Fridge maker Hisense opts for 1233zd(E)

CHINA: Hisense is the latest Chinese fridge manufacturer to adopt the new low GWP insulation blowing agent 1233zd(E).

Sold by Honeywell as Solstice LBA, 1233zd(E) is a non-ozone-depleting gas that has an ultra-low global warming potential of 1, far lower than the current commonly-used blowing agent HFC-245fa.

Solstice LBA is non-flammable and boasts an 8-10% energy efficiency improvement compared with cyclopentane, which is flammable and widely used as a blowing agent in appliance insulation.

Hisense sells appliances globally under the Hisense and Hisense-Kelon brands.

Chinese manufacturers produce about 90-100 million refrigerator and freezers per year, more than half of the total number of refrigerators and freezers produced globally.

According to Honeywell, Solstice LBA is being adopted rapidly across the globe with, to date, nine residential and commercial appliance manufacturers having adopted the new blowing agent.

Solstice LBA is approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Programme and is also registered under the European Union’s REACH program. It is not a volatile organic compound.

Honeywell’s new world-scale production capacity manufacturing plant for Solstice LBA started up in May 2014 in Louisiana, United States, to meet the rapid increase of global demand.

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