VATIS UPDATE Article

New refrigerant R448A, from Honeywell Fluorine Products, the United States, a lower global warming potential (GWP) replacement refrigerant for R404A, have successfully completed trials at ASDA, the United Kingdom. The 14-month trial in existing R404A systems has shown system energy savings of more than 10%. R448A, marketed by Honeywell as Solstice N40, is one of a number of alternatives to R404A, which is due to be phased out in Europe due to its high GWP of 3922. Only minimal adjustments were needed to adapt the R448A in existing R404A systems and all operating conditions, such as discharge temperatures, were well within the strict demands of compressor manufacturers.

“The ASDA trials proved to us that Honeywell’s new refrigerant can help us save money on energy while also reducing ASDA’s carbon footprint,” said Brian Churchyard, at ASDA. R448A is a nonflammable, non-ozone-depleting HFO blend for low and medium-temperature refrigeration equipment including supermarket chillers, frozen food cases, cold rooms and blast freezers. It is designed to replace R22, R507 and R404A for both new equipment and retrofits. With a reduced GWP 1387, R448A comprises the HFCs R32 (26%), R125 (26%) and R134a (21%), and HFO components R1234yf (20%) and 1234ze(E) (7%).

“R407F, a gas sold by Honeywell as Genetron Performax LT, continues to lead the way as the most successful reduced GWP alternative to R404A in supermarkets. With even lower GWP and similar performance, we fully expect Solstice N40 demand will continue to grow and even exceed its level of adoption in the coming years,” said Julien Soulet, at Honeywell. In the EU, both Solstice N40 and R407F can be used to retrofit systems placed on the market before 2022 and service is available for an indefinite time. Solstice N40 can be used in new commercial installations below 40kW and in all industrial installations after 2022.