Thermal insulation systems go eco-friendly

The pressing need to cut energy consumption encouraged the implementation of measures aimed at efficient heat insulation. This applies equally in the Middle East, where the challenge is to insulate offices and buildings against the blistering heat of the summer. At the Big 5 trade fair held in November 2009, recent innovations in the building and construction industry were introduced into the region. BaySystems Pearl has built up several years of wide-ranging experience in the area of thermal insulation systems, working closely with customers to develop customised system solutions based on rigid polyurethane foam. This material has the best thermal insulating properties of any product currently available on the market, and is used to insulate buildings, warehouses and pipe networks, as well as having applications in the refrigeration chain. With its commitment to the use of more environmentally sound blowing agents, BaySystems Pearl is at the forefront of polyurethane technology in the United Arab Emirates and is working intensively on new systems that use environmentally friendly blowing agents to produce rigid polyurethane foam. On the one hand, this reflects a general trend towards more eco-friendly construction - one example being the Masdar City project in Abu Dhabi - with numerous new 'green' specifications from construction firms and consultants. On the other hand, it is another step towards the phase-out of halogenated blowing agent R 141 b (dichlorofluoroethane). "BaySystems Pearl can call on the expertise of the global BaySystems network and take advantage of the cutting-edge technology that it offers. This means we can implement customer requirements quickly and with outstanding flexibility," explains Dr. Marc Schütze, head of Business Development at Bay Systems Pearl. Systems for spray foam and refrigeration equipment that are based on the blowing agent R 245 fa have already been tested and approved by customers. Compared with R 141 b, the introduction of this blowing agent constitutes an advance in environmental terms and is an important step towards halogen-free blowing agents such as pentane. District cooling instead of energy-intensive air conditioning For many years, Emirates Preinsulated Pipes Industries LLC (EPPI) has used environmentally friendly, pipe insulation systems using water as blowing agent - a technology that is currently the number-one choice for the district cooling of communities and has been used in new projects including Palm Jumeirah, Burj Dubai and Metro Dubai. District cooling is based on similar principles to district heating. A few large cooling plants pump chilled water through a network of insulated pipes in order to cool buildings and offices. This method is far more efficient than running numerous local air-conditioning systems and makes an important contribution to climate protection - provided that the pipes are extremely well insulated. The use of pentane is the most cost-effective way for manufacturers of polyurethane sandwich panels and refrigerating appliances to produce effective insulation in an environmentally friendly way. This blowing agent meets the same high application standards as R 141 b. BaySystems supplies special systems for all sandwich panel production plants in the Middle East that use pentane. Ayadam Trading LLC, Dubai, is an experienced application specialist in spray systems for water sealing and thermal insulation. Drake & Scull International (DSI) PJSC, the general contractor for the district cooling network in Nad-Al-Sheba-Meydan District, commissioned this specialist firm to seal and insulate the district cooling plant's cold water holding tanks. Ayadam opted to use a combination of two polyurethane spray systems from polyurethane systems house BaySystems Pearl. The plant in Nad-Al-Sheba also supplies the neighbouring Meydan project in Dubai, which incorporates aWomen Jordan Shoes