Insulation blankets getting second look: new Kalb HeatBlocker insulation looking to reduce heat loads, protect engine, equipment components - Engine Accessories

Diesel Progress North American Edition, Feb, 2003

Driven by a combined interest in equipment component durability and performance, the long established market for insulation blankets is getting a second look. Blankets have been used for many years to cover air and exhaust system components on mobile, stationary and marine diesel and natural gas engine applications.

A newer supplier to this market is Kalb Corp., Oneida, Ill. Last fall, Kalb patented the HeatBlocker line of insulation blankets, all custom-designed for the specific component to be insulated for installation on engine manifolds, turbochargers, exhaust piping, mufflers and other engine "hot spots," said Mike Kalb, president.

Kalb said the HeatBlocker is designed to reduce surface temperatures by as much as 1000[degrees]F. "This can reduce the heat load on the radiator," he noted, "as well as saving wiring, hoses and plastic components from heat--related damage." Kaib said the characteristics of HeatBlocker insulation products allow it to survive temperatures as high as 1800[degrees]F.

The design of the HeatBlocker starts with a black perfluoroplastic composite fabric designed to be resistant to most chemicals and impervious to oils and other liquids. Extreme temperature areas are covered by EdgeGuard, an uncoated silica fabric and stainless steel mesh combination, sewn with Inconel thread.

The HeatBlocker system includes a rigidized Inconel liner that protects a high temperature ceramic mat from wicking of fluids. This patented design allows the mat to be encapsulated, Kalb said, with the seams protected from direct contact with engine heat. The Inconel mesh creates an air space between the hot face and the blankets. As the fasteners penetrate only the composite fabric, Kalb says a conduit is eliminated for high temperatures to reach the cold face.

One of the more unique features of the HeatBlocker design is that all closure points use either a patented stainless steel or Inconel spring closure system, both of which Kalb said can save up to 75 percent on installation time. The springs allow for easy removal and reinstallation should repairs or retrofit of the engine be required, he said.

Each closure point also has an overlapping flap of EdgeGuard, designed to reduce outgassing and eliminate an entry point for flammable debris. The patented EdgeGuard uses a high temperature silica cloth that protects edges and mating parts from burnouts caused by the chimney effect of radiated heat.

The first application of HeatBlocker products were manifolds, turbochargers, mufflers and piping on waste handling uses of Caterpillar model 938 and 950 front end loaders. Kalb explained the application grew out of a need for a 5000-plus hour insulation blanket in this rigorous operating environment.

That application was followed by manifold, turbo, and exhaust piping protection of a Caterpillar 3516, methane-fueled generator set used for landfill power. The first end user application for the HeatBlocker blankets came from a Canadian gold mine for complete exhaust system protection of Tamrock underground mining scoops.

Kalb said the company's business has since paralleled that OEM/end user path into other mobile, marine and stationary uses. More recently, in an interesting twist in the growing systems supply world, Kalb is beginning to quote both the insulation blankets and the exhaust piping as a single integrated package.

"Mining equipment manufacturers have come to us looking for turbo outlet to muffler fully wrapped exhaust piping, using mostly stainless steel piping. For now," he said, "the interest is when the exhaust system is being replaced, but from all indications we're moving quickly toward supplying fully wrapped exhaust components as a system supplier?