Covestro says that it has received a JEC Composites award in the sustainability category for its development of polyurethane (PU) resins for wind rotor blades and coatings for offshore equipment.
According to the company, its resins have low viscosity at room temperature and high reactivity at elevated temperatures, enabling rapid infusion and curing. Compared with epoxy resins, this leads to shorter rotor blade production cycles. The PU resins can reduce total cost of ownership by increasing energy efficiency and lowering manufacturing and maintenance costs, Covestro said.
The company also submitted a range of wind blade coatings for the award, including a solvent-free gelcoat, a waterborne two-component topcoat and a polyaspartic-based leading edge protection coating.
‘Enabling growth for the global wind industry is one of the company’s major goals,’ said Dirk Soontjens, head of Covestro's global wind energy program. ‘The productivity and good mechanical properties of the resin system also provide the opportunity to design longer and more durable blades to achieve higher annual energy production and lower energy costs, while removing roadblocks that the industry faces.’
This story uses material from Covestro, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
