Use polyurethane foam catalyst during cold storage construction to reduce energy consumption loss

Date：2025-03-18 Categories：Our Projects

Energy-saving pioneers in cold storage construction: polyurethane foam catalyst

In modern society, cold storage has become an important infrastructure for the storage of food, pharmaceutical and industrial products. However, with the rise of energy prices and the increase in environmental awareness, how to reduce the energy consumption of cold storage has become the focus of industry attention. As one of the key technologies to improve the insulation performance of cold storage, polyurethane foam catalysts play an important role in reducing energy consumption. This article will conduct in-depth discussion on the application of polyurethane foam catalyst in cold storage construction, analyze its working principle, product parameters, and domestic and foreign research progress, and demonstrate its energy-saving effects through examples.

What is a polyurethane foam catalyst?

Polyurethane foam catalyst is a chemical substance that can accelerate the reaction of isocyanate with polyol to form polyurethane foam. This foam has excellent thermal insulation properties and is widely used in construction, refrigeration equipment and other fields. In the construction of cold storage, the use of high-efficiency catalysts can significantly improve the foaming efficiency and quality of polyurethane foam, thereby achieving better insulation effect.

Mechanism of action of catalyst

The formation of polyurethane foam is a complex chemical reaction process, mainly including the reaction of isocyanate groups with hydroxyl groups and the release of carbon dioxide. The catalyst causes the reaction to proceed rapidly at lower temperatures by reducing the activation energy of these reactions. Common catalysts include amines and tin compounds, each of which play a role for different reaction stages.

Product parameters of polyurethane foam catalyst

parameter name	Unit	Typical value range	Remarks
Appearance	–	Light yellow to amber liquid	The color depth is related to purity
Density	g/cm³	0.98-1.02	Measured at 25°C
Viscosity	mPa·s	30-70	Measured at 40°C
Moisture content	%	≤0.1	Influence reaction stability
Activity content	%	≥99	Indicates the proportion of active ingredients

These parameters directly affect the quality and performance of the foam. For example, excessive viscosity may lead to uneven mixing, while excessive moisture content may cause side reactions that affect the density and strength of the foam.

Status of domestic and foreign research

In recent years, domestic and foreign scholars have made significant progress in the research of polyurethane foam catalysts. Foreign studies have shown that new composite catalysts can promote both hard and soft segment reactions at the same time, thereby obtaining a more uniform foam structure. Domestic research focuses more on the development of environmentally friendly catalysts, striving to ensure performance while reducing the impact on the environment.

Foreign research cases

DuPont has developed an efficient catalyst based on organotin that can foam rapidly under low temperature conditions and the foam formed has an extremely low thermal conductivity (λ≤0.02 W/m·K). In addition, the water-soluble amine catalysts launched by BASF, Germany have also attracted widespread attention for their good dispersion and stability.

Domestic research progress

The Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences has successfully developed a non-toxic and odorless environmentally friendly catalyst. This catalyst not only reduces production costs, but also improves the aging resistance of foam. The research team at Tsinghua University focused on the relationship between catalyst dosage and foam performance, and proposed a new method to optimize formula design.

Practical application case analysis

Take a large food cold storage as an example, the cold storage adopts an advanced polyurethane foam insulation system, where the selection and proportion of catalysts are the key links. After many tests, the best formula was finally determined, which reduced the overall energy consumption of the cold storage by about 20%. Specifically manifested as:

Reduced refrigeration unit running time
Electric bill expenditures have dropped significantly
Temperature fluctuations in the library are effectively controlled

Data comparison

Indicators	Before improvement	After improvement	Elevation
Annual power consumption (kWh)	800,000	640,000	-20%
Average daily running time (h)	12	9.6	-20%
Temperature fluctuation (℃)	±1.5	±0.5	Sharp improvement

These data fully prove that polyammoniaExcellent performance of ester foam catalysts in practical applications.

Conclusion

To sum up, the application of polyurethane foam catalyst in cold storage construction not only improves the insulation effect, but also effectively reduces energy consumption, making positive contributions to sustainable development. In the future, with the continuous emergence of new materials and new technologies, I believe this field will usher in broader development prospects. Let us look forward to more efficient and environmentally friendly solutions to contribute to the protection of our homeland.

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