MIDEA embraces Honeywell’s insulating materials in energy-efficient refrigerators

Midea all set to adopt Honeywell’s next-generation Solstice™ Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA) to insulate Midea refrigerators and freezers. Use of the lower-global-warming potential blowing agent will allow Midea to meet current and future energy efficiency and environmental regulations. Blowing agents are integral materials for energy efficient closed-cell foam used to insulate refrigerators. 

Midea is currently transitioning from the use of a cyclopentane, a hydrocarbon blowing agent, to blends of cyclopentane and Enovate® 245fa, Honeywell’s current generation blowing agent, to improve the energy efficiency of its appliances. Subject to the terms of a pending final agreement between the two companies, Midea will continue to increase its use of Enovate 245a, but will also adopt Solstice LBA beginning in 2014 to insulate refrigerators and freezers to be manufactured in China.

Blowing agents from Honeywell allow closed-cell polyurethane foam insulation to expand, and provide the majority of the foam’s excellent insulating properties. These blowing agents can be used in a wide range of applications, including spray foam insulation, insulated architectural panels, and refrigerated shipping containers.Enovate is a non-flammable hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agent that does not deplete the ozone layer. Honeywell introduced Enovate 245fa in 2002 and supplies it to a range of industries, from appliance insulation to spray foam. 

Solstice LBA is a next-generation blowing agent with a global warming potential (GWP) of 1 that is listed under the EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program. Solstice LBA is nonflammable and is not a volatile organic compound. Honeywell is currently building world-scale production capacity for Solstice LBA that is expected to come on line in early 2014.

The Solstice products have been developed and are being commercialized by Honeywell’s Fluorine Products business, a leader in the manufacture and supply of zero 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.