Polyurethane foam insulation

The tank is typically about sixteen inches in diameter and about four to five feet tall. The top of the tank is domed upward and the bottom of the tank is also domed upward in a concave manner. The outside of the tank is insulated with a polyurethane foam insulation that is squirted into the gap between the tank and a thinner sheet metal jacket. The polyurethane is made of two different components that react and harden when mixed. Included in the mixture is a blowing agent that causes the polyurethane to expand in a foam-like manner. Prior to about 1980, water heaters were insulated with fiberglass insulation. The foam insulation process was developed to allow automation and increased manufacturing speed and reduced costs. A side benefit was improved insulating ability leading to a slight increase in efficiency. 

Polyurethane foams Insulating systems for high-temperature marine pipelines [1389]... 

AX-109 Large-Scale Corner Wall Tests of Spray-On Coatings Over Rigid Polyurethane Foam Insulation (U103). 

AX-113 An Assessment of the Thermal Performance of Rigid Polyurethane Foam Insulation for Use in Building Construction (U-108). 

The same principles apply in modern appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners. Fifty-three billion kilowatt hours of electricity are saved every year by improvements in major appliance energy efficiency made possible, to a great extent, by plastics. Without the benefits provided by polyurethane foam insulation, these appliances could use as much as 30 percent more energy, driving up our electricity bills and increasing spoilage. 

The Effects of Regulatory Actions on the Marketing of Rigid Polyurethane Foam Insulation... 

In other installations, there might be a gap between the foam and the required thermal barrier, thus permitting air intrusion. The phenomenon of decreasing R-value has presented the industry with a dilemma. What is the proper statement to make about the thermal resistance of one s rigid polyurethane foam insulation The lower the R-value statement you make, the less competitive your product will be. In the past, it has been difficult to advertise the aged R-values when your competition advertises only the initial R-values. 

The walls of refrigerators have to be heavily insulated to ensure efficient cooling. Typically, polyurethane foam insulation has been used for this purpose, and guess what it used to be blown with Chlorofluorocarbons ... 

Hazardous Decomp. Prods. CO2, CO, cyanides, nitrogen oxides Uses Mixts. with 2,4-TDI to mfg. flexible polyurethane foams (for furniture and bedding industry) and rigid polyurethane foams (insulation) mfg. of elastomers, coatings such as polyurethane paints, varnishes, wire enamels, adhesives, sealants in food-pkg. adhesives Regulatay FDA 21CFR 175.105 ManufJDistrib. Bayer/Polymers Trade Names Containing Rubinate TDI 80/20... 

The polyurethane foam insulations also exhibited excellent thermal performance. 

Kapps M. The production of rigid polyurethane foam insulation. Insulation Technical Information. Bayer Materials Science Jun. 2004. 

Figure 5. The flip side of the sample in Figure4, showing the presence of polyurethane foam insulation, and of multiple cracks radiating from the water inlets. Note the imeven yellow-brown color of the foam.

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