Share

IIR Member news - Solstice N41 (R466A), a new refrigerant from Honeywell

Focus on a brand new refrigerant Solstice N41 (or R466A) which could represent an interesting alternative to R410A in air conditioning.

At the end of June 2018, Honeywell introduced a new non-flammable and lower global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerant for use in stationary air conditioning systems: Solstice N41A. This refrigerant has already received a provisional name from ASHRAE: R466A. ASHRAE has also already classified this refrigerant in the non-flammable category A1, the same category as R410A, the refrigerant it could replace.


This new refrigerant is composed of 49% R32, 11.5% R125 and 39.5 % CF3I, (trifluoroiodomethane), a gas which has not previously been used in refrigerant blends. These blend proportions would give the new refrigerant a GWP of around 733, slightly higher than R32’s GWP of 675, but with zero flammability. For now, R32 — classified as A2L (mildly flammable) — is the most commonly used alternative to R410A.


According to Honeywell, “Solstice N41 is the only refrigerant that combines those attributes. Early testing indicates that switching to Solstice N41 would require minimal changes to equipment."


Training for installation and repair technicians is absolutely essential for flammable refrigerants. In the case of R466A, Honeywell says that no additional training is needed, as it is not flammable.


R466A — along with CF3I — is still undergoing ASHRAE certification but Honeywell says it expects it to be available commercially next year.


For further information, please follow the links below.