Novel Rigid Polyurethane Formulations Offering Combined High Energy Efficiency and Fast Productivity for Outstanding Performance in the Domestic Appliance Industry

摘要

Polyurethane systems employed in domestic appliance applications typically give the refrigeration industry either strong insulation performance or greater productivity levels due to short demold-times. In recent years, the energy efficiency requirements have become increasingly stringent. This need for improved energy efficiency combined with the demand in the industry for high productivity has driven the DOW Chemical Company to develop new foam systems offering outstanding performance using various blowing agents, with a strong focus towards hydrocarbons. In the paper the development of alternative technology options to improve the energy efficiency are described and the foam-performance of the different routes is compared. The resulting newly developed series of polyurethane systems for domestic appliance allows the refrigerator manufacturers to get both enhanced insulation performance and high productivity, addressing specific technical issues of the refrigeration industry in each region of the globe. These new solutions have been fully validated and commercialized at Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate GmbH, allowing BSHG to process the best in class energy efficient foam using hydrocarbons in a conventional single shot injection foaming process.