REFRIGERANTS
Solstice in the cold chain
Honeywell is offering key players at each stage of the food supply chain low-GWP HFO refrigerants that keep food fresh and advance global carbon footprint reduction targets. Lee Hermitage, EMEA marketing director for Honeywell Advanced Materials talks to ACR News about the role these technologies are playing and the broader impact they can still have in tackling food loss and waste reduction while also combating climate change.
H
ow do you balance energy efficiency with lowering the GWP? Can you explain the relationship?
At Honeywell, we believe low-global-warming- potential (GWP) and energy efficiency are equally as important for refrigerants. Refrigeration systems can benefit from using an environmentally friendly refrigerant since its low-GWP can positively impact direct emissions. Simultaneously, energy-efficiency has a positive effect on indirect emissions. This is further supported by the EIA’s counsel that coupling energy-efficiency with the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phasedown can significantly increase the climate benefits of the Kigali Amendment. Having anticipated the need for lower-GWP solutions more than a decade ago, Honeywell has invested more than one billion dollars in research, development and new capacity for its Solstice technology.
What impact do Solstice refrigerants have on the systems they’re used in? Honeywell developed its Solstice portfolio of products based on hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) technology to provide a powerful market solution for replacing HFCs, which are used in applications ranging from supermarket refrigerators and air conditioning to insulation and heat pumps. New legislation demands the phase down of HFCs and the transition to lower- global-warming-potential (GWP) technologies. Honeywell’s Solstice refrigerants are contributing towards improving sustainability across industries. The product line not only helps customers lower their greenhouse gas emissions, but also improve energy efficiency without sacrificing end-product performance across its application use. This includes refrigerants for vehicle, commercial and
22 April 2023 •
www.acr-news.com
residential air conditioning applications; heat pumps; blowing agents for insulation; aerosol propellants; solvents for cleaning solutions; and the technology is even being evaluated for use in metered-dose inhalers. Honeywell’s Solstice refrigerants help our customers save on upfront capital costs, enable simpler system design and they are more energy-efficient with lower operating costs and lower carbon emissions. To further help customers, Honeywell has developed a new tool for decision-making and asset management based upon the eco-efficiency concept that can determine which HFO refrigerant is best suited for a store based on size, layout, age and geographic location. This new tool was critical in helping a new MD Discount (MD) store in San Giovanni in Persiceto, Italy, determine which refrigerant to select. MD became the first supermarket in the country to choose Solstice L40X (R-455A) to upgrade its systems and use solutions that support its energy-efficiency and sustainability initiatives. Using the eco-efficiency approach, it was determined that Honeywell Solstice L40X is projected to support a lifetime cost savings of approximately €260,000 and 25% lower lifetime emissions compared with carbon dioxide for that store alone. This was key data for MD’s decision-making
process, as well as the fact that the refrigerant has a low-GWP of 146 which means it is compliant with the EU F-Gas Regulation calling on retailers to phase down the use of high-GWP refrigerants.
What impact do Solstice refrigerants have on the cold chain and the wider world? Honeywell’s Solstice refrigerants aid refrigeration technologies which help to ensure a safe supply
of fresh and frozen foods around the world. These refrigerants are helping customers to improve energy efficiency — something that is gaining significance in the UK, throughout Europe and in the global cold chain due to the rise of energy prices and ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Regardless of where food is grown, processed
or stored, it usually moves from one spot on the cold chain to another in refrigerated containers or refrigerated trucks designed to transport items needing temperature control. This process inherently makes the industry quite energy intensive, so reducing energy consumption and operating costs, as well as avoiding downtime along the cold chain from transportation to storage, are critical to a supermarket’s bottom line. Having an ‘energy efficiency first’ mindset when selecting a refrigerant can support these efforts. This is why French retailer, E Leclerc,
recently opted for Honeywell’s Solstice L40X refrigerant for use in its cold room storage. The store wanted to find a refrigerant with high performance that was compatible with its existing infrastructure and compliant with regulations. As such, Solstice L40X was elected as a long-term solution for the store that will help advance their environmental transformation and reduce their energy bills without sacrificing performance.
What’s wrong with keeping an old refrigeration system that still works? As the market continues to evolve to meet trends, legislative requirements and other changes, we too at Honeywell are evolving to ensure our customers have the next solutions they will need readily available to them. For example, refrigeration systems that have five or
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