I recently asked: “When someone is referring to mechanical insulation, would it make sense that they are including the pipe insulation? Is this just a broader term that pipe insulation falls under?” With some initial uncertainty, we discussed it for a few minutes and came to the same conclusion that the term mechanical insulation would refer to any insulation around any mechanical part or system. That would mean pipes are included, since they are part of the HVAC or plumbing systems. After the conversation, I turned to an Insulation Outlook article for clarity.
The Mechanical Insulation Design Guide’s definition of mechanical insulation:
MECHANICAL INSULATION is defined to encompass all thermal, acoustical, and personnel safety requirements in:
a. Mechanical piping and equipment, hot and cold
applications
b. Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) applications
c. Refrigeration and other low-temperature piping and equipment applications
