Honeywell has announced that Midea, a leading Chinese appliance manufacturer, will adopt Honeywell’s next-generation Solstice™ Liquid Blowing Agent (LBA) to insulate its refrigerators and freezers, beginning 2014. Blowing agents can be used in a wide range of applications, including spray foam insulation, insulated architectural panels, and refrigerated shipping containers, in addition to their widespread use as insulation for refrigerators. 

Midea is currently transitioning from the use of cyclopentane, a hydrocarbon blowing agent, to blends of cyclopentane and Enovate® 245fa, Honeywell’s current generation blowing agent. Enovate is a non-flammable hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) that does not deplete the ozone layer. Solstice LBA is a next-generation blowing agent with a global warming potential (GWP) of 1 that is listed under the EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program. It is non-flammable and is not a volatile organic compound. Honeywell is currently building world-scale production capacity for Solstice LBA that is expected to come on line in early 2014.