Honeywell is now offering R454B as a replacement for the lower GWP R410A. R454B was a refrigerant previously associated with its rival Chemours as Opteon XL41. It will market the refrigerant as Solstice 454B. Meanwhile, the industry still awaits Honeywell’s much-lauded non-flammable R410A alternative R466A. An A2L refrigerant, R454B has previously always been associated, with Chemours, from its time as DR-5, a DuPont development refrigerant, and its subsequent passage through the ASHRAE classification process, in 2015.
R454B has been accepted by an increasing number of chiller, heat pump, and rooftop equipment manufacturers. These include Carrier, Lennox, Trane, York, Mitsubishi Electric, Rhoss, MTA, Swegon, Flakt, Engie, and GI. A blend of R32 and R1234yf with a GWP of 466, R454B appears to be the best current option for new equipment in applications where a lower-flammability refrigerant is an option. Honeywell notes that the discharge temperature of R454B is much lower than R32, and thanks to its higher critical temperature (77°C) and broader operating envelope in low evaporating temperatures, it outperforms other alternatives such as R32 in heating applications.
