Tailored Surfactant Solutions to Optimize Foam Performance in HFC-245fa-blown Appliance Systems

Abstract

This article discusses the growing role that surfactant technology plays in the ‘next-generation’ 245fa appliance systems. A series of experiments have been designed to illustrate how tailor-made surfactants can improve foam quality and provide better utilization of the HFC-245fa blowing agent. The resulting data, based on high-pressure machine evaluations, clearly demonstrates the value an optimized surfactant has on the resulting foam performance. These improvements have translated into significantly reduced freeze stable densities, lower minimum fill densities, and improved k-factors in a selection of ‘next-generation’ 245fa systems. Tailor-made surfactants are a powerful tool in helping to meet the appliance manufacturers’ ongoing demand for balancing foam performance with lowest cost-in-use production.