scholarly journals Rigid Polyurethane Foams Modified with Biochar

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
pp. 5616
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Uram ◽  
Maria Kurańska ◽  
Jacek Andrzejewski ◽  
Aleksander Prociak

This paper presents results of research on the preparation of biochar-modified rigid polyurethane foams that could be successfully used as thermal insulation materials. The biochar was introduced into polyurethane systems in an amount of up to 20 wt.%. As a result, foam cells became elongated in the direction of foam growth and their cross-sectional areas decreased. The filler-containing systems exhibited a reduction in their apparent densities of up to 20% compared to the unfilled system while maintaining a thermal conductivity of 25 mW/m·K. Biochar in rigid polyurethane foams improved their dimensional and thermal stability.

2009 ◽  
Vol 1188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Liu ◽  
Zoran S. Petrovic ◽  
Yijin Xu

AbstractStarting from a bio-based polyol through modification of soybean oil, BIOH™ X-210, two series of bio-based polyurethanes-clay nanocomposite foams have been prepared. The effects of organically-modified clay types and loadings on foam morphology, cell structure, and the mechanical and thermal properties of these bio-based polyurethanes-clay nanocomposite foams have been studied with optical microscopy, compression test, thermal conductivity, DMA and TGA characterization. Density of nanocomposite foams decreases with the increase of clay loadings, while reduced 10% compressive stress and yield stress keep constant up to 2.5% clay loading in polyol. The friability of rigid polyurethane-clay nanocomposite foams is high than that of foam without clay, and the friability for nanofoams from Cloisite® 10A is higher than that from 30B at the same clay loadings. The incorporation of clay nanoplatelets decreases the cell size in nanocomposite foams, meanwhile increases the cell density; which would be helpful in terms of improving thermal insulation properties. All the nanocomposite foams were characterized by increased closed cell content compared with the control foam from X-210 without clay, suggesting the potential to improve thermal insulation of rigid polyurethane foams by utilizing organically modified clay. Incorporation of clay into rigid polyurethane foams results in the increase in glass transition temperature: the Tg increased from 186 to 197 to 204 °C when 30B concentration in X-210 increased from 0 to 0.5 to 2.5%, respectively. Even though the thermal conductivity of nanocomposite foams from 30B is lower than or equal to that of rigid polyurethane control foam from X-210, thermal conductivity of nanocomposite foams from 10A is higher than that of control at all 10A concentrations. The reason for this abnormal phenomenon is not clear at this moment; investigation on this is on progress.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0021955X2110626
Author(s):  
Tae Seok Kim ◽  
Yeongbeom Lee ◽  
Chul Hyun Hwang ◽  
Kwang Ho Song ◽  
Woo Nyon Kim

The effect of perfluoroalkane (PFA) on the morphology, thermal conductivity, mechanical properties and thermal stability of rigid polyurethane (PU) foams was investigated under ambient and cryogenic conditions. The PU foams were blown with hydrofluorolefin. Morphological results showed that the minimum cell size (153 μm) was observed when the PFA content was 1.0 part per hundred polyols by weight (php). This was due to the lower surface tension of the mixed polyol solution when the PFA content was 1.0 php. The thermal conductivity of PU foams measured under ambient (0.0215 W/mK) and cryogenic (0.0179 W/mK at −100°C) conditions reached a minimum when the PFA content was 1.0 php. The low value of thermal conductivity was a result of the small cell size of the foams. The above results suggest that PFA acted as a nucleating agent to enhanced the thermal insulation properties of PU foams. The compressive and shear strengths of the PU foams did not appreciably change with PFA content at either −170°C or 20°C. However, it shows that the mechanical strengths at −170°C and 20°C for the PU foams meet the specification. Coefficient of thermal expansion, and thermal shock tests of the PU foams showed enough thermal stability for the LNG carrier’s operation temperature. Therefore, it is suggested that the PU foams blown by HFO with the PFA addition can be used as a thermal insulation material for a conventional LNG carrier.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026248932198897
Author(s):  
Serife Akkoyun ◽  
Meral Akkoyun

The aim of this work is the fabrication of electrically insulating composite rigid polyurethane foams with improved thermal conductivity. Therefore, this study is focused on the effect of aluminum nitride (AlN) on the thermal and electrical conductivities of rigid polyurethane foams. For this purpose, aluminum nitride/rigid polyurethane composite foams were prepared using a three-step procedure. The electrical and thermal conductivities of the foams were characterized. The thermal transitions, mechanical properties and morphology of the foams were also examined. The results reveal that AlN induces an increase of the thermal conductivity of rigid polyurethane foam of 24% which seems to be a relatively noticeable increase in polymeric foams. The low electrical conductivity of the foams is preserved.


