Kingspan to use Honeywell's Solstice LBA in high performance insulation panels

According to Kingspan, Solstice LBA will enable production of insulation panels used in homes and commercial applications that are thinner and have lower-global-warming impact, with superior insulation performance. Solstice LBA has a global warming potential (GWP) of 1, which is 99.9 % lower than previous-generation hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agents, while providing the same or better insulating performance. Solstice LBA has the potential to provide a reduced lambda value of as low as 18 mW/mK in Kingspan’s insulation products. This reduced lambda value reflects a thinner product, which is a key benefit for end users, especially in buildings and rooms where space is at a premium.

“Using Solstice LBA will allow us to reduce the thickness of our products by 10 % while keeping their superior insulation performance,” said John Garbutt, divisional marketing director for Kingspan Insulation.

“Honeywell is committed to developing technologies that help our customers produce energy-efficient materials that have improved environmental performance,” said Paul Sanders, managing director for Honeywell Fluorine Products in Europe, Middle East, Africa and India. “We are delighted to help Kingspan introduce a new class of insulation boards that benefits from our expertise in developing products with enhanced performance and reduced environmental impact.”

Solstice LBA is being adopted by manufacturers of insulation materials around the world that are looking to reduce their environmental footprint and comply with environmental and energy efficiency regulations. Solstice LBA is non-flammable and is not a volatile organic compound. It is approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) programme and is REACH registered in Europe. Honeywell is currently providing commercial quantities to customers and is building world-scale production capacity for Solstice LBA that is expected to come online in the second quarter of 2014.

Blowing agents from Honeywell can be used in a wide range of applications, including household refrigerators and freezers, commercial refrigeration equipment, insulated architectural panels, spray foam insulation and refrigerated shipping containers.