For the last few years, the HVAC industry has been allowing expanded polypropylene – EPP- to enter more and more applications. Thanks to the advantages of the expanded polypropylene, ducts and fittings made of this material are light and don’t require additional insulation, because the material itself has such properties. Expanded polypropylene is indeed perfect insulation, the thermal conductivity of the material is usually at the level of λ = 0.036-0,040 [W/m*k]. Thus, the use of EPP in HVAC helps to eliminate thermal bridges. What’s more, EPP ducts and fittings can be connected by means of a muff supplied to each element. Each joint can be designed in such a way to allow for the system to achieve a defined tightness class. The channels of the system can fit directly into the recuperator nozzles. Knauf Industries manufactures EPP channels in various diameters and lengths. The wall thickness can be individually adjusted to the project requirements.
Expanded foams in HVAC solutions – lightness and ergonomy
Expanded foams are valued for their ergonomy. The assembly and installation of the duct systems and fittings from EPP is very fast and simple. Each element can be easily and quickly attached, as it does not require the use of additional fasteners or screws. The suspension system is virtually unnecessary due to the low weight of the elements. If additional slings are needed, standard clamps can be used.
Moreover, expanded foams are easy to cut with hand tools. For instance, each 90-degree bend can easily be cut in half, resulting in two 45-degree bends. The ducts, fittings and other HVAC system elements made from EPP are easy to transport, user-friendly and optimal in terms of production costs.
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HVAC solutions design
In Knauf Industries we are ready to design a dedicated set of ducts and fittings that will make your
HVAC solution more ergonomic and efficient. A wide array of expanded foams we use as a manufacturer of insulation solutions for HVAC can assure desired parameters of compressive strength and air-tightness and stiffness. For each project we also carefully choose the density of the expanded foam to fit the requirements of the application. Last but not least comes the visual aspect of the parts which can be plain or textured. In Knauf Industries we created a range of 36 texture designs to upgrade the looks of expanded polypropylene parts. The expanded foam HVAC components can be easily designed as visual parts of the systems, satisfying the aesthetics requirements. – says Piotr Złomek, Key Account Manager CEE for HVAC solutions in Knauf Industries.
Contact our Technical Team to optimize your HVAC solution with Knauf Industries.
We already supported many renowned HVACR appliances producers in their journey to implement expanded polypropylene – EPP for their systems. The improved solutions are lighter and more environment-friendly as expanded foams are fully recyclable. They are modern mono-materials used in many other industries with high standards and requirements like automotive where they constitute passive safety elements.
