TECHNOLOGY | WIRE & CABLE
Right:
Automotive wiring systems have to meet increasingly stringent fire and
performance requirements
when not stored or handled properly. Emulsions contain water, significantly reducing the chance of combustion, and increasing the transport, storage and handling safety. The improved safety charac- teristics also allow for bulk storage and fully automated handling, reducing the risk of manual operation mishaps,” says Rob van de Graaf, Director of Sales, Americas - Polymer Chemistry. “European PVC manufacturers started using AkzoNobel’s emulsion-based organic peroxides more than 10 years ago. With the introduction to the US, we believe our customers there will realise the same benefits,” says Johan Landfors, Member of the Executive Committee responsible for Polymer Chemistry. While European PVC producers started using the emulsion-based organic peroxides principally for safety reasons, AkzoNobel claims emulsion peroxide PVC is more consistent, contains fewer fisheyes, and is whiter than PVC made with solvent-based perox- ides. That means less TiO2
(or alternative whitener)
needs to be used in compounds. Emulsion-based peroxides, when introduced into the polymerisation process using AkzoNobel’s CID Continuous Initiator Dosing (CiD) technology, also help raise output by as much as 40% by cutting batch times. Van de Graaf doesn’t have a definitive answer for the delayed adoption of emulsion peroxides in the US, but suggests the different make-up of the sectors in the two regions may also be a factor. Europe has many smaller PVC producers, while the US has four very big ones and that may also mean the US industry is more conservative in its thinking. The shift in direction of US producers may be a consequence of Hurricane Harvey, which last year devastated the Mexican Gulf coast and, in doing
Left: Inside the Borealis HV test facility in Sweden
so, knocked out Arkema’s peroxide plant at Crosby in Texas. Flooding there disabled the refrigeration on the peroxide storage tanks, resulting in them overheating and ultimately exploding.
XLPE stabilisation Addivant has provided more details on Lowinox Fast XL, a high-performance liquid antioxidant blend it launched last year for the stabilisation of peroxide cross-linkable polyethylene (XLPE) insulation compounds used in production of medium voltage (MV) and high voltage (HV) power cables. Lowinox Fast XL can either be added during the production of the XLPE compounds themselves or used for cables produced using the Direct Peroxide Injection (DPI) process. Lowinox Fast XL has been designed to minimise
the interaction between the antioxidant and peroxide, Addivant says, allowing faster crosslink- ing speeds. Catenary continuous vulcanisation (CCV) lines can are said to be able to run 5-7% faster without compromising technical perfor- mance. “Excellent stability with the peroxide allows premixing long in advance, providing cable producers with greater production flexibility and manpower reduction,” says Mark Moody, Key
Borealis invests in testing lab
Borealis (and sister company Borouge) inaugurated a newly expand- ed high voltage (HV) electrical testing facility at the Borealis Innova- tion Centre in Stenungsund, Sweden in March. Some €4m has been invested in order to expand and equip the
laboratory with the latest testing equipment. The facility, which is claimed to be unique among polymer producers, now offers alternate current (AC) and direct current (DC) simulation testing for perfor- mance of commercial cable materials in the medium, high and extra high voltage ranges. �
www.borealisgroup.com
24 COMPOUNDING WORLD | May 2018
www.compoundingworld.com
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
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