On board the range of Sunseeker luxury cruisers and yachts,
various types of air conditioning and chilled water systems
are fitted, depending on the size and specification of the craft
(the current Sunseeker range encompasses yachts from 40
foot to 155 foot long). For the larger boats chilled water systems
that cool fresh water before pumping it through an insulated
piping loop to air handlers located in the living spaces
are used.
On the open sea, yachts can regularly experience temperatures
of 40°C, and so a high performance insulation is essential
to protect the interior pipework from condensation in humid
conditions. Armacell UK were able to offer full technical support
to the Sunseeker manufacturing team to find the right
solution. Insulation thicknesses were calculated for a range
of ambient and line temperatures, followed up with after
sales support including installer application training at our
Oldham training school and onsite application supervision at
Sunseeker‘s Poole boat yard.
The installer training covered best practice techniques for
applying the reduced solvent Armaflex RS850 adhesive to ensure
a vapour tight seal on all joins, in addition to fabricating
AF/Armaflex Class O fittings for bends, junctions, flanges,
pipe unions and brackets. Armafix AF and Armafix X insulated
pipe supports are also installed on board the yachts to
prevent thermal bridging and condensation occurring at pipe
hangers.
AF/Armaflex Class O represents the ideal insulation material
for Sunseeker, with the flexible structure convenient for fitting
into tight spaces and making it easier to cut and fabricate
onsite. The closed cell structure of Armaflex also makes it
the preferred solution for refrigeration and air conditioning
pipework, offering a combination of low thermal conductivity
and a built-in barrier against water vapour transmission.
