Achieve up to 2 hours fire protection on ductwork with Knauf's Rocksilk Pyroduct Slab

Rock mineral wool is totally non-combustible: it has excellent fire insulation properties.

Knauf Insulation’s Rocksilk® PyroDuct is made from rock mineral wool: it’s been certified as providing steel ventilation ductwork – both Type A and B – with up to two hours fire protection. Rocksilk® PyroDuct is just one of Knauf Insulation’s market leading range of HVAC insulation products.

Rock mineral wool is justifiably well known for having excellent fire insulation properties and, having been tested in accordance with BS 476-4: 1970(1984), is classified as ‘non-combustible’. It’s a feature that Rocksilk® PyroDuct makes good use of. Rocksilk® PyroDuct is a high density, rock mineral wool insulation slab specifically designed to provide fire protection for steel ventilation ducts and can be used for horizontal and vertical ducts, ducts passing through compartment walls and floors and kitchen extract ductwork.

Rocksilk® PyroDuct has also been tested in accordance with BS 476-24: 1987 and certified as giving up to two hours fire protection for both duct Type A (fire outside the duct) and B (fire within the duct). In addition, it’s classed as Class ‘1’ to BS 476-7: 1997 (Surface Spread of Flame) and Class ‘O’ of the Building Regulations.

Rocksilk® PyroDuct is available with a bright, Class ‘O’, reinforced aluminium foil facing that makes it ideal for use above clean rooms and inside plenum chambers. The slabs and are available in a variety of thicknesses that can give between half-an-hour and two hours fire protection as required (and detailed in the manual). Needing only one thickness of slab has proved a real benefit on site as it helps prevent confusion about how many layers are needed to meet the two-hour specification. The slabs are lightweight compared to other fire insulation materials and this, combined with having only one layer to fix, makes installation quick and easy using a number of well known, tried and tested methods. And, of course, as an added bonus, rock mineral wool also has excellent thermal and acoustic insulation properties – as standard – which helps prevent heat loss and reduce noise transmission through the ventilation system.

As one of Knauf Insulation’s rock mineral wool products, Rocksilk® PyroDuct benefited from the company’s investment at its rock mineral wool production facility at Queensferry in North Wales. The investment affected all parts of the production line enabling capacity to increase to 33,000 tonnes per year, improvements in product performance and the development of some significant and exciting new products. New, state-of-the-art fiberisation equipment has resulted in very high quality fibres being produced and this has resulted in a material that is more consistent in both density and performance. To mark the changes, Knauf Insulation has rebranded the range from Rocksil®, to Rocksilk®, Rock Mineral Wool. kes!

Knauf Insulation is one of the HVAC industry’s most experienced suppliers and has been manufacturing HVAC insulation products since the mid-1960s. Today, the company offers the widest choice of HVAC insulation products in the UK and supports the range with a strong package that includes a dedicated Non-residential Sales Team and expert advice from its Technical Advisory Centre.

Knauf Insulation has published a free, 40-page design manual – Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Solutions – that makes essential reading for designers, engineers and contractors within the HVAC industry. Produced in collaboration with practising HVAC engineers, the heavily illustrated manual covers everything from design considerations through to product performance and selection, and gives specification, construction and installation advice.

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