Japanese retailer chooses R448A refrigerant
A refrigeration system using Honeywell’s lower GWP HFC refrigerant R448A has been adopted by Japan’s largest supermarket brand to replace an R22 system.
R448A, marketed by Honeywell as Solstice N40, has been adopted in the system supplying Panasonic freezers and refrigerated display cabinets at MaxValu West’s The Big Kamogata discount store in Asaguchi, Okayama Prefecture.
This adoption is due to the replacement of existing equipment using R22, which will be banned in Japan in new equipment from next year.
MaxValu West Japan is a member of the AEON Group, the largest distributor in Japan, and has 185 supermarkets in eight prefectures in West Japan. MaxValu is the largest brand in Japan, operating approximately 900 retail outlets. The Big Kamogata Store is the first MaxValu store to use the Solstice N40 refrigerant.
R448A is an A1 non-combustible and non-toxic refrigerant with a GWP of 1,387. Tests are said to have shown an increase in system energy efficiency of up to 16% compared to R404A.
Suitable to replace R404A or R22, R448A has already been installed in over 23,000 supermarket freezing and refrigeration systems in supermarkets worldwide.