Visual Heat Explorer
See what the project is,
and what it saves.
Steam · Condensate · Feedwater · Hot water
See the four circuitsFour circuits, one loop.
Steam out of the boiler, back as condensate, on as feedwater — into the same boiler. Each step in its own temperature band.
Models built in CAD from field-surveyed equipment · both states solved at the same load and the same ambient · VDI 2055-1 · ISO 12241 · EN ISO 13732-1
01 · 100 to 320 °C
Steam boilers
Boiler shell · front door · burner flange · manhole · top valves · economiser
OPEN →
02 · 100 to 140 °C
Condensate
Condensate exchanger · float trap · control valve · ball valves · strainers
OPEN →
03 · 100 °C
Feedwater
Feed pumps · valves on the line · flanged joints
OPEN →
04 · 60 to 80 °C · Separate
Hot water
Plate exchangers · circulation pumps · ball valves · dirt separator
OPEN →Run it on your own numbers.
And when the number is worth checking, a survey replaces your entered areas with tape measurements and your temperatures with FLIR readings.
Heat loss calculators
Any shape, any size, any of the four service temperatures. Your areas and hours, the kW and the £ per year.
OPEN → SURVEYGet the plant measured
One day on site, free of charge: every surface by tape, every temperature by FLIR. The same tables, on instrument readings.
CONTACT@INZONEX.CO.UK →Modelled so far
What each circuit loses bare.
Three circuits are modelled item by item. Steam is not, so there is no combined figure here and there should not be one.
| Circuit | Band | Items | Area | Bare | Insulated | Cut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot water | 50 to 65 °C | 40 | 24.5 m² | 12.4 kW | 714 W | 94.3 % |
| Condensate | 100 to 140 °C | 9 | 2.8 m² | 4.0 kW | 184 W | 95.4 % |
| Feedwater | 100 °C | 19 | 3.7 m² | 4.7 kW | 217 W | 95.4 % |
Both solved by the same engine at 50 mm of removable insulation, to VDI 2055-1:2025 and ISO 12241:2022. Open a circuit to change any input.
Common questions
Questions.
Answers distinguish modelled heat-loss estimates from equipment selection and service guidance.
What is a plant room?
A plant room is the space where a building or site makes and moves its heat. It holds heat exchangers, circulation pumps, isolating valves, strainers and vessels, between the incoming supply and the distribution pipework. Every bare surface in it is heating the room instead of the building.
What does the Visual Heat Explorer do?
It works out how much heat a bare surface sheds into the air, and how much is left once removable insulation is fitted. Then it shows you the same equipment in both states. Enter your own areas, temperatures and running hours and every figure recomputes.
How is the figure produced?
Convection and radiation are solved separately at the film temperature of that surface, then the insulated case is iterated until the outer surface stops moving. The class multipliers and seam allowance are assumptions. They do not replace a measured inventory of bridges, fasteners and coverage.
Is insulated equipment safe to touch?
We target an outer surface at or below 45 °C. That is our design target rather than a figure the standard imposes. EN ISO 13732-1 supplies the burn thresholds we set it against, and it does not set limit values itself. Every insulated figure here comes from an energy balance without a temperature cap. A result above 45 °C does not meet our target and needs a revised design.
Can this be done without a site visit?
The method needs surface temperature, area, shape and running hours. Enter them and the page returns a scenario estimate, not a survey report. A site survey establishes geometry, surface temperatures, coverage and operating conditions. Those findings may require a more detailed model.
Which circuits are covered?
Steam, condensate, feedwater and hot water. Hot water, condensate and feedwater are modelled item by item, and the steam side has its own section on boilers. Each circuit sits in a different temperature band, and the band changes which loss mechanism dominates. They are worked separately rather than scaled from one figure.
How much heat does a bare hot-water skid lose?
The skid modelled here is 40 items over 24.5 m² of hot surface at 60 °C. Bare it sheds 12.4 kW. With 50 mm of removable insulation it sheds 714 W, which is 94.3 per cent less.
How much heat does a bare condensate line lose?
That line is 9 items over 2.8 m² at 110 °C. Bare it sheds 4.0 kW, and 184 W with the same 50 mm, which is 95.4 per cent less. It runs hotter than the hot-water skid over a smaller area.
Why is there no total for the whole tool?
Because three circuits are modelled and the steam side is not. Adding them would present the figure for three specific sets as the figure for a plant. Each circuit carries its own total and its own page.