Honeywell announced that Hisense, a Chinese appliance manufacturer, will begin using Honeywell’s low-global-warming-potential (GWP) insulation materials in its refrigerators and freezers to reduce the global warming impact of its insulation while increasing its energy efficiency.
Hisense, which sells appliances globally under the Hisense and Hisense-Kelon brands, will implement Honeywell’s Solstice Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA) widely.
Solstice LBA is a non-ozone-depleting blowing agent that has an ultra-low global warming potential of 1, which is 99.9 percent lower than HFC-245fa, a commonly-used blowing agent. Blowing agents allow closed-cell polyurethane foam insulation, used in the walls of refrigerators and freezers, to expand while providing the majority of the foam’s excellent insulating properties.
“Solstice LBA can help appliance manufacturers achieve an 8 to 10 percent improvement in energy efficiency compared with alternative blowing agents,” says Sanjeev Rastogi, business director for Honeywell Fluorine Products. “Hisense’s decision to adopt this new blowing agent demonstrates their innovation leadership in the appliance industry and builds on the long-standing strategic partnership between our two companies.”
Hisense adopted Honeywell’s prior-generation Enovate 245fa blowing agent, which provided Hisense refrigerators and freezers with improved energy performance and reduced ozone impact.
“We are excited to lead the way again by implementing Honeywell’s innovative and cost-effective low-GWP Solstice LBA at manufacturing locations in China. Through this collaborative effort, we stand at the forefront of the latest global technologies and we are helping advance environmentally-preferable technology in China,” says Hisense.
Chinese manufacturers produce about 90 to 100 million refrigerator and freezer units per year, more than half of the total number of refrigerators and freezers produced globally.
Solstice LBA is being adopted rapidly across the globe. To date, nine residential and commercial appliance manufacturers worldwide have adopted Solstice LBA to meet or exceed environmental and energy efficiency regulations.
Solstice LBA is non-flammable and can help appliance manufacturers achieve an 8 percent to 10 percent energy efficiency improvement compared with cyclopentane, which is flammable and widely used as a blowing agent in appliance insulation.
Solstice LBA is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program and is also registered under the European Union’s REACH program. It is not a volatile organic compound. Honeywell’s world-scale production capacity manufacturing plant for Solstice LBA started up in May 2014 in Louisiana, to meet the rapid increase of global demand.
Blowing agents from Honeywell can be used in a wide range of applications, including spray foam insulation, household refrigerators and freezers, insulated architectural panels, and refrigerated shipping containers.
In addition to Solstice LBA, Honeywell’s family of Solstice-branded products includes stationary and mobile refrigerants, gaseous blowing agents, propellants, and solvents based on Honeywell’s new hydrofluoro-olefin technology that helps customers lower their carbon footprint without sacrificing end-product performance.
Honeywell’s Fluorine Products business is a leader in the manufacture and supply of non-ozone-depleting refrigerants used by top air-conditioning and refrigeration makers worldwide, and blowing agents for energy-efficient foam insulation, as well as hydrofluoric acid and precursors for nuclear fuel.