Full-bore, full temperature
Unlike a length of pipe the shell has no gradient worth speaking of. Shell, heads and drain leg all sit at line temperature.
06 / Equipment
With removable insulation‹›
Dirt separator1.6 kWbare81 Winsulated94.7 %less
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Inzonex Modular Insulation · Hot-water skid
Dirt separator
Estimate for one hot water skid:
The figures initially displayed are example scenarios.
Energy cost saving / year€78460 €/MWh fuel
Energy saved per year11.8 MWhAt 8,000 operating hours
Estimated emissions avoided2.63 t CO₂e201.6 kg CO₂e/MWh fuel
Modelled outer surface23.5 °CBelow the 45 °C design target
Estimate: 60 °C bare surface · 8,000 operating hours/year.
€784energy cost saving / year11.8 MWhretainedDirt separator,
01 / Energy 02 / Surface 03 / Maintenance 04 / Layout
01 / For your operating conditions
Your calculated result
Change any input and every figure recomputes. The defaults describe the equipment modelled here.
02 / What this is
Dirt separator,
and what it costs bare.
A separator holds its charge at line temperature.
A dirt separator is an in-line vessel. It slows the water enough for magnetite and debris to drop out of the flow. They collect in a chamber, which is drained on a service cycle.
On this hot-water skid there are 2 each with a surface above room temperature. At 60 °C they shed 1.6 kW into the plant room. With 50 mm of removable insulation the same surfaces shed 81 W, 94.7 % less. The module settles at 23.5 °C, at or under our 45 °C insulated-surface design target. We set that target against the burn thresholds in EN ISO 13732-1.
Calculation basis
Steady-state estimate based on the dimensions and operating conditions shown. Confirm project figures with measured equipment data.
03 / Inzonex benefits
Where the heat goes.
Dirt separator on the hot-water circuit, downstream of the Y-strainer and the KM-5 heat meter. Confirmed by the owner. Modules unclip for operation and inspection, then refit onto the same geometry.
Cleaned on a cycle
The separator is opened to clear the collected sludge, and drained to do it. Anything glued or wired over the connections comes away and rarely returns.
Vent and drain stay clear
Both small ball valves are left outside the module, so the separator can be vented and drained without touching the insulation.
The drain leg runs cold and wet
Below the separator is where corrosion under insulation starts. It is treated differently and it is inspected.
04 / Scenarios
Area at each service temperature.
Bare surface loss per item. Nothing here is interpolated — each cell is a separate solution of the same balance, at 20 °C ambient.
| Shell area | 50 °C | 55 °C | 60 °C | 65 °C | Insulated 60 °C | Cut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.4 m²shell, heads and drain leg | 156 W | 188 W | 222 W | 256 W | 12 W | 94.7 % |
| 0.6 m²shell, heads and drain leg | 234 W | 282 W | 332 W | 384 W | 17 W | 94.7 % |
| 0.8 m²shell, heads and drain leg | 312 W | 376 W | 443 W | 512 W | 23 W | 94.7 % |
| 1.0 m²shell, heads and drain leg | 391 W | 470 W | 554 W | 640 W | 29 W | 94.7 % |
| 1.4 m²shell, heads and drain leg | 547 W | 659 W | 775 W | 896 W | 41 W | 94.7 % |
| 1.8 m²shell, heads and drain leg | 703 W | 847 W | 997 W | 1.2 kW | 52 W | 94.7 % |
| 2.2 m²shell, heads and drain leg | 859 W | 1.0 kW | 1.2 kW | 1.4 kW | 64 W | 94.7 % |
| 2.8 m²shell, heads and drain leg | 1.1 kW | 1.3 kW | 1.6 kW | 1.8 kW | 81 W | 94.7 % |
| 3.5 m²shell, heads and drain leg | 1.4 kW | 1.6 kW | 1.9 kW | 2.2 kW | 102 W | 94.7 % |
| 4.5 m²shell, heads and drain leg | 1.8 kW | 2.1 kW | 2.5 kW | 2.9 kW | 131 W | 94.7 % |
| 6.0 m²shell, heads and drain leg | 2.3 kW | 2.8 kW | 3.3 kW | 3.8 kW | 175 W | 94.7 % |
| 8.0 m²shell, heads and drain leg | 3.1 kW | 3.8 kW | 4.4 kW | 5.1 kW | 233 W | 94.7 % |
Shell, both heads and the drain leg. The vent and the drain valve stay outside the module so the separator can be vented and drained without touching the insulation.
Insulated column: 50 mm lamella at λ 0.038 W/m·K. Outer surface calculated without clamping. Our 45 °C design target is checked against the burn thresholds in EN ISO 13732-1
05 / Result
What it comes to.
- Outer surface at 50 mm
- 23.5 °CMeets the 45 °C design target
- Bare metal at 60 °C
- Above the 45 °C insulated-surface design targetContact risk depends on material and duration; no burn time is calculated
- Average payback
- Enter your installed cost to calculate payback.
06 / Questions
Questions.
What does a dirt separator do?
It drops magnetite and debris out of the circulating water so they do not reach the plate pack or the pump seals. It is opened and drained on a cycle. Anything glued or wired over its connections comes away and rarely returns.
Why does a separator lose more than the pipe it sits in?
Unlike a length of pipe it has no temperature gradient worth speaking of. Shell, both heads and the drain leg all sit at line temperature, and the shell diameter is several times the pipe.
How much heat does a dirt separator lose?
Modelled here: 2 units at 60 °C lose 1.6 kW bare and 81 W with 50 mm — 94.7 per cent less.
07 / Method
How the figure is produced.
Calculation basis
Steady-state estimate based on the dimensions and operating conditions shown. Confirm project figures with measured equipment data.
Insulated surface: up to 45 °C.
08 / Going deeper
How to specify and service them.
The figures on this page say what the heat costs. These say what the strainer ahead of it is for and which way round it goes.
09 / The rest of the skid
Other equipment
Hot water
Plate heat exchangers
A plate pack runs hot on every face.
OpenHot waterPumps
The casing stays hot. The motor must not.
OpenHot waterBall valves
The smallest surfaces lose the most.
OpenHot waterFlanged joints
Every joint is a fin the pipe did not ask for.
OpenHot waterY-strainers
A sieve in the line, and it is opened on a cycle.
Open