Flokser Chemical Insulation Industry Solutions that Make a Difference

Polyurethane foam, which has been used in the construction industry for many years, has excellent insulation properties. Due to the blowing agent which carries in the cell structure of the foam, it prevents the flow of energy from one medium to another. Polyurethane foams have lower thermal conductivity coefficient than their competitors in the industry, XPS, EPS and rock wool even in very fine applications. This ensures that limited and expensive petrochemical resources are less consumed and leads minimal load on the applied structure. Polyurethane foams, which can be produced in the range of densities (8 to 1000 kg/m3), easily adhere to the applied surface. Thus, it is not necessary to use any adhesive material between the insulation material and the surface. Especially in spray products applied in the form of spraying, the thermal bridges formed during the assembly of other materials are prevented and a higher efficiency insulation is obtained.

In addition to thermal insulation properties, polyurethane foams have features such as waterproofing through the low water absorption capability and sound insulation through the open-cell structure.

Picture 1. Open-cell foam/ Closed-cell foam

Rigid polyurethane foams has a wide range of applications, which mainly used for cold room doors and panels, building facade insulations, pipe insulations, blinds, tank-silo insulations, packaging foams, refrigerators, roof insulations, tent and greenhouse insulation, decoration products, rock wool adhesives. Flokser Chemical, which has been providing solutions for rigid, flexible and footwear systems in the polyurethane industry since 2006, continues to invest in research and development studies every year at its R&D Center, and makes a difference in its activity fields by providing quality, high production capacity and innovative approach. While the necessity of flame-retardant products is increasing in the spray polyurethane industry, PIR systems cannot be used. The reason is that the spray machines used in the industry can operate with a ratio of 1:1 polyol and isocyanate by volume. However, PIR systems must have a high amount of isocyanate. Flokser Chemical has met the need for flame retardancy in the insulation industry by developing a spray product that can work without losing PIR feature even in 1:1 ratio machines with Creapol RS 3320-36 product.

Picture 2. Burning behavior of PIR systems

Considering the negative effects of blowing gases on the environment and human health, most of the researches in the polyurethane industry have focused on the use of environmentally friendly technologies.

In order to meet this requirement in the industry, a lowdensity spray polyurethane foam system without using any physical blowing agents has been developed by Flokser Chemical Research and Development Center which helps to reduce the consumption costs for the end consumer. Creapol RS 2320-18 rigid spray system has a lower density and partially open cell structure compared to common polyurethane systems in the industry and does not contain any physical blowing agents.

Picture 3. Cell structure of low denstiy spray polyurethane system

In Turkey, B2 and B3 class polyurethane foams, which can easily catch fire, are used more than fire-resistant B1 class products in exterior insulation. However, in the construction industry, B1 insulating material requirement is increasing day by day and it becomes a legal obligation for exterior facades have to be made of flame retardant materials in high buildings and the least hardly flammable materials for the other buildings within the scope of “Regulation about fire protection of buildings”. Creapol RC 3430-36 polyol formulation which developed for PIR continuous systems in Flokser Chemical R&D Center is used in the production of metal faced sandwich panels in continuous line panel systems. Creapol RC 3430-36 has B s2 d0 flammability class according to the TS EN 13501-1 standard test results; also, B s1 d0 can be achieved with special applications on the panel. These results for flame retardancy, physical and mechanical properties meet the requirements of the industry.