High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with Z-pokers

High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with

Z-pokers
Theodoros Bouras-Soulimas, TCG Licensed Chemical Engineer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoros-bouras-soulimas-b0a101133/

The liquid foam laydown technique and its optimal parameterization is an important final product
quality factor in the rigid PU foam insulating core sandwich panels production. Inappropriate setup
can lead to issues such as:

- Range and distribution of liquid PU foam: element underpacking in the joints area, widespread
surface flatness failure (internal as well as external facing) and significant density variations across
the width.

- Liquid mixture residence time within poker: regional mixing quality issues leading to irregular
shrinkage during the element cooling phase and consequent dimensional instability.

- Liquid foam discharge intensity: irregular interface between foam and facings with foam rise
impression on upper metal facing (external to the building) which can be visible at certain angles
(especially with 0.4mm thick metal facings).

- Deterioration of mechanical properties such as adhesion and compression.

The Z-poker is the most common liquid PU foam lay down technique:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEwAWwR_K-g

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High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with Z-pokers

Picture 01: Continuous production PU rigid foam mixing head and gas poker

These metal pipe Z-pokers can be easily (and cheaply) manufactured in any local machine shop and
can be reused several times after a thorough cleanup using drills sets and appropriate solvents. This
routine cleanup however results in extensive wear (pipe inner roughness) as well as significant
discharge port diameter distortions, which eventually affect liquid PU foam flow patterns with the
entailed issues described previously.

Since around 2010, all major chemical system suppliers in the PU foam industry (BASF, Covestro,
Dow & Huntsman) introduced fixed liquid foam laydown methodologies and supplied customers
with expendable one use plastic static rakes such as the below illustrated from BASF.

Picture 02: One use plastic static rakes - fixed liquid foam laydown system by BASF
(http://www.polyurethanes.basf.de/pu/solutions/de/function/conversions:/publish/content/group/News_und_Medien/P
olyurethan/Flyer_PU_en.pdf)

These aimed to eliminate issues associated with the gradual performance deterioration of metal Z-
pokers from repeated use as well as improving final product mechanical properties and of course
significantly simplifying process set up, online corrective actions and maintenance work load for the
operators
(http://www.polyurethanes.basf.de/pu/solutions/de/function/conversions:/publish/content/group/
News_und_Medien/Polyurethan/Flyer_PU_en.pdf).

The benefits of static rake utilization are undoubtedly significant and according to the author’s
opinion usually come at a reasonable price. However, due to the additional external dependency
and cost, entailed logistics, less than expected performance in some production lines as well as the
fact that these are not available from all chemical system suppliers, many PU panels manufacturers
prefer their existing in-house Z-poker designs & methodology.

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High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with Z-pokers

This report aims to provide a guide on important parameters correlation - interaction for optimizing
liquid PU foam laydown in high pressure continuous insulating panels production lines using Z-
pokers.

1. Distribution optimization

Scan speed as a function of the mixing head’s motor ACDC parameter, without considering the effect
of normal wear in the transmission system:

Theoretical determination:

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High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with Z-pokers

Experimental determination (effect of normal wear in the transmission system taken into account):
Time duration for ten full mixing head scans (mixing head back to start position) for various ACDC
values and exponentially fitting data to a curve.

 For any production line speed, scanning range, mixing head scan speed, maximum mixing head
scan speed & Z-poker length l < a it is (see picture above, section 1):

therefore:

Minimum applicable Z-poke length l would therefore be:

 For any production line speed, mixing head scan speed, maximum mixing head scan speed & Z-
poker length a ≤ l < 2 × a it is (see picture above, sections 2 & 3):

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High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with Z-pokers

and for the overlapping surfaces it is:

 For any production line speed, mixing head scan speed, maximum mixing head scan speed & Z-
poker length l ≥ 2× a it is (see picture above, section 4):

and for the surfaces:

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High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with Z-pokers

Graphic correlation of parameters for a maximum scan speed of 1500 mm/s:

Ideal combination of production line speed, mixing head scan speed, ACDC & Z-poker length l
parameters meets conditions:

 l = a OR
 a ≤ l < 2 × a with m = n OR
 l ≥ 2 × a with k = 4 & b = 0 → Ek+1 = Ek+2 = 0

Z-poker design parameters

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High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with Z-pokers

where no is the number of clogged discharge ports (lateral) & lX is Z-poker length (active length)
reduction for no clogged ports.

