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3E Plus Insulation Calculator - With Solved Examples

The 3E Plus software calculates the optimal insulation thickness for pipes and equipment based on factors like energy savings, costs, and emissions reductions. It will be used in energy assessments to determine insulation recommendations and quantify associated savings in energy, costs, and greenhouse gas reductions. The software operates on Windows systems and can analyze most insulation materials and fuel types.

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myself_ritesh
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272 views21 pages

3E Plus Insulation Calculator - With Solved Examples

The 3E Plus software calculates the optimal insulation thickness for pipes and equipment based on factors like energy savings, costs, and emissions reductions. It will be used in energy assessments to determine insulation recommendations and quantify associated savings in energy, costs, and greenhouse gas reductions. The software operates on Windows systems and can analyze most insulation materials and fuel types.

Uploaded by

myself_ritesh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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3E Plus Program Software

Insulation Thickness Calculator

Benefits, Usage and Evaluation

U.S. EPA Grant Number NP – 00E01561


Background
• 3E Plus is an industrial energy management tool
developed by the North American Insulation
Manufacturers Association. It is used to simplify the
task of determining how much insulation is
necessary to:
o Use less energy
o Reduce plant emissions
o Improve process efficiency

• Designed for:
o Facility managers
o Energy/environmental engineers
o Industrial process engineers
o Industrial plant managers
Background (cont’d)
• 3E Plus program is an integral part of several private
sector and governmental-sponsored energy
efficiency programs
• Featured in the National Insulation Association’s
(NIA) Insulation Energy Appraisal Program (IEAP)
• IEAP provides detailed instruction on how to use 3E
Plus as well as a complete energy appraisal on
pipes and ducts
• The Department of Energy also used 3E Plus to
develop its Industrial Insulation Guidelines
• No training is necessary, but many users find
attending a training session through the NIA helpful
3E Plus Program
Overview
• Determines economic thickness of insulations based
on ROI for chosen fuel cost, installed cost, tax rates,
maintenance, etc.
• Calculates amount of insulation needed for
personnel protection
• Calculates amount of insulation needed for
condensation control
• Calculates greenhouse gas emissions and
reductions
3E Plus Program
Overview (cont’d)
• Determines surface temperature and heat loss/gain
calculations of individual insulation thicknesses up to
20 inches (250 mm)
• Solves for outside insulated surface temperatures for
all types of insulation applications
• Calculates bare vs. insulated heat loss efficiency
percentages for horizontal and vertical piping,
ducts and flat surfaces
3E Plus Program Details
• The 3E Plus version 4.1 operates in Windows XP, Vista
and Windows 7, 8, 10 environments
• Customized program details such as insulation
materials, jacketing, fuel types and base metals can
be easily saved and imported
• Can easily export insulation audit data to an Excel
spreadsheet
• Provides simple payback calculations
3E Plus Program Details
(cont’d)
• Performs calculation for most types of insulation
materials and accepts performance data provided
by the user for other materials
• Provides calculations for many fuel types and five
different surface orientations. User can add own
fuel combinations
• Uses calculations and default values from
independent sources
• Allows user to customize program by adding and
saving individual company’s insulation installed cost
estimates
3E Plus Program Details
(cont’d)
• Has all the latest thermal curves contained in the
ASTM material standards
• Automatically calculates thickness tables
• Calculates in both metric and inch-pound units
• Updated thermal curves and new insulation
materials
Calculation Features
• 3E Plus can perform a wide range of calculations
including:
o Energy
• The thermal performance of both insulated and uninsulated piping
and equipment
• The energy (Btu) currently being saved with existing insulation systems
and the actual dollar value of those savings
• The potential Btu savings with an insulation upgrade
Calculation Features
(cont’d)
o Economics
• All calculations involving money or economics are in the Economics
section of the program
• Cost of energy
• Simple payback
• Economic thickness
• The cost of operating systems with existing insulation in terms of Btu
and dollars
• The potential cost reduction of operating those same systems with an
insulation upgrade
Calculation Features
(cont’d)
o Environmental
• The number of pounds (or metric tons) of greenhouse gases [CO2,
NOx] currently being prevented from release into the atmosphere
due to reduced fuel consumption resulting from greater insulation
thickness
• The potential number of pounds of greenhouse gases that could be
prevented from release through an insulation upgrade, resulting from
greater reductions in fuel consumption
Incorporating the 3E Plus Software into
an Assessment

During the Onsite Assessment:


• Assessment team determines if there are
opportunities for energy savings for un-
insulated or under insulated piping or
equipment, such as:
o Hot water distribution piping
o Steam distribution piping
Incorporating 3E Plus Software into the
Assessment
During the Onsite Assessment
• Completes data collection checklist as
needed
o Type of surface (pipe or tube, flat surface, etc.)
o Process temperature
o Ambient Temperature
o Wind Speed
o Pipe size and material
o Fuel type, fuel cost
o Operating hours per year
Incorporating the 3E Plus Software into
the Assessment

After the Onsite Assessment:


• Use data from checklist with the 3E Plus
software to calculate recommended
insulation and/or energy savings
• Note savings to be included in the report
Example of 3E Plus Software (Energy Calculations)
Example of 3E Plus Software (Environmental

Calculations)
Example of 3E Plus Software (Economics
Calculations)
Incorporating the 3E Plus Software into
the RETAP Assessment

After the Assessment Report:


• Note ECMs included in the report and
determine their combined resource and
dollar savings
How will the 3E Plus Software be
Evaluated?
• Evaluation Criteria
o Time requirement for effective software use
o Number of software ECMs included in the assessment
reports
o Resource and cost savings associated with these
ECMs
• Optimize use and collection of evaluation data
during five pilot assessments
• Make determination to continue or discontinue
based on data from ten assessments
Useful Links
• 3E Plus Insulation Thickness Computer Program
www.pipeinsulation.org

• MIDG – Mechanical Insulation Design Guide -


www.wbdg.org/design/midg.php
o The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) through the National
Mechanical Insulation Committee has developed the Mechanical
Insulation Design Guide (MIDG) to provide a comprehensive source of
information on the performance, use, testing and standardization of
mechanical insulation in buildings and industrial facilities. It is intended to
be a comprehensive resource to assist specifiers and users of mechanical
insulation in the design and specification of mechanical insulation systems
for a wide range of applications and is continually being updated.
Summary
• The 3E Plus Insulation Thickness software is a
readily available energy efficiency
assessment tool
• It will be used to:
o Assist with recommendation quantification for piping insulation
opportunities

U.S. EPA Grant Number NP – 00E01561

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