Collaboration between Dow and Honeywell Delivers More Sustainable Appliance Insulation Technology

April 28, 2015 | By Business Wire News

MIDLAND, Mich.

The Dow Chemical Company’s (NYSE: DOW) new polyurethane insulation system used in freezers helps lower global warming potential (GWP) by 99.9 percent and improves energy efficiency compared to prior insulation technologies. This technology is enabled by Honeywell’s Solstice^® Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA) which can be found in consumer freezers now available in retail chains around the U.S. Labels on the freezers inform consumers that the “revolutionary insulation” is in their appliance.

Whether it is freezers, refrigerators or numerous other applications, polyurethane rigid foam is one of the best insulation materials available to help achieve energy efficiency targets, reduce costs and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. For companies and brand owners impacted by the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) regulations proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dow is developing new polyurethane-based solutions that will fully comply with all applicable regulations once they become law.

“Change isn’t easy and the EPA’s proposed blowing agent regulation brings a unique set of technical issues to the industry,” said Robert York, market manager for Dow Polyurethanes. “For nearly a decade, Dow has been working to develop low GWP and no ozone depletion potential (ODP) solutions and our experts are available to help companies ensure smooth and seamless transitions.”

Commercial Success

After five years of extensive research and development enabled by its proprietary technology, Dow is providing brand owners a polyurethane insulation system solution using Honeywell’s SolsticeLBA, a hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) foam blowing agent. Solstice LBA has an ultra-low GWP of 1, which is 99.9 percent lower than the traditional hydrofluorocarbons-based foam blowing agents it often replaces.

“We have been pleased to work with Dow on this exciting technology, which improves the environmental profile of refrigerators, freezers and other residential and commercial appliances sold worldwide,” said Bryan Magnus, global business manager of Honeywell’s appliance business. “As the leader in the development of low GWP blowing agents, refrigerants, aerosols and solvents, Honeywell is uniquely positioned to help manufacturers like Dow and others deliver energy-efficient and high-performance solutions.”

Performance Benefits

Dow solutions for high-performance systems can be used in a variety of applications. The polyurethane foam’s insulating properties are enabled by the blowing agent as it expands and is retained in the foam’s closed-cell structure delivering excellent insulation performance leading to improved energy efficiency. Compared to HFC foam blowing agents, the new HFOs increase the insulating performance of the system, helping manufacturers comply with environmental and energy efficiency regulations.

The polyurethane material is designed to provide both improved mechanical and physical properties, including:

Optimal thermal conductivity to meet increasingly demanding energy standards in the appliance industry
Good flow and uniform density distribution of the foam
A curing profile that allows for very competitive demold times
Excellent adhesion to a variety of substrates
Excellent mechanical properties of the foam resulting in outstanding dimensional stability
Extended shelf life of the fully formulated system with HFO

“Dow has decades of technical experience with developing rigid polyurethane solutions that offer different solutions to meet the specific needs of each customer,” stated York.

About Dow Polyurethanes

Dow Polyurethanes develops and delivers a broad portfolio of performance products and tailor-made solutions to customers in a variety of industries, and applications ranging from energy-efficient residential and commercial construction, industrial solutions, infrastructure repair, to consumer comfort solutions in flooring, furniture, and footwear. The business provides key ingredients, fully-formulated systems and solutions for rigid, semi-rigid and flexible foams, adhesives, sealants, coatings, elastomers and binders. Dow is the world’s largest producer of propylene oxide (PO), propylene glycol (PG), and polyether polyols, and is a leading producer of quality aromatic isocyanates, such as MDI. Striving to meet the specific needs of its customers in their local geographic regions, Dow Polyurethanes operates a global network of production sites, systems houses, as well as innovation and service centers. The business has an ongoing initiative to lead the industry in providing high-performance products that meet critical market needs and contribute to a more comfortable, healthier and resilient society. For more information, visit www.dowpolyurethanes.com.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from the intersection of chemical, physical and biological sciences to help address many of the world’s most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow’s integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2014, Dow had annual sales of more than $58 billion and employed approximately 53,000 people worldwide. The Company’s more than 6,000 product families are manufactured at 201 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

Solstice is a registered trademark of Honeywell. It is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program

^®TMTrademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow