Evaluation of Thermal Performance and Mechanical Properties in the Cryogenic Environment of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polyurethane Foam

현무암 섬유 보강 폴리우레탄폼의 열적 성능 및 극저온 환경에서의 기계적 특성 평가

LNG CCS which is a special type of cargo hold operated at -163℃ for transporting liquefied LNG is composed of a primary barrier, plywood, insulation panel, secondary barrier, and mastic. Currently, glass fiber is used to reinforce polyurethane foam. In this paper, we evaluated the possibility of replacing glass fiber-reinforced polyurethane foam with basalt fiber-reinforced polyurethane foam. We conducted a thermal conductivity test to confirm thermal performance at room temperature. To evaluate the mechanical properties between basalt and glass-fiber-reinforced polyurethane foam which is fiber content of 5 wt% and 10 wt%, tensile and an impact test was performed repeatedly. All of the tests were performed at room temperature and cryogenic temperature(-163℃) in consideration of the temperature gradient in the LNG CCS. As a result of the thermal conductivity test, the insulating performance of glass fiber reinforced polyurethane foam and basalt fiber reinforced polyurethane foam presented similar results. The tensile test results represent that the strength of basalt fiber-reinforced polyurethane foam is superior to glass fiber at room temperature, and there is a clear difference. However, the strength is similar to each other at cryogenic temperatures. In the impact test, the strength of PUR-B5 is the highest, but in common, the strength decreases as the weight ratio of the two fibers increases. In conclusion, basalt fiber-reinforced polyurethane foam has sufficient potential to replace glass fiber-reinforced polyurethane foam.