Economic insulation thickness analysis of elevated heating pipelines in different climatic zones

By means of life cycle cost analysis method, analyses the economic insulation thickness and its corresponding cost savings of district heating pipelines at different nominal pipe diameters, fuel types or heat sources and insulation materials. The results show that the cheaper the fuel price, the smaller the economic insulation thickness and the lower the corresponding cost savings. The larger the insulation material thermal conductivity coefficient and the cheaper the insulation material, the larger the economic insulation thickness, but the corresponding cost savings are almost equal. The lower the outside air temperature, the larger the economic insulation thickness and the more corresponding cost savings. The larger the pipeline diameter, the larger the economic insulation thickness and the more corresponding cost savings. Performs an economic analysis of district heating system in severe cold and cold zones, including Harbin, Shenyang and Xi’an. The result shows that the economic efficiency of economic insulation thickness is the best for the elevated heating pipelines in Harbin.