2014 ◽  
Vol 604 ◽  
pp. 285-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saulius Vaitkus ◽  
Rūta Karpavičiūtė ◽  
Sigitas Vėjelis ◽  
Lina Lekūnaitė

Natural fibres from flax and hemp are used as raw materials for efficient thermal insulation. In current work, tests were carried out using chopped and combed long flax fibres as well as chopped and combed long hemp fibres. Investigations have shown that thermal conductivity of natural fibres depends on their preparation method (combing, chopping) and materials density.


2013 ◽  
Vol 1558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Hao ◽  
Minqing Li ◽  
Garrett Joseph Coleman ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
Pierre Lucas

ABSTRACTWith extremely disordered atomic structures, a glass possesses a thermal conductivity k that approaches the theoretical minimum of its composition, known as the Einstein’s limit.1 Depending on the material composition and the extent of disorder, the thermal conductivity of some glasses can be down to 0.1-0.3 W/m∙K at room temperature,2,3 representing some of the lowest k values among existing solids. Such a low k can be further reduced by the interfacial phonon scattering within a nanocomposite that can be used for thermal insulation applications. In this work, nanocomposites hot pressed from the mixture of glass nanopowder (GeSe4 or Ge20Te70Se10) and commercial SiO2 nanoparticles, or pure glass nanopowder, are investigated for the potential k reduction. It is found that adding SiO2 nanoparticles will instead increase k if the measured k values for usually porous nanocomposites are converted into those for the corresponding solid (kSolid) with Eucken’s formula. In contrast, pure glass nano-samples always show kSolid data significantly reduced from that for the starting glass. For a pure GeSe4 nano-sample, kSolid would beat the Einstein’s limit for its composition.


2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 408-412
Author(s):  
Yuksel Palaci

Abstract In this study, the variation of thermal conductivity and density of 15 wt.-% boric acid - 85 wt.-% sepiolite, 30 wt.-% boric acid - 30 wt.-% sepiolite - 40 wt.-% perlite, 30 wt.-% boric acid - 30 wt.-% cordierite - 40 wt.-% perlite and 30 wt.-% boric acid - 30 wt.-% alumina - 40 wt.-% perlite compositions at 700 °C and 900 °C sintering temperatures were investigated. The results show that increasing the amount of boric acid and decreasing the sintering temperature lead to an improvement in thermal insulation properties. There is a direct relation between the thermal conductivity and density of the specimens. Both physical properties change with a change in the sintering temperature and the composition characteristics. Minimum thermal conductivity has been observed in a specimen consisting of 30 wt.-% boric acid - 30 wt.-% alumina - 40 wt.-% perlite.


2014 ◽  
Vol 564 ◽  
pp. 315-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maatouk Khoukhi ◽  
Mahmoud Tahat

The impact of the thermal conductivity (k-value) change of polystyrene insulation material in building envelope due to changes in temperature on the thermal and energy performance of a typical residential building under hot climate is investigated. Indeed, the thermal and energy performance of buildings depends on the thermal characteristics of the building envelope, and particularly on the thermal resistance of the insulation material used. The thermal insulation material which is determined by its thermal conductivity, which describes the ability of heat to flow cross the material in presence of a gradient of temperature, is the main key to assess the performance of the thermal insulation material. When performing the energy analysis or calculating the cooling load for buildings, we use published values of thermal conductivity of insulation materials, which are normally evaluated at 24°C according to the ASTM standards. In reality, thermal insulation in building is exposed to significant and continuous temperature variations, due essentially to the change of outdoor air temperature and solar radiation. Many types of insulation materials are produced and used in Oman, but not enough information is available to evaluate their performance under the prevailing climatic condition. The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the temperature and thermal conductivity of various densities of polystyrene, which is widely used as building insulation material in Oman. Moreover, the impact of thermal conductivity variation with temperature on the envelope-induced cooling load for a simple building model is discussed. This work will serve as a platform to investigate the effect of the operating temperature on thermal conductivity of other building material insulations, and leads to more accurate assessment of the thermal and energy performance of buildings in Oman.


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