Trane to conduct field trials on R466A
29th June 2021
USA: Honeywell and Trane are to conduct field tests on Trane rooftop units with R466A – Honeywell’s long-awaited non-flammable alternative refrigerant to R410A.
Trane Technologies is said to be currently testing the refrigerant at the University of California, Davis, Western Cooling Efficiency Center (WCEC), evaluating its performance with a Trane rooftop unit used in light commercial HVAC applications. The US manufacturer will also deploy and test R466A at three customer locations in different parts of the United States as part of a one-year field trial.
The field trials will test compatibility with new equipment installations and retrofit conversions. It is said that Trane will closely monitor power and energy consumption and analyse the refrigerant characteristics “to further assess the refrigerant as a replacement for R410A”.
First announced in June 2018, R466A is branded by Honeywell as Solstice N41. It is a blend of R32 and R125 – the two components of R410A – with the addition of 39.5% of trifluoroiodomethane, better known as CF3I or R13I1. This gives the refrigerant a GWP of 733, just slightly more than R32’s GWP of 675, but with zero flammability.
In 2019, air conditioning manufacturers Toshiba Carrier and Midea both reported “promising” test results with R466A. Toshiba Carrier said it intended to follow up “promising initial performance testing” with reliability testing in VRF systems. Midea described R466A as “a promising option” as a “sustainable and safe offering” for end users. Since then, we have heard nothing from either manufacturer.
Despite the initial market enthusiasm, three years on, R466A is still yet to be adopted by any OEM. This is despite Honeywell’s insistence that R466A has undergone “extensive analysis” by over 15 OEMs and leading compressor manufacturers, clocking up more than 100,000 hours in applications including VRF, rooftops and the unitary ducted equipment used in the US.
Previous tests have indicated that R466A performs similarly to R410A. Any reticence to adopt R466A appears to be centred on concerns involving the use of the CF3I component, the stability of the molecule and/or the material compatibility of the refrigerant. Honeywell has consistently denied these claims, telling the Cooling Post that the stability and shelf-life can be addressed with standard measures practiced in the industry.
However, compressor manufacturer Bitzer, referring to R466A in its highly-respected Refrigerant Report, raises concerns regarding the refrigerant’s “long-term chemical stability and material compatibility under the special requirements of the refrigeration cycle”.
Also, while R466A has a far lower GWP than R410A, some of that advantage is negated by the fact that it requires a comparatively larger system charge. In addition, despite talk of it being a retrofit product, its use in split systems, at least, would require replacement of the condensing unit.
Previous retrofit test
The Cooling Post has found that Trane has carried out at least one other previous trial with R466A in one of its rooftop units at the University of California. A report published in 2019 reveals the results of a comparative test between R466A and R410A carried out by the University’s Western Cooling Efficiency Center on a 4-ton Trane RTU.
The standard unit under test was fitted with an adjustable TXV to accommodate the variation in system pressures for the two different refrigerants. The heat pump equipment was tested in cooling mode at six outdoor air conditions from 75°F-115°F (24ºC-46ºC) using R410A to obtain a baseline and repeated the tests after a drop-in replacement with R466A.
Tests showed a 5% reduction in capacity on average for R466A across all test temperatures and a 2% decrease in efficiency compared to R410A, although it was recognised that the efficiency drop could be minimised through more extensive tuning of the system.
The WCEC test report also raises questions about the durability of the refrigerant: “There has been some concern about the durability of the refrigerant with existing equipment that can result in breaking down of the molecule. These durability issues need to be investigated further before a firm recommendation can be made,” it says.
Continuous testing
Commenting on the new trials, Randy Newton, vice president, engineering at Trane Technologies, said: “Our continuous testing, research and development support new technologies that improve the carbon footprint in support of our customers’ needs and contribute to our Gigaton Challenge. As we evaluate refrigerants to replace R-410A, we seek to balance environmental impact, safety, efficiency and affordability. We look forward to working with Honeywell to assess the feasibility of Solstice N41 as a safe option for the industry that could enable ease of transition to meet regulatory deadlines and help our customers meet their overall sustainability goals.”
Ken West, Honeywell Fluorine Products’ vice president and general manager, added: “Honeywell scientists devoted years of research and development to develop a nonflammable product that can safely replace R-410A in homes and small business as a near drop-in replacement within existing infrastructures, while providing a reduced GWP coupled with similar energy efficiency. This next step with Trane solidifies our confidence in moving towards industry adoption of R-466A.”
Related stories:
Honeywell partners with Sporlan on R466A refrigerant – 19 September 2019
USA: The Sporlan Division of controls and components manufacturer Parker Hannifin has given the thumbs up to R466A, Honeywell’s yet to be introduced low GWP, non-flammable replacement for R410A. Read more…
Honeywell joins forces with Sanhua on R466A – 14 August 2019
USA: Honeywell has joined forces with Sanhua, the Chinese air conditioning and refrigeration controls and components manufacturer, to commercialise the use of R466A, Honeywell’s lower GWP R410A replacement refrigerant. Read more…
Midea opts for Honeywell’s A1 aircon refrigerant R466A – 26 June 2019
USA/CHINA: Chinese manufacturer Midea is looking to use Solstice N41 (R466A), Honeywell’s new non-flammable, lower GWP refrigerant, in all its VRF and chiller systems. Read more…
Promising results for R466A in VRF air con tests – 10 January 2019
USA: Toshiba Carrier is said to have described R466A, Honeywell’s new non-flammable R410A replacement, as “promising” after initial performance testing in a VRF air conditioning system. Read more…
R466A has close performance to R410A – 14 October 2018
GERMANY: Solstice N41, Honeywell’s new non-flammable lower GWP refrigerant, is said to have performance characteristics close to R410A. Read more…
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CF3I is, seemingly, the unknown quantity in Solstice N41, Honeywell’s new R410A replacement refrigerant. But the records show that far from being new to the refrigerants business, it has been considered as a component in replacements for CFCs, HCFCs as well as HFCs in tests dating back at least 30 years. Could the earlier adoption of CF3I have saved the industry a number of system changes along the way? Read more…
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USA: Honeywell’s development of a non-flammable low GWP alternative to R410A has created huge interest, but what’s in it? The Cooling Post may have the answer. Read more…
Honeywell announces R410A breakthrough – 26 June 2018
USA: Honeywell has announced the development of a new lower GWP non-flammable alternative to R410A in stationary air conditioning systems. Read more…
