Daikin is to distribute Honeywell’s lower GWP alternative refrigerant Solstice N40 (R448A) in Japan.
The agreement with Daikin Industries’ Chemicals Division is designed to meet Japan’s increasing demand for products that support Kigali Amendment objectives and growing energy efficiency demands. Daikin will sell the product under its Creard brand name.
With a GWP of 1273, R448A is a non-flammable replacement for legacy HFCs such as R404A and R22 used in supermarket refrigeration systems, globally. Honeywell says that more than 23,000 stores around the world have adopted $448A, including a growing number in Japan.
Earlier this year, Honeywell signed a similar agreement with Mexichem to distribute R448A in Europe.
Masahiro Nitta, Daikin’s senior manager of refrigerants, said: “R448A is a product that complements Creard R407H in our product range and allows our customers to comply with existing and proposed requirements of the Japanese market while benefiting the environment and economy.”
Creard R407H is an A1 refrigerant with a GWP of 1495 – 62% lower than R404A. It is considered by Daikin as an economical retrofit with limited modifications.
Food retailers around the world are having to comply with both current and proposed regulations, including the internationally-adopted Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, with the aim of reducing the use of high GWP hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). In Japan, the HFC phase down will mainly impact refrigerated condensing units and must be established by 2025.
“By widening our distribution network in Japan, we will expand the availability of Solstice N40 while assisting the industry in moving towards the future with environmentally preferable and energy-efficient refrigerants,” said Honeywell Stationary Refrigerants’ vice president and general manager Chris LaPietra.
