1,1,1,3,3-Pentafluoropropane (HFC-245fa) is a
hydrofluorocarbon
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are man-made organic compounds that contain fluorine and hydrogen atoms, and are the most common type of organofluorine compounds. Most are gases at room temperature and pressure. They are frequently used in air condi ...
is a colorless gas used primarily for closed-cell
spray foam insulation. HFC-245fa is also known as pentafluoropropane and by its chemical name 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane.
Environmental Effects
Unlike
CFC and
HCFC
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F), produced as volatile derivatives of methane, ethane, and propa ...
blowing agents formerly used for this purpose, it has no ozone depletion potential and is nearly non-toxic. Although it is intended to remain trapped within the foam insulation, it is practically non-biodegradable with a lifetime of 7.2 years when it eventually does escape into the atmosphere.
It does have a high
global warming potential
Global warming potential (GWP) is the heat absorbed by any greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, as a multiple of the heat that would be absorbed by the same mass of carbon dioxide (). GWP is 1 for . For other gases it depends on the gas and the time ...
of 950 (950 times the global warming effect of ). Honeywell refers to this as "acceptable" in their literature, but they don't include the actual number.
Economics
One of the disadvantages of R-245fa is its cost. In 2000, R-141b cost one US dollar per pound, whereas R-245fa cost $2.50 to $4.00 per pound. As of 2007, and prior to Sinochem's production it was already a high volume production chemical, with over 1 million pounds produced annually.
Manufacturing History
Pentafluoropropane is produced by
Honeywell
Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...
and in Asia by
Sinochem
Sinochem Corporation () is a Chinese state-owned multinational conglomerate primarily engaged in the production and trading of chemicals and fertilizer and exploration and production of oil for civilian and military purposes. Its majority ow ...
.
Honeywell markets HFC-245fa under the Enovate and Genetron 245fa brand names.
AlliedSignal
AlliedSignal was an American aerospace, automotive and engineering company created through the 1985 merger of Allied Corp. and Signal Companies. It subsequently purchased Honeywell for $14.8 billion in 1999, and thereafter adopted the Honeywell ...
, who adopted the Honeywell name after acquiring it, decided in 1999 to provide a non ozone depleting blowing agent as an alternative for
dichlorofluoroethane
1,1-Dichloro-1-fluoroethane is a haloalkane with the formula . It is one of the three isomers of dichlorofluoroethane. It belongs to the hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) family of man-made compounds that contribute significantly to both ozone dep ...
(HCFC-141b) and
trichlorofluoromethane
Trichlorofluoromethane, also called freon-11, CFC-11, or R-11, is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). It is a colorless, faintly ethereal, and sweetish-smelling liquid that boils around room temperature. CFC-11 is a Class 1 ozone-depleting substance ...
(CFC-11). Competitors
Atofina
Total Petrochemicals USA Inc. is a subsidiary of Total SA. It engages in the production and marketing of petrochemical products. Its headquarters is the Total Plaza in Downtown Houston, Texas.
History
The company was incorporated in 1956 as Amer ...
and
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable ene ...
pursued strategies using other agents.
See also
*
Building insulation
Building insulation is any object in a building used as insulation for thermal management. While the majority of insulation in buildings is for thermal purposes, the term also applies to acoustic insulation, fire insulation, and impact ins ...
*
Fiberglass
Fiberglass ( American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cl ...
*
Honeywell
Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Honeywell's Enovate Homepage
Insulators
Refrigerants
Fluoroalkanes