France: Multinational chemical producer Arkema has patented the use of Forane(R) 1233zd as a blowing agent in the manufacture of polyurethane foams. The new molecule, known in its development phase as AFA-L1, is high purity trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene, a liquid halogenated olefin. It offers improvements in energy performance and environmental benefits over existing blowing agents.
"In all of these evaluations, in several different polyurethane foam applications, Forane(R) 1233zd blowing agent has consistently demonstrated outstanding ease of use," noted Nancy Storoz, Global Business Manager for Arkema fluorochemicals foams and 134a refrigerants, "It requires minimal equipment modifications and formulation changes, while outperforming HCFCs, HFCs and hydrocarbons in terms of energy efficiency, R value, and vapor pressure."
In trials at a manufacturer of household refrigerators and freezers, an unoptimised system based on Forane(R) 1233zd blowing agent delivered a 3% improvement in energy efficiency versus HFC 245fa and surpassed 2014 DOE energy standards. In other evaluations conducted by Arkema, Forane(R) 1233zd blowing agent provided a 6% improvement in insulation value versus HFC 245fa, a 7% improvement versus HCFC 141b, and a 16% improvement versus hydrocarbons.
Target markets for Forane(R) 1233zd blowing agent include polyurethane foams used in the manufacture of household refrigerators and freezers, commercial refrigeration, spray foam, and polyurethane panels for commercial and residential building and construction applications.
