Impact of blowing agent-blends on polyurethane foams thermal and mechanical properties

The thermal properties of polyurethane foams are important to meet the government mandated energy efficiency goals. Polyurethane foams blown by traditional blowing agents such as water, n-Pentane, and Methyl formate may not have the thermal and mechanical properties to meet the target of the manufacturer. Over the last few years, Forane (FBA) was introduced as the fourth-generation of blowing agents that provide excellent insulation properties for the rigid polyurethane foams. One of the obstacles of using HFCF blowing agents was the high values of global warming and ozone depletion potentials. The current research provides a study of the effect of various blends of FBA 1233zd and traditional blowing agents on the mechanical and thermal properties of rigid polyurethane foam insulation. Foam samples were blown by 0, 25, 50, and 100% blowing agent blends were studied and the results show that for which extent foam properties were changed.