Münster, 16 October 2012 – ArmaFlex products have proved their value for insulating air ducts throughout the world. Whereas in the past different materials were sold for this application area in the various markets, Armacell now offers ArmaFlex Duct, a new product specially developed for this purpose. The closed-cell material with low thermal conductivity protects the installations against energy losses and moisture ingress. At the same time, the insulation material has good noise absorption properties and reduces the transmission of structure-borne noise into the building. ArmaFlex Duct is available as standard or self-adhesive material with and without aluminium facing.
Air conditioning on the rise
Due to climatic changes and rising standards in terms of living and working comfort, the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects a rapidly growing demand for air-conditioning in Europe. The IEA estimates that the energy requirement for air conditioning will grow twice as fast as the overall energy requirement of buildings. The demand for air-conditioning systems is likely to increase by more than ten percent in Europe by 2020. In some buildings, air conditioning already accounts for around half of the overall electricity consumption. In order to operate air-conditioning systems as energy-efficiently as possible, it is important to insulate the installations properly using suitable materials.
Requirements made of insulation materials for air ducts
However, air ducts are not only insulated in order to minimize heat - and thus energy-losses. Especially in the case of outdoor and outgoing air ducts or air-supply and exhaust ducts running through cool rooms, condensation can occur on the surface or on the inside of the duct if the temperature falls below the dew point. Insulation measures must be taken to prevent this. Proper insulation also reduces the emission of air- and structure-borne sound, which occurs due to flow noise in the air ducts. In addition, suitable insulation materials foster healthy indoor air quality by making it more difficult for micro-organisms, such as mould, to settle.
Closed cell insulation materials prevent moisture ingress
Due to its low thermal conductivity, ArmaFlex Duct reliably protects air ducts against unnec-essary energy losses. The closed-cell structure of the elastomeric material prevents con-densation forming on the surface of the duct and moisture penetrating the insulation mate-rial. Condensation can not only lead to expensive building damage, moisture in combination with dust and dirt particles provides an ideal breeding ground for microbial growth. The microbes themselves then release spores, cells, particles and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which pollute the indoor air and may contribute to sick building syndrome. As closed-cell, fibre-free materials, ArmaFlex products have passive protection against micro-organisms. It is much more difficult for germs to settle on the smooth, non-porous surface of the material than in open-cell mineral fibre materials and they do not find the nutrients they need to grow. Like all ArmaFlex products, ArmaFlex Duct has good noise absorption properties. Furthermore, the insulation material reduces breakout noise and decreases the transmission of structure-borne noise into the building.
Highly flexible and easy to install
The dust- and fibre-free material is highly flexible and can be installed much more easily, quickly and neatly than traditional insulation materials. The self-adhesive version in particular allows considerable cost savings during the installation process. The attractive aluminium facing is easy to clean and at the same time protects the elastomeric insulation material against mechanical impact.
ArmaFlex Duct is supplied as 1 and 1.5 metre-wide endless sheets in insulation thicknesses from 9 to 40 mm. The product is available as standard or self-adhesive material with and without aluminium facing.
