‘Solstice’ will be used for low-global-warming materials

Honeywell Specialty Materials has announced the launch of the Solstice brand name for its low-global-warming-potential (GWP) materials. The brand name will be used for the family of stationary and mobile refrigerants, blowing agents, propellants and solvents that Honeywell continues to develop and commercialise for its customers, the announcement said. The brand name will also include HFO-1234yf, a new mobile air conditioning refrigerant, and HFO-1234ze, a new blowing agent and propellant.

According to Honeywell, the Solstice products are based on its new hydrofluoro-olefin technology, which helps customers lower their carbon footprint without sacrificing end-product performance. The Solstice brand reflects the products’ breakthrough environmental properties, including their insulating capabilities for foam and their superior cooling capabilities for automotive air conditioning and refrigerant applications, Honeywell claimed.

Hydrofluoro-olefins are a family of products that offer comparable performance to widely used stationary and mobile refrigerants, blowing agents and aerosol propellants, Honeywell explained. The molecular structure of these products causes them to have short atmospheric lifetimes, which means that they have very low global warming potential. Honeywell Solstice 1234yf is, therefore, being widely adopted by the automotive industry for use as a refrigerant in car air conditioning systems, as it has a GWP of 4, which is 99.7% less than HFC-134a (with a GWP of 1,430), the prior refrigerant used in this application.

Revealing product details, Honeywell said that Solstice 1234ze is a gaseous blowing agent and propellant that is being used in aerosols and extruded polystyrene board applications. It has a GWP of 6, and replaces HFC-134a and HFC-152a (with a GWP of 142).

The manufacturer listed the following benefits of the Fluorocarbon technology:

• Benefits society through superior energy efficiency performance in cooling and insulating applications
• By reducing fuel consumption, fluorocarbons directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heating, cooling and electrical power generation, and are cost effective for the end-user compared with fluorocarbon alternatives
• Many fluorocarbons are non-flammable and have a low order of toxicity, which makes them significantly safer in use than alternatives, such as hydrocarbons and ammonia that are either extremely flammable or highly toxic

Honeywell also announced that it is investing in the development of other Solstice products, which will be used as solvents, refrigerants, and as blowing agents for polyurethane foam insulation.

“Honeywell is pleased to offer its Solstice line of materials for customers who are looking for high-performance, energy-efficient, cost-effective and safe technologies that offer dramatically lower global warming potential than traditional fluorocarbons,” said Terrence Hahn, Vice President and General Manager of Honeywell Fluorine Products, commenting on the new line of products. “Honeywell has pioneered innovative hydrofluoro-olefin technology, which significantly reduces the carbon footprint of many applications without sacrificing their performance.”