Honeywell announced that it has entered an agreement with Chemicals Division, Daikin Industries, Ltd., to distribute Solstice N40 (R-448A) lower global-warming potential (GWP) refrigerant in Japan to meet increasing demand for products that support Kigali Amendment objectives and growing energy efficiency needs. Daikin will sell the product under the Creard name.
Solstice N40 is the supermarket industry’s most widely accepted, lowest GWP, nonflammable replacement for legacy HFCs such as R-404A and R-22, globally. More than 23,000 stores around the world have adopted Solstice N40, including a growing number in Japan.
“At Chemicals Div. Daikin, our commitment is to provide our customers products that best fits their needs. This led us to identify R-448A from Honeywell as the widest accepted replacement for R-404A and R-22 as used in refrigerated food retail applications,” said Masahiro Nitta, Senior Manager of Refrigerants, Daikin. “R-448A is a product that complements Creard R-407H in our product range and allows our customers to comply with existing and proposed requirements of the Japanese market while benefiting the environment and economy.”
Food retailers around the world have adopted Solstice N40 to help them comply with both current and proposed regulations, including the internationally-adopted Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, with the aim of reducing the use of high GWP hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Strict GWP reduction targets set for the Japanese food retail industry have prompted retailers to seek practical solutions like Solstice N40, for its ease of use and proven energy savings. In Japan, the HFC phasedown will mainly impact refrigerated condensing units and must be established by 2025.
“Solstice N40 has become the trusted choice for both commercial and industrial refrigeration customers globally to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption while meeting various stringent regulations,” said Chris LaPietra, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Stationary Refrigerants. “By widening our distribution network in Japan, we will expand the availability of Solstice N40 while assisting the industry in moving towards the future with environmentally preferable and energy-efficient refrigerants.”
Based on hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) technology, Solstice N40 offers GWP that is approximately 68% lower than legacy HFC refrigerants like R-404A. In addition, Solstice N40 also consumes less energy. In the U.S. and European supermarket trials, in comparison to R-404A, Solstice N40 demonstrated an average of between 5 to 15% lower energy consumption in refrigeration applications. It can be used in new installations and to also retrofit existing systems using high-GWP refrigerants like R-404A and R-507.
Solstice N40 usage in Japan also includes adoption by leading supermarkets and convenience stores operators and more recently in food distribution cold storage. In addition to supermarket refrigeration, Solstice HFO refrigerants have been approved for many other applications, including ice rinks, mobile air conditioning, stationary air conditioning and cooling the longest undersea tunnel in Europe.