Notes:

 ↑ l → ↑ ACDC for constant SPEED parameter value

 ↑ A→ ↓ACDC for constant SPEED parameter value & total mass outflow

 ↑ production line speed → ↓ACDC for constant SPEED parameter value, total mass outflow
&A

 The length of a Z-poker is a strong function of the production line’s speed and a weaker
function of the total mass flow of reactants. A Z-poker is single end mounted on the mixing
head and for lengths > 530 mm & high SPEED parameter values it is very likely for the Z
motion vibrations to result in poor injection profile on the edges, foam spills outside
predefined fill volume and eventual Z-poker detachment from the mixing head. Higher ACDC
parameter values can be a solution to this problem.

 Unlike SPEED parameter, the ACDC parameter is set before starting of a pouring cycle and
cannot be modified online to compensate for distribution issues in the event of Z-poker’s
lateral discharge ports clogging.

 Blank sections of around 10 cm positively contribute against irregular flow patters within the
Z-poker pipe which cause lateral discharge port clogging (especially in the case of lower total
mass flow outputs).

 Smaller size mixing heads & port diameter mixing head injection nozzles along with a blank
Z-poker section positively contribute in reactants optimal mixing quality.

2. Discharge ports & injection nozzles optimization

Bernoulli equation application across a streamline of a storage tank surface to a Z-poker discharge
port ignoring friction losses:

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High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with Z-pokers

Liquid PU port discharge velocity uD is identical for all ports of a Z-poker (irrespectively of port
diameter) and is a function of pressure within mixing head & mixing head to Z-poker outflow velocity
(elevation head ignored).

Mass balance across Z-poker discharge ports (no friction, n number of ports, and constant Z-poker
internal diameter along its length):

Flow along the Z-poker (nO ports of Ao

surface each) length is gradually being
decreased to zero past last active
discharge port (non clogged or blocked –
inactive port = clogged due to PU foam
solidification) and for individual discharge
port velocities uD it is recommended that
2.8 m/s ≤ uD = (ΣΜi / ρ) × 1 / (no × Ao) ≤ 3.4
m/s.

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High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with Z-pokers

Number of active discharge ports decrease as a function of process parameters:

 Process conditions 1: Ρ1, Μ1 (rpm1), u1, ZP1 (n × AO), uD1

Number of active discharge ports of Z-poker: n1 = (M1 / ρ) × 1/ (Αο × uD1) < n

 Process conditions 2: Ρ2 > Ρ1 (branch backpressure adjustment through mixing head injection
nozzle, see figure above), Μ2 = Μ1 (rpm2 > rpm1 since Ρ2 > Ρ1), u2 = u1 (identical pipeline), ZP2
= ZP1 (therefore identical n × AO), uD2 > uD1 (since Μ2 = Μ1 but now Ρ2 > Ρ1 meaning higher
discharge velocities in mixing head - Bernoulli).

Number of active discharge ports of Z-poker: n2 = (M2 / ρ) × 1/ (Αο × uD2) = (M1 / ρ) × 1/ (Αο
× uD2) < n1 < n

In order for n2 = n1, one must use a ZP2 (n × A1) ≠ ZP1 Z-poker with A1 < AΟ, meaning that Z-pokers
with smaller discharge port surfaces (and of course increased number of ports to maintain discharge
velocities within required limits) work best (no discharge ports clogged – constant Z-poker length)
for higher pump discharge pressures (higher pump discharge pressures promote mixing quality of
reactants, an improved reaction profile as well as final product’s dimensional stability).

Zero clogged lateral ports requirement during longer pouring cycles (3 - 4 hours) can only be met if
flow velocity across Z-poker length is constant which means a Z-poker with a gradually decreasing
inner diameter.

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High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with Z-pokers

These kind of Z-pokers cannot of course be

easily or cheaply manufactured at local machine
shops and would preferably be made
expendable from injection molded plastic
materials as it is the case with the newer static
rake designs.

For the mixing head injection nozzles discharge

velocities it would be: 14.76 m/s ≤ uD = (Μi / ρi)
× 1 / Ao) ≤ 57.28 m/s

Note that for AΟ = ct: ↑μ (PU liquid foam

viscosity) → ↓ φ & for constant branch
backpressure: ↑ A → ↓ φ with φ being an
important reactants mixing quality parameter.

