Blowing Agent

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blowing agent

[′blō·iŋ ‚ā·jənt]

(materials)

A chemical added to plastics and rubbers that generates inert gases on heating, causing the resin to assume a cellular structure. Also known as foaming agent.

Blowing agent

Compound used in producing foam insulation. Mixed as a liquid with the foam ingredients under pressure, the blowing agent evaporates, creating gas bubbles that provide the insulation.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Blowing Agent

a substance used in the manufacture of porous materials to create a system of connecting pore channels or isolated pore cells in an initially dense body (medium).

Blowing agents include various organic and mineral compounds, such as Porofors and carbonates, which generate gases upon decomposition or upon reacting with the components of the solidifying product—for example, a synthetic resin or concrete mix. A second type of blowing agent is a substance that is added to a material as a filler and then washed out of the solid intermediate product with solvents. Blowing agents are used in the manufacture of porous articles and materials made of plastic, rubber, cement, clay, glass, and metal.

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References in periodicals archive ?

Solstice Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA), is a highly efficient insulator and has an ultra-low global-warming-potential (GWP) of 1, which is 99.9 percent lower than the blowing agents it replaces and equal to carbon dioxide.

New insulation technology

A new process using dry ice as physical blowing agent has been developed at IKV [21].

Foam extrusion of LDPE with solid phase C[O.sub.2] as blowing agent

Honeywell said that Solstice LBA is a next-generation blowing agent with a global warming potential of 1, significantly lower than previous-generation hydrofluorocarbon blowing agents.

Cleveland Airport uses Honeywell product for new roof

An alternative to hydrocarbons The non-flammable liquid blowing agent will provide customers with an alternative to hydrocarbons and traditional hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

Blowing agent on way for PU foam

In 2006, Honeywell introduced its low-GWP portfolio, which is based on hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) technology, and last year it commercialised HFO-1234ze, a low-GWP gaseous blowing agent for one-component foam in Europe.

New technology replacements for HFC blowing agents

There is one obstacle, however, according to Roland Loh, a global applications specialist for plastic foam manufacturer Owens Coming and principal investigator in the company's search for environmentally benign nanocomposite foam products, and that is one particular property of C[O.sub.2]: "Carbon dioxide is a low-cost blowing agent, but its solubility is low, so if you want it diffused throughout the polymer, you need to keep it under pressure," he says.

Formula for a new foam

The polyurethane foam itself does not have to be changed, only the blowing agent that is used to pump the foam inside the panel walls.

The changing face of cold storage

in Midland, Mich., has developed a technique that uses pure carbon dioxide, instead of CFCs and HCFCs, as the propellant, or blowing agent, in the manufacture of polystyrene foam.

An Ounce of Prevention

As manufacturers of home refrigerators prepare to select the next-generation blowing agent to use with polyurethane foam after 2002, Bayer Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA, is providing original research on blowing agent options, and is offering the resources of its state-of-the-art Appliance Lab.

Regulatory Watch Appliance Industry Seeks Next Blowing Agent

During production, a blowing agent blows gas into the polystyrene.

A Caution on Cups, Chlorine and Clouds

It is a result of diffusion of the blowing agent, typically pentane, out of the cells and its replacement in the cells by air.