New ZircoFlex flexible ceramic material delivers lightweight heat protection for heating and ventilation pipes

(01/09/2009)

Zircotec has developed what is believed to be the first ever flexible ceramic heat shield material. Zircotec’s new lightweight flexible ceramic heat shield material can reduce surface temperatures by up to 33 percent.

The new lightweight ZircoFlex™ product offers a robust solution to the thermal protection of heating and ventilation pipes and boilers, and is easily applied to the material surface using either clips or double-sided adhesive tape. The product will be supplied in a roll and can be applied to a wide range of materials.

“ZircoFlex reduces heat loss and helps to make pipes more energy efficient and economical to run,” comments Zircotec sales director Peter Whyman. “In addition to reducing heat loss, applying ZircoFlex to pipes also offers distinct safety advantages, as it lessens the risk of staff suffering serious burns injuries if they come into contact with pipes or boilers. We are continuing our research into flexible ceramic coatings and plan to produce an expanded range of ZircoFlex foils using a range of alternative substrates.”

Zircotec’s plasma sprayed ThermoHold® based coatings are already used for the protection of metallic and composite components in an increasing number of applications. Applied to the material surface in a lightweight layer, Zircotec’s engineered coatings can reduce surface temperatures by up to 33 percent. A limitation of the current process has, until now, been the need to treat parts directly using 14000ºK plasma sprays at the Zircotec factory.

Now, Zircotec has developed a new technology that allows its coatings to be supplied as a thin aluminium backed foil. The new material is lightweight at only 460g/m2 and only 0.25mm thick. ZircoFlex foil is however robust and easy to handle. It can be cut and installed by hand or machine, and is easily fixed in place using mechanical fasteners or high temperature adhesives, allowing it to be integrated directly into existing heating systems.

Ceramic coatings are naturally brittle, which has limited their use up until now to rigid substrates. The new ZircoFlex product, which is the culmination of more than five years’ intensive research and materials science, uses a new technology in which the ceramic material is sprayed in the form of thousands of individual ‘platelets’ on the surface of the foil. While they are close-packed to provide comprehensive heat protection, this structure allows the foil to be bent and manipulated to suit different geometries, and it can even be folded tightly through 180o without damaging the thermal barrier.

Related categories:  Energy management   Pipes - plastic and HDPE   Pipes - copper and other metal