MORRIS PLAINS, N.J., February 6, 2023 – Honeywell announced on the first day of the 2023 AHR Exposition that Food City supermarkets has installed Honeywell’s Solstice® N71 (R-471A) refrigerant in its store in Kodak, Tenn. The refrigerant is being used to cool the store’s beverage section while helping increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
Solstice N71 is Honeywell’s newest low-global-warming-potential (GWP), non-ozone-depleting, non-flammable refrigerant based on hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) technology. The solution is optimized for use in supermarkets, cold storage warehouses, industrial process refrigeration, ice rinks and convenience and drug stores. Honeywell assisted Food City with the installation in collaboration with Hussmann, Emerson and Danfoss.
“With Solstice N71 up and running in Food City’s Kodak, Tennessee, store, customers will have access to fresh, chilled beverages at their convenience, made possible by refrigerant technology that is improving energy efficiency, reducing impact on the environment and keeping people safer,” said John Keating, vice president and
general manager, Stationary Refrigerants, Honeywell Advanced Materials. “Solstice N71 is a major advancement for the refrigeration industry that is helping our customers accelerate their environmental transformation goals without sacrificing performance.”
Solstice N71 is the supermarket industry's first and only non-flammable HFO refrigerant blend with a GWP of less than 150 for new equipment in medium temperature applications. The solution enables medium temperature commercial refrigeration systems to provide an energy efficiency improvement of 30% compared to carbon dioxide (CO2) and 13% versus R-404A.[1] It can be utilized in a variety of system architectures and does not require an elite skillset for servicing, offering a lower total cost of ownership. Solstice N71 also does not operate at high pressures, which reduces the risk of system failures and unexpected related expenses.
The solution will help Food City comply with regulations to phase-down the production and consumption of high-GWP hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants, including those established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, the California Air Resources Board, and the European Union Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulation stemming from the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
Honeywell's investment in 10 years of research and development of Solstice has surpassed one billion dollars. It started as Honeywell anticipated the need for lower-GWP refrigerant solutions to combat what it viewed as climate change. The product line, which helps customers lower their greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency without sacrificing end-product performance, includes refrigerants for vehicle, commercial and residential air conditioning applications, heat pumps; blowing agents for insulation; aerosol propellants; solvents for cleaning solutions; and are being evaluated for use in metered-dose inhalers.
Sources reported that using Honeywell Solstice products has helped avoid the potential release of the equivalent of more than 295 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, comparable to eliminating emissions of more than 62 million cars.[2]
Honeywell reports it is committed to achieving carbon neutrality in its operations and facilities by 2035, and recently announced a new set of commitments a new set of commitments that further advance its sustainability goals, including committing to set a science-based target with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) that will include scope 3 emissions and participation in the U.S. Department of Energy's Better Climate Challenge. The company also supports the Paris Climate Agreement. These efforts build on the company’s track record of sharply reducing the greenhouse gas intensity of its operations and facilities as well as its decades-long history of innovation to help its customers meet their environmental and social goals. In 2021, approximately 60% of Honeywell’s new product introduction research and development investment was directed toward products that improve environmental and social outcomes for customers.
For more information on Solstice N71, its applications, and impact, visit: https://sustainability.honeywell.com/us/en
[1] Based on thermodynamic analysis with the following conditions: evaporation temperature of 20F for both R-471A and CO2; evaporator superheat of 9F for both R-471A and CO2; suction superheat of 18F for R-471A and 9F for CO2; compressor isentropic efficiency of 65% and volumetric as 100% for both R-471A and CO2; ambient temperature for R-471A is 105F (20F TD; 0F subcooling) and for CO2 gas cooler outlet temperature is 89F (4F approach temperature); gas cooler pressure (optimized for maximum COP) for CO2 is 83 bar (1204 psia); capacities for R-471A and CO2 are matched.
[2] Calculations are based on Solstice products sales actuals from January 2015 through July 2022, and utilize the EPA GHG equivalency calculator for conversion.
IN RELATED NEWS, Honeywell announced on Feb. 3 that Heatcraft Refrigeration Products, a manufacturer of commercial refrigeration equipment and systems as part of Lennox International, will use Honeywell Solstice® L40X (R-455A) in its walk-in unit coolers, condensing units and condensers for supermarkets and retailers, now in development. Honeywell Solstice® L40X is a ready-now, low-global-warming-potential (GWP), energy-efficient hydrofluoroolefin (HFO)-blend solution for commercial refrigeration applications.