Polyurethane Pour-in-Place Foam Helps Manufacturers Meet Sustainable Protocols: Building and Construction Products Benefit from a New HFO-Based Technology
Written by Jean-Francois Lupien, , Global Director of Product Management for Huntsman Building Solutions
The Montreal, Paris and Kyoto Protocols, which were designed to both stop the production and import of ozone depleting substances in our products and to lessen their entry into the atmosphere, are driving big changes in the world of manufacturing. To help protect the earth’s ozone layer, manufacturers are searching for ways to make their products greener; and Pour-in-Place (PIP) rigid foam systems players are committed to meeting the demand with the most advanced in HydrofluoroOlefins (HFO) blowing agent technologies.
What does this mean for manufacturers that are still using PIP hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in their products? It means that, if they want to meet the standards outlined in the Montreal, Paris and Kyoto Protocols, they need to replace those HFCs with advanced HFOs technology, so that their products render minimal impact on the environment. Canada and other developed nations including the United States on a state-to-state bases, are innovating their PIP products with low global warming alternatives that provide overall efficiencies and benefits to their customers.
New High-Performance Pour-in-Place Foam
Recently, Huntsman Building Solutions, a global leader in high performance, sustainable building envelope solutions, launched its new and improved Pour-in-Place Foams. The family of foam solutions have recently been reformulated with an HFO-based technology that renders performance benefits, as well as dramatically minimizes impacts to the Earth.
“As a major manufacturer of foam insulations and roofing products, as well as the first to introduce HFO-based spray foam solutions commercially to the marketplace, Huntsman Building Solutions has proven its commitment to high-performance solutions that also protect the environment,” says Doug Brady, Vice President of Global Innovation and Product Management for Huntsman Building Solutions. “These Pour-in-Place Foams are an ideal alternative as more U.S. states join Canada and other countries in the phase out of HFCs, which pose a higher risk to the environment.”
The improved foam products have been specially formulated for field or factory injected applications. They are offered in varying densities, providing thermal insulation and structural support, and are ideal for use across a wide range of construction manufacturing (construction OEMs, insulation panels, insulation walls, sandwich panels, garage doors, doors), maritime, and refrigeration applications.
Huntsman Building Solutions’ Pour-in-Place (PIP) rigid foam systems include:
- PIP Foam 50; a 0.50-pound thermal insulation ideally suited for wall cavity applications and providing an R-value of R-3.4 per inch of thickness with low VOC.
- PIP Foam 80; a 0.80-pound thermal insulation also suited for wall cavity applications and providing an R-value of R-4.45 per inch of thickness at 1:1 (volume) ratio.
- PIP Foam 250CG; a 2.5-pound foam for injection, flotation, wall cavities and insulating panels and providing an R-value of R-6.5 per inch of thickness. This foam meets U.S. Coast Guard specification Article #183-114 as well as Military Test Standard MIL-P-21929C. A PIP Foam 250CG slow version is also available for applications were a slower reaction profile and longer injection times are required.
- PIP Foam 250A; a 2.5-pound foam used in insulating panels and providing an R-value of R-6.5-8.2 per inch of thickness. The composition of this foam notably includes recycled plastic waste and renewable soy oil. It is also Class 1 (Class A) Fire Rated, Discontinuous and meets requirements for CAN/ULC S102 and S127 fire tests. Currently three versions are available for Continuous Panels manufacturing, Discontinuous Panels manufacturing and applications where a “froth” behavior is expected but without the hurdle of using pressurized cylinders.
- PIP Foam 400 to PIP Foam 600 series; a series of high density (3 to 6 pcf) foam used in insulating panels, taxidermy, cavity filling and structural applications providing strength to different substrates with excellent adhesion. R-value of R-5 to R-7 (depending on the density) per inch of thickness are expected.
The Benefits to Manufacturers
This new HFO-based technology is formulated for pour-in-place applications using high or low-pressure equipment. Huntsman Building Solutions’ PIP Foam products contain polyols in the resin made from renewable soy oils, recycled plastic, and the newest generation of blowing agent with low-global warming potential and zero ozone depleting potential. They are specially designed for filling voids and applications where superior load bearing properties are required.
Due to the expansion capabilities of spray foam, it is often used in building or construction products for sealing purposes where other mechanisms can’t be installed, or are too complicated to install. Injection or pour-in-place foam plays a key role in hard to reach areas like large hollow structural sections (HSS), which are good examples of how PIP foams can be used in construction. Insulation is often required for Large HSS, unless they are placed or used completely to the exterior or interior of the building envelope. PIP foam is the perfect solution for insulating HSS as it is almost impossible with other types of insulation. Because of its slow reaction, pour-in-place foam can be injected through holes in large HSS and can fill them completely while insulating them.
About Huntsman Building Solutions
The Huntsman Building Solutions business is a global leader in high-performance, sustainable building envelope solutions. Its systems and solutions are widely utilized to optimize commercial and residential structures worldwide in both new construction and retrofit applications. Formed in 2020 with the acquisition of Icynene-Lapolla and its combination with Demilec, the Huntsman Building Solutions business capitalizes on legacy industry technologies, environmental stewardship, and the power of the Huntsman brand. For more information, visit huntsmanbuildingsolutions.com.
About Huntsman
Huntsman Corporation is a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated and specialty chemicals with 2020 revenues of approximately $6 billion. Our chemical products number in the thousands and are sold worldwide to manufacturers serving a broad and diverse range of consumer and industrial end markets. We operate more than 70 manufacturing, R&D and operations facilities in approximately 30 countries and employ approximately 9,000 associates within our four distinct business divisions. For more information about Huntsman, please visit the company’s website at www.huntsman.com.