On June 26, Honeywell signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Midea Group of the major electric appliance manufacturer of China for the new low-GWP incombustible refrigerant to replace R410A.

The new refrigerant R466A (registered name: SOLSTIS N41) was developed as a dedicated refrigerant for multi-air-conditioners for buildings and chiller (turbo-freezers). It is characteristic with the low GWP of 733 which is 65% less than that of R410A and its incombustibility (Class A1). The refrigerant is a mixture of three types of gas, R32, R125 and CF31 (trifluroroiodomethane).

With this tie-up, the Midea Group seems to start to evaluate the performance of R466A to be supplied by Honeywell as one of the most recommendable options to replace R410A. Honeywell is planning to start selling this refrigerant at the end of this year.