To eliminate problems associated with glass microsphere dissolution, Balmoral SupathermPlus™ utilises the same hydrolysis-resistant resin system as Balmoral Supatherm syntactic foam but simply omits the hollow glass microspheres. As well as being essentially immune to hydrostatic compression, this non-cellular resin system exhibits extremely low water ingress rates and saturation values.
As a result, whilst the start-of-life k-value of SupathermPlus is higher than that of a syntactic foam system, it suffers negligible deterioration at depth over its service life.
The particular advantage of the microsphere-free Balmoral SupathermPlus system is that its ultra-stable k-value is achieved and maintained at temperatures up to and beyond 110ºC, temperatures at which all microsphere-containing systems – and the majority of pure polymer systems such as polyurethane and commodity epoxies – would have suffered massive water ingress, degradation and k-value increase.
Applications The Balmoral Supatherm insulation systems are most commonly used in flooded, modular insulation systems for manifolds, ‘Christmas trees’, hybrid riser towers, flooded sealine bundles and connectors and flanges in insulated flowlines.
Balmoral SupathermPlus mechanical and thermal properties. Unlimited depth rating
Property
Value
Density @ 20ºC
1150kg/m3
Tensile strength MPa
20ºC
40ºC
70ºC
90ºC
110ºC
64
60
51
45
35
Tensile (Young's) modulus MPa
20ºC
40ºC
70ºC
90ºC
110ºC
2595
2520
2460
2410
2720
Tensile strain at break %
20ºC
40ºC
70ºC
90ºC
110ºC
4.6
5.2
5.4
4.7
3.2
Uniaxial compressive strength MPa
4ºC
20ºC
40ºC
70ºC
90ºC
110ºC
106
83
73
67
63
49
Uniaxial compressive modulus MPa
4ºC
20ºC
40ºC
70ºC
90ºC
110ºC
2150
1940
1980
1935
1815
1835
Property
Value
Compressive strain at break @ 20ºC
6.4%
Shear strength @20ºC
48.00MPa
Flexural strength @ 25ºC
99.62MPa
Flexural modulus @ 20ºC
2420MPa
Hydrostatic collapse pressure @ 90ºC
Not measurable
Est elastic compression @ 135bar 55ºC % bv
<0.5
Est EOL water ingress
150mm thick section 4-70ºC gradient % bv
<<1.0
Est EOL increase in k-value ex compression
& water ingress @ 1500msw, 100mm section
4-90ºC gradient %