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Alternatives to HFCs/HCFCs for the production of foam. Miguel W. Quintero Independent Consultant July, 2014. Disclaimer : The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent those of the TEAP or the FTOC. KEY POINTS ON HFC/HCFC PHASE OUT.
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Alternatives to HFCs/HCFCs for the production of foam Miguel W. Quintero Independent Consultant July, 2014 Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent those of the TEAP or the FTOC
KEY POINTS ON HFC/HCFC PHASE OUT Polyurethane rigid foam for insulation is the foam sector using the largest volume of HFC/HCFCs XPS foam for board Blowing agent is less than 12% of total foam formulation Polyols, surfactants, catalysts are critical Crucial role of System Houses…they are the “chefs”! There is no a direct correlation between foam and substance properties There is not a “drop-in” replacement! Critical segment…Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Reliant on localsystem houses Low technology competence/ Poor operating discipline Thousands of “micro” (less than 5 tonnes of HCFC-141b per year) in developing countries
STRATEGIES TO PHASE OUT HCFC/HFCs Large enterprises Hydrocarbons Default option in many cases…exception for spray Large foam production over which to spread investment (high ICC) Economic running costs (low IOC) Unsaturated HFC/HCFCs (HFOs) High thermal performance requirements Low ICC/ high IOC Blends with other substances: methyl formate, methylal? Medium enterprises Extend range of hydrocarbon use by capital cost reduction (pre-blended, third stream) Unsaturated HFC/HCFCs… saturated HFCs as precursors? Reduce IOCs with partial replacement by CO2(water) HCOs for some market niches: integral skin, low insulating requirements Micro/small enterprises Optimised 100% CO2(water) formulations Unsaturated HFC/HCFCs… saturated HFCs as precursors? Reduce IOCs with partial replacement by CO2(water) HCOs for some market niches: integral skin, low insulating requirements
SUMMARY For PU foams there are available options with zero ODP and low GWP (< 25) Their implementation requires strong efforts on formulation development Crucial role of global and local System Houses Formulation knowledge…critical for local system houses The low threshold value for IOC (Decision 60/44) could be an obstacle for the introduction of non flammable options at SMEs Some words on XPS foam Great market variation through out the regions Rapid growth in production capacity reported in the Asian region Saturated HFCs…a clear alternative in many regions unless low-GWP alternatives are proven CO2, CO2 blended with DME or ethanol, Hydrocarbons (butane) HFOs (HFO-1234ze(E)) under evaluation….high thermal insulation performance