Green blowing agent takes centre stage

Enovate 3000 blowing agent (HFC-245fa) will be the focus of Honeywell Fluorine Products' presentation at Utech 2003, at The Netherlands Congress Centre, The Hague, 25th-27th March.

Enovate 3000 blowing agent (HFC-245fa) will be the focus of Honeywell Fluorine Products' presentation at Utech 2003, at The Netherlands Congress Centre, The Hague, 25th-27th March.

Having been tested by many leading OEMs and formulators in Europe, Asia, and North America for the past nine years, Enovate 3000 has been accepted by the insulation foam industry and is now being taken up for commercial scale applications.

Enovate 3000 has been specifically developed to replace HCFC-141b in rigid polyurethane and polyisocyanurate foams as the use of HCFCs is progressively being phased-out globally.

However, Enovate 3000 is more than just a nonflammable, non-ozone-depleting alternative.

Enovate 3000 can also help deliver improvements across the full range of foam applications.

In the spray foam sector, trials conducted during 2001 and 2002 have confirmed that Enovate 3000 systems offer higher yields, a broader temperature application window, smoother foam surfaces and higher compressive strengths compared to HCFC-141b.

Enovate 3000 is already proving itself as an ideal blowing agent for foam insulating applications.

These include spray foam, boardstock foam for construction applications, rigid foam used in metal panels and doors, rigid insulation foam for refrigerators and freezers, as well as a variety of other insulating applications where ease of conversion, good reaction-to-fire performance, good thermal performance and good foam physical properties are key parameters in the decision process.

Conversions to Enovate 3000 have accelerated in the USA over the last months of 2002.

In preparation for conversion to Enovate 3000 at its Evansville, Indiana, and Fort Smith, Arkansas plants, Whirlpool Corporation has trained 260 employees in its use.

Moreover, a number of system houses have already received bulk deliveries of Enovate 3000 for conversions in the spray and pour-in-place sectors.

Also taking a lead has been Gaco Western which has commercialised GacoGreen, a wall insulating spray foam product based on Enovate 3000.

Customer trials and technical support are continuing in Europe, North America and Asia, as is further product development.

For example Honeywell's European and US technical service teams are co-operating on the development of generic formulas for discontinuous panels and spray foams.

The formulations are based on Enovate 3000 blowing agent and CO2 (water) technology to optimise the balance between performance and cost.

Testing is also under way with Enovate 3000 that could yield foams with a reaction-to-fire (eg M1 in France, LPC in UK) comparable to foams blown with HCFC-141b.

Honeywell's new commercial-scale production facility for Enovate 3000 blowing agent at Geismar, Louisiana, USA, began commercial operation in August, 2002.

The Enovate 3000 plant has been sized to meet global demand for the rigid foam industry and ensures that users worldwide will be fully supported in their transition away from HCFC based blowing agents.

In the USA the phase-out of HCFC-141b commenced on 1st January 2003.

In Europe the phase-out is being concluded in stages during 2002-2003.

Japan is scheduled to phase-out HCFC-141b from 1st January 2004.

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