Solstice N41 is said to be the first A1 non-flammable, reduced global warming potential (GWP), R410A replacement refrigerant developed for stationary air conditioning systems and it will be commercially available in 2020. 

George Koutsaftes, Honeywell Advanced Materials president, said: “We developed Solstice N41 to address the many regulatory and safety challenges facing the industry.

“This product is a non-flammable refrigerant developed as an R410A alternative and is also better for the environment, energy efficient, and cost-effective for the end user with minimal conversion required. Safety is paramount and the properties of Solstice N41 make it a groundbreaking technology for the industry.”

Numerous regulations including Europe’s F-Gas regulation and others progressing in developed countries require the phase down of high global-warming products, prompting the HVAC industry to seek new alternatives. The current industry standard refrigerant, R410A, must be replaced with an energy-efficient, lower-GWP solution with similar or better performance.

With a GWP that is 65 percent lower than R410A, Solstice N41 is said to delivers all three attributes.

Early testing has indicated that Solstice N41 requires minimal changes to equipment and no additional training for installation and repair technicians, allowing original equipment manufacturers to convert from R410A. 

In addition, there is no additional safety or liability risk to homeowners and the whole supply chain. Solstice N41 is being extensively tested by over 15 OEMs and leading compressor manufacturers, having accumulated more than 30,000 hours of testing in different applications such as commercial AC (VRF, rooftops) and residential AC (unitary).