Hello, and welcome to the Hydrocarbon Engineering Podcast.

I'm your host Callum O'Reilly, and here we bring you the second in a series of episodes with Owens Corning that will delve into factors that can support the performance, safety, and longevity of insulating systems installed in hydrocarbon processing environments.

In this episode, I'm joined by Brandon Stambaugh, Owens Corning director for technical services.

We're going to be talking about engineers' demand for education and training to support three critical phases that affect the performance and longevity of insulating systems.

I hope you enjoy the episode.

The Hydrocarbon Engineering Podcast is brought to you by Owens Corning Foam Glass Insulation.

From managing vapor drive and mitigating corrosion risk to maintaining thermal performance and supporting safety on the jobsite, the insulating system plays a critical role in high performing hydrocarbon processing facilities.

Learn more about how foam glass insulation contributes to the design of high performing insulating systems at cryogenic facilities at www.owenscorning.com/foamglaslngstudy.

That's www.owenscorning.com/foamglaslngstudy .

Welcome Brandon and thanks for joining us today.

So to kick things off for us, please can you just tell us a little bit about your current role and responsibilities at Owens Corning?

Yeah, thank you, Callum.

My name is Brandon Stambaugh.

I am the Director for Technical Services for Technical Insulation at Owens Corning.

I've been in the insulation business for twenty nine years, holding various technical roles throughout my career.

I currently lead a team of engineers and technical folks who assist the sales team and customers with technical aspects of our products and systems.

This includes things like specification support, site support, application training, energy analysis, among other things.

Great.

Thank you for that, Brandon.

So looking broadly at the insulation industry, what are some challenges when it comes to training and education in the hydrocarbon processing sector?

We found that engineers in our industry are often not exposed to the education of the insulation systems in their formal education, such as in college.

Engineers might receive training in thermodynamics as part of a mechanical curriculum, but there's much more to insulation system design than calculating heat flows.

Insulation systems typically require what are called insulation plus approach, which for example, in addition to controlling heat flow, there might be a need for controlling condensation or mitigating corrosion, providing fire protection, or maybe there's a load bearing requirement to consider.

We're also seeing a shortage of skilled installation labor in the field, but this is not addressed directly.

Project timelines can be put at risk by poor installation efficiency.

Assets can be put at risk with poor installation quality.

And finally, as engineers retire, installers and inspectors retire, we have a responsibility to help prepare the next generation of workers.

So understanding that every insulating system is unique, can you break down the distinct phases involved in designing and installing insulating systems for hydrocarbon processing facilities?

Yeah, projects generally happen in three phases: design and specification, construction, and post construction.

The design and specification phase is about determining the best technical solution to address the challenge at hand.

As part of the holistic approach, designers are often challenged with the balancing of the technical solution with the economics to arrive at an economical solution.

During this phase, we provide engineers with specification support, help them with material selection, system design recommendations, energy analysis, and sometimes application testing to demonstrate a solution is feasible.

The construction phase is when the facility or asset is being built.

During this phase, we focus on training the labor force to perform the installation.

We provide classroom and hands on training and we can provide on-site start up support for the contractors and facility maintenance teams.

Post construction involves a period after construction is complete and spans from when the process is activated through years of operation.

So what kind of training is available to support engineers and their teams from design through post construction?

We provide training in multiple ways.

I previously mentioned coming out to the job site, but we also have a training available on our side.

We also do virtual training.

So Owens Corning operates dedicated training sites in Pasadena, Texas, which is a suburb of the Houston area, and also one in Tusundelo, Belgium.

These purpose built facilities provide an ideal space for both theoretical and hands on learning for our customer groups.

Facilities are equipped with a variety of tools and equipment that they might see in the field, and our newly opened Pasadena site is also digitally integrated to enhance the learning experience, and we're continuing to add new capabilities to meet the needs of our customers.

We also can offer mobile site support.

So our team could travel to most job sites, provide training, and assist with startup support.

This is often chosen in a situation where it's more economical to train.

Perhaps you have 100 people on a job site rather than bringing 100 people to our facility in Pasadena.

We'll work with the local teams to make sure that we have the proper tools and the training assets are available on-site when we arrive.

