Chemicals company Huntsman has teamed up with Switzerland-based Brugg Pipes to develop an insulating polyurethane (PU) foam capable of producing highly flexible pre-insulated pipes suitable for Ground source heat pumps and heating installations are attached to residential and commercial buildings. Brugg Pipes uses Huntsman's Suprasec Daltofoam TE material portfolio in its January 2022 Flexstar product.

According to Huntsman, the combination of Suprasec Daltofoam TE materials produces foam with better insulating properties (low lambda) than polyethylene (PE), with a thinner insulating layer than PE, but still has good overall insulating properties (low U value). Additionally, thinner, lighter pipes are more flexible, which means they can be transported and installed more quickly and easily.

Huntsman said demand for ground source heat pumps is expanding in North America, Europe and North Asia because of their lower carbon footprint compared to alternative technologies.

Bora Yayla, Marketing Director, Brugg Pipes said: “We have wanted to enter the heat pump market for some time and needed a competitive insulation solution that would allow us to quickly gain a foothold in this market. The key to our success was our The pre-insulated pipes have good bends in them to ensure easy handling without compromising insulation performance. More flexible pipes have smaller winding radii which means they are easier to transport for engineers and installers faster Flooring in tight spaces or where there are sharp turns and building entrances. By working with Huntsman, we achieved all our expectations and Flexstar products received orders from all over the world.”

According to Brugg Pipes, Flexstar pre-insulated pipes are specially designed for heat pump systems and manufactured by a patented production process (according to DIN EN 15632-2 and DIN 4726) which ensures excellent boundary and longitudinal water tightness as well as a good oxygen diffusion barrier.