Kingspan’s facility in Dubai.

Kingspan Insulation says it has started manufacturing its Kingspan PalDuct Hydro System of pre-insulated ducting using a blowing agent, which has low global warming potential (GWP) and zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) as standard.

To enable it to do so, the company’s facility in Dubai, UAE, has altered its manufacturing process by installing a pentane tank primarily to make the Kingspan PalDuct Hydro panels.

The panels, used for the fabrication of the Kingspan PalDuct Hydro System, comprise a fibre-free polyisocyanturate (PIR) insulation core, faced on either side with an aluminium foil. Unlike traditional sheet metal ducting, which needs to be lagged with insulation as a second operation, Kingspan PalDuct Systems provide a single-fix installation with no lagging required.

“As part of the Kingspan Insulation philosophy of combining product innovation and social responsibility, Kingspan PalDuct Hydro can now be specified by engineers for projects required to comply with the increasingly stringent ODP and GWP regulations, such as Estidama in Abu Dhabi,” says a company spokesman.

Within the Estidama rating systems, under the Stewarding Materials section, one credit point is available providing all thermal insulation used has an ODP of zero and a GWP of less than five.

“Incorporating low GWP and zero ODP as standard will further enhance the environmental credentials of Kingspan Insulation’s environmentally accredited insulation range. Advantages, which already appeal to specifiers, include an extremely low level of air leakage and superior insulating properties which can result in electrical savings,” says the spokesman.