Finally, another piece of the training program is virtual training.

Oftentimes this can be the first phase of the training that we offer.

It provides flexibility for the customer that might not be able to travel.

And virtual training can be followed with an offering of a more comprehensive hand on experience at our site or at a customer site.

So you mentioned your training facilities in Pasadena and Tasendolo, and I was just wondering what capabilities you're able to provide at these facilities.

So as I previously mentioned, I mean, of these facilities are purpose built, you know, but they have a customer experience in mind.

Well, Tocindolo Belgium facility is largely focused on our cellular glass platform education.

The Pasadena site was purposely designed to support all of our insulation platforms with expertise in cellular glass, mineral wool, fiberglass, the accessories that get used on the insulation systems, in addition to other insulation materials that one might see in the field.

Programs and facilities are designed with a classroom session, classroom actually part of the building, ideal for education on why you insulate, complemented by a hands on session to show how to insulate.

These programs can be also custom built with the customer needs in mind.

So what questions typically arise during design and specification, Brandon?

And how does Owens Corning support those questions?

Commonly seen inquiries involve proper material selection, system design guidance, and insulation thickness requirements.

We find it's often not sufficient only to advise on the material type for a process or environmental condition.

Customers often require guidance on how to assemble the system.

For instance, in a cryogenic system, this can be complex involving multiple layers, sealants, vapor barriers, cladding, and other things to ensure the system performs as expected.

We maintain a library, guide specifications, installation guides, and detailed drawings that can assist customers with the design of these systems.

In addition, we frequently review customer specifications and provide guidance on the specifications that they have.

We also have at our disposal publicly available and proprietary software tools that assist in determining insulation thicknesses for clients.

So moving to construction of the insulation system, what education does Owens Corning offer during this phase?

As previously mentioned, the construction phase is focused on training and site support.

During this phase, we focus on training the labor force to perform the installation.

We provide classroom hands on training, and provide on-site startup support for contractors and facility maintenance teams.

We find that this can help improve installation efficiency, quality, and close the gap between the contractor and the inspector's expectations, potentially reducing instances of rework.

Time on large projects and anything we can do to prevent slowdown, accelerate the work without compromising quality can be a big win for the owner, the contractor, and the others involved.

Okay, so that covers construction of the insulation system, but what about post construction education?

Post construction is when the proper design and system quality really pay off for the operational efficiency and reduced downtime.

Our team can support the post construction phase with additional site visits to assess and troubleshoot problem areas that may arise and provide guidance on how to repair and correct these issues in the field.

And are there certain industry applications where you're seeing increased demand for technical education?

I would say that we receive hundreds of inquiries by email, by phone, by website related to a wide range of topics, condensation control, fire protection, corrosion control, and a variety of other topics are often seen.

And how is industry demand influencing the types of training that Owens Corning is able to provide?

I'd say education tends to mirror the industrial market cycle.

When the industrial market cycle, it's always going through sort of construction cycles.

For example, LNG construction waves hit every few years with build out of export terminals and import terminals.

Design and specification phase often leads to construction by months or years and often leads construction by months or years in cases of a large industrial facility.

You might be supporting a specification and design for two years or more before you actually are on-site doing any sort of construction support or training activities.

Great.

Thanks, Brandon.

And where can our listeners go if they want to learn a little bit more about all of this?

I guess to learn more about our comprehensive training programs and customized options you please contact Owens Corning Worldwide Training Services at w w w dot owenscorning dot com.

That wraps up our conversation with Brandon Stambaugh.

Many thanks to him for shedding light on the critical role that technical education and training plays in insulation system design, installation, and long term performance.

Thanks for tuning in.

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The Hydrocarbon Engineering Podcast is brought to you by Owens Corning Foam Glass Insulation.

From managing vapor drive and mitigating corrosion risk to maintaining thermal performance and supporting safety on the jobsite, the insulating system plays a critical role in high performing hydrocarbon processing facilities.

Learn more about how foam glass insulation contributes to the design of high performing insulating systems at cryogenic facilities at www.owenscorning.com/foamglaslngstudy That's www.owenscorning.com/foamglaslngstudy.