ПОРІВНЯННЯ АМІНІВ ЯК ГАЗОУТВОРЮВАЧІВ ВОГНЕЗАХИСНИХ КОМПОЗИЦІЙ ІНТУМЕСЦЕНТНОГО ТИПУ

Purpose. Study of influence of blowing agents amines structure on the construction processes of thermal insulating char layer of intumescent system ammonium polyphosphate/pentaerythritol/amine and fire protection efficiency of this system at high temperatures. Methodology. A fire retardant mixture of ammonium polyphosphate/pentaerythritol/amine was chosen as a model intumescent system. Dispersion of vinyl acetate copolymer with vinyl ether of versatic acid was used as a polymeric component. A step-by-step study of the characteristics of the char layer of the intumescent composition was applied in the study, consisting in the analysis of the characteristics of the char formed after keeping the intumescent composition samples at a certain temperature between 100 and 800 °C, char residue mass (m, %), structure and density of the formed char layer. The method of infrared spectroscopy was used for identification of products of thermolysis of intumescent systems. Determination of fire protection efficiency of intumescent coatings was carried out in a mini-oven under standard fire conditions. Findings. The influence of the structure of amines blowing agents on the formation of char layer of intumescent system ammonium polyphosphate/pentaerythritol/amine was studied. Physico-chemical parameters of char layer formed during high temperature swelling of intumescent system components with varying amine: urea, melamine, dicyandiamide, guanidine, thiocarbamide, formylthiosemicarbazide, thiosemicarbazide, phenylethylcarbamide have been determined. In the temperature range 200–400 oC for systems with linear amines (urea, thiocarbamide, thiosemicarbazide), there is a rapid formation of insulating layer with intense outgassing (high intumescent coefficients K) and the same rapid its destruction with significant losses of char residue mass (Δm). The presence of melamine, dicyandiamide and guanidine in intumescent system provides constancy of intumescent coefficient at minimal mass loss. Chemical transformations of intumescent systems were studied by the method of infrared spectroscopy when the investigated amines were varied. It was found that linear diamines do not form stable spatially branched phosphamide compounds with phosphates as the basis of a thermostable heat-insulating frame. At the same time in IR spectra of char residue systems with melamine, dicyandiamide and guanidine the absorption bands of P-N-C bonds (1070–1050 cm-1) and P-N (980–950 cm-1) up to 600–700 oC are observed. Fire tests proved that melamine, dicyandiamide and guanidine are blowing agents providing maximum protection of metal against fire and can be used for composition of fire retardants for steel constructions.Originality. It has been proved that amines in intumescent polyphosphate system perform at least two functions: blowing agents by means of thermal destruction to incombustible gases and nucleophilic compound that takes part in char layer formation by aminolysis of electrophilic substrates.Practical value. The optimum amine blowing agents for developing formulations of intumescent coatings with enhanced flame retardant properties have been established.

Thermodynamic Analysis of Eco-Friendly Refrigerant Mixtures as an Alternative to HFC-134a in Household Refrigerator

Nowadays, research has been focused on refrigerants from Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are not harmful to the ozone layer. Because of replacing refrigerants from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). HFCs are used in many applications, including refrigerants, aerosols, solvents, and blowing agents for insulating foams. However, some HFCs have relatively high global warming potential (GWP) and are subject to further examination due to growing concerns about global climate change. The present work’s main objective is to select eco-friendly refrigerants from AC5, R430A and R440A, combining two or more refrigerants from HC, HFC and HFO groups as a direct substitute HFC-134a in a household refrigerator. The performance of the domestic refrigerator with liquid suction heat exchanger (LSHX) was compared in terms of compressor discharge temperature, coefficient of performance (COP), volumetric cooling capacity (VCC), and power consumption of a compressor. It was found that the average COP of R440A and R430A was higher by approximately 2.5% and 1.47% than HFC-134a. However, the COP of AC5 was 6.1% lower than that of HFC-134a. The VCC of R430A is almost equal to HFC-134a. The results also show that AC5, R440A and R430A consume less power than HFC-134a. The compressor outlet temperature with R440A, AC5 provide higher values than HFC-134a, which affects the compressor life. The best overall performance was achieved with the refrigerant R430A in the household refrigerator and suggested an alternative to HFC134a, which also has a very low GWP from the environmental safety perspective.

Foamability of Cellulose Palmitate Using Various Physical Blowing Agents in the Extrusion Process

Polymer foams are widely used in several fields such as thermal insulation, acoustics, automotive, and packaging. The most widely used polymer foams are made of polyurethane, polystyrene, and polyethylene but environmental awareness is boosting interest towards alternative bio-based materials. In this study, the suitability of bio-based thermoplastic cellulose palmitate for extrusion foaming was studied. Isobutane, carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrogen (N2) were tested as blowing agents in different concentrations. Each of them enabled cellulose palmitate foam formation. Isobutane foams exhibited the lowest density with the largest average cell size and nitrogen foams indicated most uniform cell morphology. The effect of die temperature on foamability was further studied with isobutane (3 wt%) as a blowing agent. Die temperature had a relatively low impact on foam density and the differences were mainly encountered with regard to surface quality and cell size distribution. This study demonstrates that cellulose palmitate can be foamed but to produce foams with greater quality, the material homogeneity needs to be improved and researched further.

A comparison of a novel formulation of rigid polyurethane foams synthesis by hydrocarbon blowing agents

A simple formulation of rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) is presented for obtaining a material, with good thermal insulation and long-term stability, based on the different hydrocarbon blowing agents (HBAs). The obtained formulation is prepared from isocyanate and polyol for construction application or appliances. A method and a particular experimental approach have realized to replace hazardous blowing agents (chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)) with other less harmful agents to improve the thermal resistance of this polymer. The obtained results are very encouraging in certain foams prepared from HBA and provide excellent performance.