3. Common pouring cycle laydown problems & online troubleshooting

 uDt ≥ 3.4 m/s

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High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with Z-pokers

Description: Starting with n - no ≤ 3 but gradually turning into n - no > 4 since increased
discharge output means increased pressure drop across a streamline within Z-poker →
phase change from liquid to gas across a streamline (air mix assisted – nucleation sites) →
cavitation: bubbles formation and consequent collapse while transitioning from low to
higher pressure area (atmospheric on discharge ports) → Uebler effect of standing bubbles
blocking flow through discharge ports (non Newtonian Fluids) → rapid mass flow
fluctuations undetectable for the mass flow meter devices → increased residence time of
liquid PU foam within Z-poker → PU solidifies inside Z-poker sections and blocks more ports
→ stoichiometry and consequent reactivity fluctuations → increasingly deteriorated mixing
quality of reactive mixture → online irregular shrinkage of final products.

Solution: Replace with a Z-poker of more or larger diameter discharge ports.

 uDt ≤ 2.8 m/s

Description: Starting with n - no ≤ 3 but gradually turning into n – no > 3 since decreased
outflow velocity means increased residence time of PU liquid foam within the Z-poker →
more ports get clogged → oscillation spills in adjacent ports → adjacent ports get clogged as
well → stoichiometry and consequent reactivity fluctuations → increasingly deteriorated
mixing quality of reactive mixture & no overlapping surfaces → online irregular shrinkage of
final products.

Solution: Replace with a Z-poker of smaller diameter discharge ports.

 2.8 m/s < uDt < uD ≤ 3.4 m/s

Description: Starting with n - no ≤ 3 but gradually turning into n – no > 5 → Z-poker active
length reduction without any mixing quality issues → inappropriate distribution (foam rise
impression on bottom metal facing).

Solution 01: Replace with a Z-poker of smaller diameter discharge ports → decreased
discharge port ouflows → decreased likelihood of lateral clogged discharge ports → initial Z-
poker active length remains constant during pouring cycle → appropriate distribution
(higher number of smaller diameter discharge ports are being replaced by smaller number of
larger diameter Z-poker ports).

Solution 02: Decrease PD pumps discharge pressures (not below 130 bar and always
minding mixing quality requirements) by readjusting backpressures through the mixing head
injection nozzles. Pumps will now run at lower rpm for the same mass flow rates → ↓ uDt →
initial Z-poker active length remains constant during pouring cycle → appropriate
distribution.

Solution 03: Decrease reactants temperatures by 1 to 2 deg C → increase viscosity of liquid

state reactive mixture → increased head loss across a Z-poker length streamline = increase
velocity head across a Z-poker length streamline = sufficient kinetic energy to reach Z-poker
lateral ports → constant initial Z-poker active length during pouring cycle → appropriate
distribution. Note: Depending on the chemical system (origin viscosity) as well as mass flow
rates, a further temperature decrease may result in mixing quality issues due to injection
nozzles irregular flow patterns in the mixing head.

 2.8 m/s < uDt < uD & uD > 3.4 m/s

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High pressure continuous process liquid PU foam laydown optimization with Z-pokers

Description: Starting with n - no ≤ 3 but gradually turning into n – no > 5 → Z-poker active
length reduction with or without any mixing quality issues (potential cavitations) →
inappropriate distribution (foam rise impression on bottom metal facing) with or without an
increasingly deteriorated mixing quality of reactive mixture & consequent final product
online irregular shrinkage.

Solution 01: Replace with a Z-poker of more or larger diameter discharge ports.

Solution 02: Decrease PD pumps discharge pressures (not below 130 bar and always
minding mixing quality requirements) by readjusting backpressures through the mixing head
injection nozzles. Pumps will now run at lower rpm for the same mass flow rates → ↓ uDt →
initial Z-poker active length remains constant during pouring cycle → appropriate
distribution.

 uD ≤ 2.8 m/s < uDt

Description: Starting with n - no ≤ 3 but gradually turning into n – no > 5 → Z-poker active
length reduction without any mixing quality issues → inappropriate distribution (foam rise
impression on bottom metal facing).

Solution 01: Replace with a Z-poker of smaller diameter discharge ports.

Solution 02: Increase PD pumps discharge pressures (minding shut-off pressure switch
activation for the PD pumps) by readjusting backpressures in the mixing head injection
nozzles. Pumps will now run at higher rpm for the same mass flow rates → ↑ uDt

Solution 03: Increase reactants temperatures by 1 to 2 deg C → decrease viscosity of liquid

state reactive mixture → decreased head loss across a Z-poker length streamline = decrease
velocity head across a Z-poker length streamline.

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