The Blowing Agent Alternative Enabling Key Improvements in the Household Appliance Industry

In response to increasing environmental regulations, evolving energy efficiency requirements and focus on higher insulation performance with a lower cost, the fourth-generation hydrofluoroolefin, Honeywell's Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA) is the environmentally-preferred alternative for original equipment manufacturers.

Refrigerator appliances are one of the most common appliances as they’re found in almost every home. In fact, refrigerators are such a common household appliance that by 2025 the refrigeration market is expected to grow by more than 41 million units, according to Statista. Refrigerators help preserve and extend the life of food or medicine by providing adequate storage and cool temperature regulation. They also contribute to health and safety by decreasing bacteria growth that can potentially lead to illnesses.

As a result of continuous energy demand growth, manufacturers are looking for cost-effective refrigerator insulation materials that meet with stringent environmental-efficiency regulations and energy-consumption labeling requirements that don't compromise performance.

This has resulted in original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to search for foam blowing agent alternatives, such as Honeywell's Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agents, that are globally accessible, provide better energy-efficiency, meet new labeling requirements and don't sacrifice insulation performance over lower costs.

Challenges in the Household Appliance Industry

OEMs face a growing demand for higher energy-efficient refrigeration appliances. They also face increasing focus from regulation authorities on the production of appliances that have an ultra-low global warming potential (GWP), non-ozone depleting and can help reduce manufacturers’ impact on the environment.

Additionally, model regulation from UN guidelines such as the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and labeling requirements are encouraging higher-performing products. Although these standards vary by country, they enable a more effective market enforcement using proven test procedures and easier exchange of compliance.

They also remove certain product models from the market that do not meet specified efficiency thresholds. Foam-blowing agents used in refrigerating appliances must meet requirements on their ODP and GWP over a 100 year-time horizon based on the limitations that are provided.

Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agents' Role

Solstice Liquid Blowing Agent is our current, ready-now HFO-based foam-blowing agent technology that features an ultra-low global warming potential and is non-ozone depleting.

Solstice® LBA, pure or in blends, help manufacturers address common issues related to:

Higher Performance, Lower Cost

Solstice LBA, when used alone or as a blend with cyclopentane, can provide better insulation than pure cyclopentane and better cost/performance ratio than using a combination of cyclopentane-based foam and vacuum insulated panels (VIPs).

Compared to cyclopentane, OEMs can achieve up to 10% improvement in performance. The use of Solstice LBA can also reduce cost compared to more expensive VIPs. They can save between $5-$10 per refrigerator* by simply replacing at least 1 square meter of VIP.

Meeting Environmental and Energy Efficiency Regulations

Updated energy-efficiency regulations are requiring refrigerator manufacturers to seek new ways to meet the requirements while producing a final product at a retail price point that is attractive to the end consumer.

Solstice LBA, when used alone or as a blend in combination with Vacuum Insulated Panels (VIPs), can provide better insulation performance than using cyclopentane and vacuum insulated panels (VIPs). When comparing the K-Factor of refrigerator foam between, Solstice® LBA optimized show up to 15% improvement over cyclopentane baseline.

Global Access to Materials

At Honeywell, we are committed to providing energy efficient solutions through our HFO technology. With expanded capacity of Solstice LBA, we are able to help our customers across the globe make progress in their environmental transformations and commitments.

Countries continue pledging to reduce their carbon emissions. Out of them, environmental regulations have evolved. This had led companies such as OEMs to set their own commitments around the reduction of carbon emissions.

As a result, the demand for substances with lower global warming and negligible ozone depletion potential is expected to continue growing. Ready-now solutions from our Solstice® portfolio, such as Solstice LBA, can help support their initiatives.

Contact us to learn how our Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agents can help you address evolving regulations while optimizing insulation performance in your refrigerator appliances.

*Based on 2022 costs

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