the energy saving? Information on the life of our products is almost always obtained from the feedback of our customers, but sometimes our presence on the market bears its fruits. ...an example for all:
1985 - Heating station insulated with Trocellen
Twenty-tree years ago Italkalor insulated the heating station of the hothouses of cooperative company"L'Ortofrutticola" of Albenga (Savona) by a plumber of Borghetto S.Spirito.
The zone's agent and technical assistance supervised all the stages, starting from the choice of the most suitable product through to installation. After performing its duty 20 years, the activity of the heating station was stopped. We had learned that it was possible to verify the quality of the insulation, still present in the system before complete putting out of service. We therefore went there to make an on-site inspection.
The general view shows clean, well-organized work performed by professionals, respecting the system insulation rules.
…even though today more attention would be given to valve insulation.
The metal finish, to make the surface scratch resistant, enhances the overall look and the brightness of the room.
…what the eye sees is also important!
The insulation and finishes are still in place and able to perform their function.
A surface in good condition without any cracks
…despite time and dust.
The current condition of the system shows that the insulation was able to significantly exceed 23 years of effective use.
However the appearance could deceive. We therefore wanted to verify, in the laboratory, the thermal conductivity of the 23-year old product, comparing the data with those measured with the internal method and with instrumentation already in use in 1985.
| Property | Unit | 1985 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermal Conductivity | W/mK | 0,0394 | 0,0394 |
