Patent ID: 7544890

Claim:
A method of thermally insulating an existing conduit operating in a high temperature environment of a gas turbine engine, the conduit having an outer surface adapted to receive in contact therewith a thermal insulation layer, the thermal insulation layer comprising an insulating tape having an adhesive back to adhere the thermal insulation layer to the outer surface around the conduit, the method comprising: a) wrapping the conduit by hand with the insulating tape, the adhesive back adhering to the outer surface of the conduit and preventing separation of the thermal insulation layer from the conduit; b) providing a protective layer comprising an expendable braided sleeve having a length defining a longitudinal axis; c) expending an inside diameter of the braided sleeve by manually compressing the braided sleeve along a longitudinal axis of the braided sleeve in order to obtain an expended braided sleeve having an expended inside diameter greater than an outside diameter defined by the insulating tape on the conduit; d) inserting the conduit with the insulating tape thereon in the expanded inside diameter of the braided sleeve; and e) tightening the braided sleeve around the conduit by axially tensioning the braided sleeve until the braided sleeve securely holds the insulating tape in place on the conduit, wherein both the insulating tape and the braided sleeve are assembled by hand on the conduit, and wherein the braided sleeve is reversibly shrunk around the insulating adhesive backed tape such that the braided sleeve is removable to access the insulating tape.