Cochran shell boiler · Feedwater & blowdown side

Boiler feed pump & feedwater heat loss

The feed and condensate side runs near 100 °C across the pump, isolation valves, return lines, strainer and blowdown — many small bare surfaces that quietly add up.

FLIR-measured surface temps CAD areas × 1.4 bolt/irregularity ISO 12241 · v = 0.5 m/s

Bare · up to 180 °C Insulated · ≤45 °C

Drag-free toggle. Visible in this view: feed pump, globe valve, return lines, strainer and blowdown flanges — ~100 °C.3D model: Inzonex · equipment rights belong to the manufacturer

Peak surface

180 °C

Bare, FLIR-measured

Largest loss

1.7 kW

Feed pump

This view, bare

6.2 kW

6 element group(s)

After insulation

≈95%

Surface drops to ≤45 °C

Figures are for one boiler. Surface temperatures from a real FLIR survey of a UK commercial boiler house; CAD surface areas uplifted ×1.4 for bolts and irregular geometry; ISO 12241 steady-state (50 mm core, ambient 28 °C, air movement 0.5 m/s).

What you are looking at

Boiler feed pump & feedwater heat loss

No single surface here is dramatic, but the feedwater set is a cluster of a dozen-plus warm bodies at ~100 °C — a pump casing, valves, a strainer, return runs and blowdown connections. Each is left bare because it is “small” and needs access.

Added together they are a continuous loss worth insulating, and every one of them needs to stay serviceable. Removable covers and pipe sleeves insulate the set while keeping seals, handwheels, unions and the strainer basket reachable.

Element (this view)	Temp °C	Area m²	Bare W	Insulated W	Surface °C	Cut
Feed pump	100	1.49	1,664	87	33	−95%
Globe valve	100	0.36	402	21	33	−95%
Return lines ×3	100	0.81	905	48	33	−95%
Feed piping ×8	100	1.20	1,340	70	33	−95%
Filter / strainer	100	0.36	402	21	33	−95%
Blowdown flanges ×2	180	0.52	1,501	76	39	−95%
Feedwater & blowdown side view, per boiler		4.7	6,214	323	≤45	−95%

ISO 12241, 50 mm Inzonex modular core, ε(bare)=0.9, ε(jacket)=0.85, h_conv at 0.5 m/s. Insulated figures are conservative steady-state, not best-case.

Element by element

Why each one is left bare — and how it gets insulated

Feed pump · 100 °C · 1.7 kW bare

The boiler feed pump body and its casing run near 100 °C. A removable cover insulates the volute while leaving the seal, bearings and coupling accessible for service.

Cover: Silicone shell + PAROC stone-wool core (50 mm) · touch-safe ≤45 °C (ISO 13732-1)

Globe valve · 100 °C · 0.4 kW bare

Feed-line isolation valve at ~100 °C — another small cast body left bare. A shaped cover insulates it without seizing the handwheel.

Cover: Silicone shell + PAROC stone-wool core (50 mm) · touch-safe ≤45 °C (ISO 13732-1)

Return lines · 100 °C · 0.9 kW bare

Condensate and return runs at ~100 °C. Individually minor, but several short bare sections in the feed set add up to real continuous loss.

Cover: Silicone shell + PAROC stone-wool core (50 mm) · touch-safe ≤45 °C (ISO 13732-1)

Feed piping · 100 °C · 1.3 kW bare

Multiple short bare pipe sections around the feed set. Removable pipe sleeves insulate them and still allow union and flange access.

Cover: Silicone shell + PAROC stone-wool core (50 mm) · touch-safe ≤45 °C (ISO 13732-1)

Filter / strainer · 100 °C · 0.4 kW bare

The feed strainer body sits at ~100 °C and must open for cleaning — a textbook case for a removable, re-openable cover rather than fixed lagging.

Cover: Silicone shell + PAROC stone-wool core (50 mm) · touch-safe ≤45 °C (ISO 13732-1)

Blowdown flanges · 180 °C · 1.5 kW bare

Blowdown connections see boiler-pressure temperature in bursts and are left bare for safety access. A removable shroud insulates the standing loss while keeping the valve operable.

Cover: Silicone shell + PAROC stone-wool core (50 mm) · touch-safe ≤45 °C (ISO 13732-1)

Geometry that re-opens for access is the core idea behind the Inzonex modular design.

Materials & standards

What the cover is — and what it meets

Every surface on this view is covered by an Inzonex modular removable panel: a PAROC stone-wool core (50 mm) in a silicone outer shell — or a more durable PTFE shell as an option. The form-fitting build unbuttons for access and refits after each maintenance cycle. The outer surface drops to a touch-safe ≤45 °C.

ISO 12241 heat-loss methodISO 13732-1 ≤45 °C touch-safeEN 13501-1 reaction to fireASTM C680 heat-loss method

Industries that run this boiler

Brewery & beverageFood processingDairySugar & confectioneryDistillingChemical & petrochemicalPharmaceuticalTextile & dyeingPaper, pulp & packagingRubber & tyrePlasticsTobaccoPower & CHPOil & gas / refiningHospitals & healthcareCommercial laundryHotels & hospitalityUniversities & district heatingEdible oilAnimal feed

Take it further

From this surface to the number that matters

Run your own boiler house

Put in your boiler count, fuel price and running hours — get energy, £ and payback for the whole room.

Open calculator → Carbon

Heat loss → CO₂ → EU ETS

Every bare kilowatt is real fuel and real carbon. See the tonnes and the EU-ETS cost behind it.

Carbon hub → 3D model

See it on the boiler

Rotate the Cochran model, toggle bare vs insulated, and jump to every other surveyed surface.

Open 3D model →

FAQ

Quick answers

Should a boiler feed pump be insulated?

The pump casing/volute can be insulated with a removable cover at ~100 °C, while the seal, bearings and coupling stay accessible. It removes a standing loss and a hot-touch hazard.

How hot is the feedwater side of a boiler?

On the surveyed Cochran the feed pump, valves, returns, strainer and blowdown ran near 100 °C.

Are small bare pipes worth insulating?

Individually no, collectively yes — a feed set of a dozen warm bodies is a continuous multi-hundred-watt loss, cut ~95% with removable sleeves and covers.

More of this boiler

Other surveyed views

Every face of the Cochran model has its own measured surfaces. Explore them from the 3D hub.

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