Polyurethanes Technical Conference Highlights Versatility of Polyurethanes for Construction Industry

The versatility of polyurethane chemistry and its benefits for the building and construction industry will be the focus of three separate technical sessions at the 2013 Polyurethanes Technical Conference, presented by the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council. The three construction-focused technical sessions will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday of the conference, which will take place Sept. 23 to 25 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel.

Throughout the conference, industry experts will present advances in rigid polyurethane (PUR), polyisocyanurate (PIR) foams and spray polyurethane foam (SPF), which are ideal for many different construction applications.

“The construction industry is increasingly focused on high-performance building and improving energy efficiency,” said Lee Salamone, senior director of CPI. “Recent advances in polyurethane chemistry, especially PUR and PIR foams and SPF, are helping builders and architects meet these energy efficiency and building quality goals. Polyurethanes serve the versatile needs of the building and construction sector, whether for retrofits or new buildings in both the residential and commercial industries.”

Construction sessions one and three address the advancement of PUR and PIR foams for construction industry applications, especially energy conservation challenges. In these two sessions:

Bayer MaterialScience and Foam Supplies Inc. will describe their work with methyl formate, a major component of the blowing agent Ecomate®, to create PIR laminate boardstock insulation and discuss its physical properties and flammability performance.
Momentive will examine the effect of additives on a polyol blend, specifically in the areas of resin appearance, foam structure, density, insulation value, compressive strength, dimensional stability and open cell content.
Foam Supplies Inc. will evaluate different catalysts in Ecomate® spray foam formulations to determine which choice of catalysts promotes a shelf life exceeding six months without compromising the physical properties of the finished product. Metal, amine, blowing and gelling catalysts will be discussed.
Arkema and Bayer MaterialScience will present their investigation into the performance of AFA-L1 in several energy-critical cold chain applications such as refrigerated trailers and continuous and discontinuous ASTM E84-rated panels.
Honeywell will discuss a new high-performance blowing agent technology used for discontinuous panels and commercial appliances.
Construction session two focuses on the science of SPF and its application to the construction industry. In this session:

Evonik will addresses the optimization of SPF, comparing systems prepared with isocyanate and containing silicone surfactants to those prepared with the isocyanate alone.
The Spray Foam Coalition will discuss how to incorporate SPF into wall and roofing designs to meet the stringent 2012 building codes.
Mason Knowles Consulting will discuss the identification of SPF defects, and tools and techniques used to remove and repair the application.
In addition to the papers described here, a number of papers related to environmental stewardship will also be presented in these technical sessions.

Registration is now open for the conference. Several sponsorship opportunities, including high visibility opportunities like the conference area Wi-Fi and table top exhibition space, are still available. For more information on the conference or to register, visit the CPI website.