[Courtesy of Hanwha Solutions]
Acrylic copolymers are transparent thermoplastic copolymers of ethylene and acrylate with exceptional low-temperature flexibility and impact resistance. They are frequently blended with other thermoplastics to improve their processability and enhance their performance. Ethylene-butyl acrylate (EBA) is an excellent toughening agent with high molecular polarity and good compatibility with many polymers.
The EBA copolymer is resistant to heat and moisture and has excellent electrical damage prevention performance. It is used for power cables that require high quality, such as submarine cables connecting offshore wind power plants and land substations as well as cables used for energy transmission and distribution at large power plants.
Hanwha Solutions, a renewable energy service provider affiliated with South Korea's Hanwha Group, has localized the production of EBAs. It is ready for commercial production at a plant capable of producing 40,000 tons per year in the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan.
Hanwha said its technology has been awarded a new excellent technology (NET) certificate, which is designed to promote the diffusion of domestically developed and improved technologies by officially acknowledging their excellence. "We will contribute to the stabilization of a material supply chain by focusing on the research and development of key materials that the domestic industry relies on for imports," an unnamed Hanwha Solutions official said in a statement on September 22.
The global EBA market is growing rapidly due to investment in infrastructure for renewable energy power plants and the replacement of old power grids. Hanwha Solutions aims to package EBA with cross linked-polyethylene (XLPE), another key material for power cables, for exports to major overseas markets such as China and the Middle East. XLPE is used predominantly in building services pipework systems, hydronic radiant heating and cooling systems, and insulation for high voltage electrical cables.
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