Honeywell’s new stationary air conditioning refrigerant, Solstice N41, has been given an official A1 designation by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
This makes R-466A the first non-flammable, reduced GWP replacement for R410-A in stationary air conditioning systems worldwide.
In a statement, Honeywell said Solstice N41 was developed to address the many regulatory and safety challenges facing the industry today.
“It is an innovation that comes after years of research and development by Honeywell Scientists – as all other alternatives proposed to date as R-410A replacements are flammable and require cumbersome changes to safety standards and building codes,” the statement said.
“Early testing indicates that Solstice N41 requires minimal changes to equipment and no additional training for installation and repair technicians, allowing original equipment manufacturers to easily convert from R-410A.”
Honeywell’s president of Advanced Materials, George Koutsaftes, said the product is better for the environment, energy efficient, and cost-effective for the end user with minimal conversion required.
“Safety is paramount and the properties of Solstice N41 make it a groundbreaking technology for the industry,” he said.
Solstice N41 has a GWP that is 65 per cent lower than R-410A. Not surprisingly it has been tested extensively by more than 15 OEMs and leading compressor manufacturers.
Koutsaftes said manufacturers have accumulated more than 30,000 hours of testing in different applications such as commercial AC (VRF, rooftops) and residential AC (unitary).