ductwork  Insulco manufacture and market a large range of Glasswool and Polyester insulation products to meet Australian Standards and BCA requirements for both the flexible and sheetmetal duct markets. Insulation products are used in various areas within a ducted system to provide energy efficiency, noise control and condensation prevention. In this section you will find information on the use of ductwork for:  Thermal insulation and condensation control; and Acoustic treatment. 1. thermal insulation & condensation control  Thermal insulation for ductwork comes in a variety of types depending on the application. For example, flexible ductwork generally has a low density blanket insulation contained between an inner core and outer sleeve. Whereas sheetmetal ductwork generally either has a medium density foil faced blanket wrapped externally, or a more rigid insulation with perforated foil pinned internally. The most common types of insulation used in sheetmetal ducting are: Internal: Insulco Semi-Rigid insulation External: Insulco Ductwrap Generally thermal insulation in used with a ductwork system to provide energy efficiency and improved operating efficiency. However, other reasons for using thermal insulation are to provide condensation control and safe-to-touch surface temperatures. Safe-to-touch requirements are generally only applicable in industrial applications that employ high temperature air transfer. Condensation control is an issue, particularly in the tropics due to higher temperature and humidity levels than those experienced in southern climates. Under conditions of high humidity, greater levels of thermal insulation are required to maintain surface temperatures above that of the dew point (the temperature at which condensation starts to form). In conjunction with higher thermal insulation, a sealed vapour barrier is also required on the warmer surface. This will ensure that moisture cannot penetrate the insulation and condense on cooler surfaces. For this reason, Insulco supplies Ductwrap insulation with a foil vapour barrier adhered to the surface. Top   2. acoustic treatment  Fan noise is the main noise problem that can occur within air-conditioning ductwork. For example, office air-conditioning noise is treated by including a layer of 50mm Insulco Semi-Rigid insulation with perforated foil on the internal surface of the sheetmetal ductwork. This internal insulation starts at the fan and runs for several metres, depending on the level of noise, size of the duct, etc. Often in applications containing larger fans or industrial size ductwork, specially designed acoustic silencers (splitters) are required to absorb the noise. Another source of noise within ductwork comes at bends, due to the airflow becoming turbulent. Using turning vanes can reduce this, however, internal insulation is often required at the bend to absorb much of the noise that is created. Inter-office ductwork noise can also be an issue, especially where it services several offices with short lengths of flexible duct. Internally lining the ductwork with insulation will help to reduce the noise travelling between offices. The most common type of internal duct lining is Insulco Semi-Rigid insulation. For a technical datasheet outlining the acoustic absorption performance this product offers, please click here. Top