The Blowing Agent Alternative Enabling Key Improvements in the Household Appliance Industry

Refrigerator appliances are one of the most common appliances as they’re found in almost every home. In fact, refrigerators are such a common household appliance that by 2025 the refrigeration market is expected to grow by more than 41 million units, according to Statista. Refrigerators help preserve and extend the life of food or medicine by providing adequate storage and cool temperature regulation. They also contribute to health and safety by decreasing bacteria growth that can potentially lead to illnesses.

As a result of continuous energy demand growth, manufacturers are looking for cost-effective refrigerator insulation materials that meet with stringent environmental-efficiency regulations and energy-consumption labeling requirements that don’t compromise performance.

This has resulted in original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to search for foam-blowing agent alternatives, such as Honeywell’s Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agents, that are globally accessible, provide better energy efficiency and meet new labeling requirements.

Challenges in the Household Appliance Industry

OEMs face a growing demand for higher energy-efficient refrigeration appliances. They also face increasing focus from regulation authorities on the production of appliances that have an ultra-low global warming potential (GWP), that are non-ozone depleting and can help reduce manufacturers’ impact on the environment.

Additionally, model regulation from UN guidelines such as the Minimum Energy Performance Standards and labeling requirements are encouraging higher-performing products. Although these standards vary by country, they enable more effective market enforcement using proven test procedures and easier exchange of compliance.

They also remove certain product models from the market that do not meet specified efficiency thresholds. Foam-blowing agents used in refrigerating appliances must meet requirements on their ODP and GWP over a 100 year-time horizon based on the limitations that are provided.

Solstice® Liquid Blowing Agents' Role

Solstice Liquid Blowing Agent is our current, ready-now HFO-based foam-blowing agent technology that features an ultra-low global warming potential and is non-ozone depleting.

Solstice® LBA, pure or in blends, help manufacturers address common issues related to:

• Performance and Cost vs. Other Alternatives such as Vacuum Insulated Panels (VIPs)
  
• Environmental and Energy-Efficient Requirements
  
• Global Access to Materials

Higher Performance, Lower Cost

Solstice LBA, when used alone or as a blend with cyclopentane, can provide better insulation than pure cyclopentane and better cost/performance ratio than using a combination of cyclopentane-based foam and vacuum-insulated panels (VIPs).

Compared to cyclopentane, OEMs can achieve up to 10% improvement in performance. The use of Solstice LBA can also reduce costs compared to more expensive VIPs. They can save between $5-$10 per refrigerator* by simply replacing at least 1 square meter of VIP.

Meeting Environmental and Energy Efficiency Regulations

Updated energy-efficiency regulations require refrigerator manufacturers to seek new ways to meet the requirements while producing a final product at a retail price point that is attractive to the end consumer.