Honeywell Solstice L40x Refrigerant Selected By Central England Co-Operative For New Food Chilling Systems

Honeywell announced that Central England Co-operative has selected Honeywell Solstice L40X (R-455A) refrigerant to drive the energy efficiency and low global-warming potential (LGWP) of the Refrigeration system at its new, state-of-the-art community food store in Tamworth, Staffordshire, United Kingdom.

The Tamworth community store is one of two in the UK to fully use A2L-class refrigerant compliant with both the EN378 safety and environmental standards and F-gas regulations.

“Solstice L40X offered exactly what we were looking for in a refrigerant: low GWP, simplicity, no new or specific training for our maintenance teams, and with system footprint and CAPEX equivalent to R-404A,” said Kevin Collins, Head of Facilities & Technical Services, Central England Co-Operative. “We plan to apply best practices and learnings from Tamworth to future site openings.”

Honeywell Solstice L40X provides the supermarket with a long-term, safe, compliant and energy efficient refrigeration solution. Designed to replace R-404A currently used in most existing refrigeration systems, Solstice L40X can be simply installed using a range of new refrigeration systems already qualified for use and serviced cost-effectively by existing engineers.

The Tamworth site and the first UK trial site were specifically selected by Central England Co-Operative to enable a long-term selection of a A2L class refrigerant. The company worked together with Honeywell, Carter Synergy, Space Engineering and Zanotti to deliver the project.

Craig Chinnock, Account, Principal, Carter Synergy, noted R-455A was selected for its great capacity properties, against HFC equivalents and system requirements. Carter Synergy believes this A2L solution has a place in the low/medium temperature marketplace.

“Central England Co-operative chose Solstice L40X to meet stringent safety, environmental and financial objectives for this strategic project at Tamworth,” said Lee Hermitage, marketing director, Honeywell Fluorine Products Europe, Middle East and Africa. “The safe, long-term sustainability of Solstice L40X and its ability to seamlessly replace legacy R-404A systems underscores why it is quickly becoming the first-choice refrigerant for new installations around the world.”

Solstice L40X is a mildly flammable, zeotropic refrigerant with an ultra-low GWP of 146 (AR5), making it both F-Gas-ready and the safest A2L solution for commercial refrigeration applications, including plug-in cabinets, condensing units, mono-blocks for cold and freezer rooms, heat pumps and chillers. The refrigerant is qualified for use in many leading compressor technologies, including Bitzer, Emerson, Boyard and Frascold – with many other compressor and condensing unit OEMs having also approved or in the final stages of testing. When integrated into appropriate system architectures, Solstice L40X provides end users, including retailers such as the Central England Co-op, with a long-term, cost-effective refrigeration solution.