Analysis and Comparison of UL Halogen-free Wire Technology

Analysis and Comparison of# UL Halogen-free Wire Technology

## Introduction

With the increasing attention to environmental protection, safety and sustainable development, the wire and cable industry has also ushered in a wave of technological innovation. Although the traditional PVC (polyvinyl chloride) wire has the advantage of low cost, in extreme cases such as fire, the toxic gas and a large amount of smoke produced by its combustion seriously threaten people's life safety and rescue work. Therefore, UL halogen-free wire as a new type of environmentally friendly and safe wire material came into being, and quickly in many fields have been widely used. This article will analyze UL non-halogen wire technology in detail and compare it with traditional PVC wire in order to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding.

## UL Halogen-free Wire Technology Overview

### Definition and characteristics

UL halogen-free wire, as the name suggests, refers to wires that do not contain environmentally harmful substances such as halogens and do not produce toxic smoke during combustion. Its characteristics mainly include the following aspects:

1. **Environmental protection**: It does not contain heavy metals such as halogen, lead, cadmium, mercury and environmental hormones. It only produces a small amount of white smoke when burning, does not release toxic gases, and complies with environmental protection standards such as RoHS.

2. **Safety**: It is not easy to cause secondary disasters when burning, has good flame retardancy, and can quickly self-extinguish after leaving an open flame, reducing the risk of fire.

3. **High temperature stability**: Compared with PVC wire, UL halogen-free wire has a higher working temperature, and some products can reach 105 ℃ or even 150 ℃, which is suitable for electrical connection in high temperature environment.

4. **Superior electrical performance**: The conductor is mostly made of high-purity copper or aluminum, with low resistance and low energy consumption, which ensures the stability and efficiency of current transmission.

5. **Strong physical properties**: high tensile strength, good weather resistance, high softness, good elasticity and viscosity, easy construction and laying.

### Technical principles

UL halogen-free line can achieve the above characteristics, the key lies in its unique material formulation and manufacturing process. The insulation layer is mostly made of cross-linked flame-resistant polyethylene, polyolefin and other materials with high temperature resistance and chemical corrosion resistance. The molecular structure is changed from linear to three-dimensional network structure by irradiation cross-linking technology, thus improving the heat resistance, aging resistance and mechanical strength of the wire. At the same time, by optimizing the conductor material and structure, the electrical performance and service life of the wire are further improved.

## Comparison with traditional PVC wire

### Comparison of environmental protection

PVC wires will produce a large amount of hydrogen chloride (HCL) gas and smoke when burning. These harmful substances are not only harmful to the human body, but also pollute the environment. The UL halogen-free line completely avoids this problem, its combustion products are harmless, in line with modern environmental protection concepts.

### Safety comparison

In emergency situations such as fire, the burning of PVC wires will aggravate the spread of fire, produce toxic gases and smoke, and bring great difficulties to rescue work. The UL non-halogen wire can effectively suppress the fire, reduce the generation of smoke and toxic gases, and improve the efficiency of escape and rescue.

### Performance comparison

-**Working temperature**: The long-term allowable working temperature of PVC wires generally does not exceed 70°C, while UL halogen-free wires can reach 105°C or even higher, which has a wider range of adaptation.

-**Electrical performance**:UL halogen-free wire adopts high-purity conductor material, low resistance, higher current transmission efficiency, and better electrical performance.

-**Physical properties**:UL halogen-free wire is superior to PVC wire in tensile strength, weather resistance, softness, etc., which is more convenient for construction and maintenance.

## Application areas

Due to the significant advantages of UL halogen-free wire in terms of environmental protection, safety and performance, its application fields are becoming more and more extensive. Mainly include:

-**Public facilities such as nuclear power plants and subway stations**: These places have extremely high electrical safety requirements. UL halogen-free lines can effectively reduce fire risks and ensure personnel safety.

-**High-rise buildings, hotels and other crowded places**: In the event of a fire, UL halogen-free line can reduce the generation of smoke and toxic gases, and provide favorable conditions for evacuation and rescue.

-**Electronic equipment, communication system**:UL halogen-free wire has excellent electrical performance and stability, and is suitable for areas that require high electrical connections.

-**Automotive Electronics**: With the development of automotive intelligence, automotive electronic systems have higher and higher requirements for wires. UL halogen-free wires are favored for their good high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance.

## Conclusion

In summary, UL halogen-free wire, as a new type of environmentally friendly and safe wire material, is superior to traditional PVC wires in terms of environmental protection, safety and performance. With the increasing global attention to environmental protection and safety issues, UL non-halogen wire will be widely used in more fields. In the future, with the continuous advancement of technology and the further reduction of costs, UL halogen-free wire is expected to become the mainstream product of the wire and cable industry and contribute to the sustainable development of mankind.