Test Methods to Evaluate Thermal Properties and Performance of Insulative Coatings

The purpose of this standard test method is to specify test methods and test conditions used to evaluate thermal properties, insulation values, and performance, before and after thermal aging, for insulative coatings. This test method is intended for use by facility owners, engineers, health and safety specialists, coatings manufacturers, and other interested parties.

Numerous test methods have been used to characterize the performance of insulative coatings in the past. Some of these test methods are from test methods used for traditional bulk insulation products and from other test methods for coatings in atmospheric services at ambient temperatures. Their relevance to insulative coatings may be questionable. It has been difficult for facility owners and engineers to compare coating performance using these different test methods, which provide no standardization of the test conditions. A standardized test method can validate the thermal characteristics of these coatings and enable direct comparison of the coating’s performance. This standard selects only those test methods that are most relevant to insulative coatings in high-temperature services. In this latest version of this revised standard, there are numerous grammatical revisions to the text and revisions to the text to make the procedures more clearly stated. Certain paragraphs were reordered to show more clarity as to when certain procedures are performed. New learnings from working with the first version of this standard have led to the elimination of several tests. There were also minor modifications to a few procedures to make them more accurate or to simplify the procedure.