WILMINGTON, Del., Oct. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chemours Company, a global chemistry company with leading market positions in fluoroproducts, titanium technologies, and chemical solutions, and Central England Co-Operative, a UK-based retailer, announced today the live trial of Opteon™ XL20 (R-454C) Refrigerant, an HFO blend with a safety classification of A2L, for its new convenience store at Langley Park, Derbyshire, UK. Central England Co-Op was looking for a solution with the lowest possible GWP (global warming potential) that would maintain the advantages of the familiar HFCs (e.g., R-404A) in terms of ease of installation and maintenance, cost efficiency, safety, and energy efficiency, and concluded that Opteon™ XL20, with a GWP of 148, could satisfy each of these requirements.

This is the first of two trial stores featuring A2L technologies. It has come about through collaboration between Central England Co-Operative, Chemours, and a team of stakeholders within the refrigeration industry, all focused on ensuring that the newly designed store meets long-term sustainability and GWP requirements of the F-gas Regulation, while also complying with necessary codes and standards for A2L refrigerants. Having recognized the significant changes occurring in the industry, the retailer is developing a robust 10-year F-Gas strategy. Central England Co-Operative already has experience retrofitting existing R-404A systems to mid-range <1500 GWP HFO blends. They are comfortable with the operating characteristics of these systems and have seen the energy-efficiency gains from these retrofits. The objective of this new store installation is to achieve even lower GWP levels without sacrificing energy efficiency or overall system performance, as any increase in indirect emissions from increased power consumption would greatly reduce any net gain from lowering the refrigerant GWP.  

Chemours, which supplied the refrigerant and technical support; Emerson, which supplied compressors; PureCold, which supplied A2L-ready cabinets; and Space Engineering, which constructed a dual discharge refrigeration pack suitable for A2L refrigerant applications in a retail environment, are the key stakeholders, each committed to the success of the installation. The design was created according to the guidance in EN378 and installed by Oak Refrigeration following a rigorous risk assessment from Cool Concerns, a consultant, to ensure safe use in this type of application.

Luke Collins, managing director of Oak Refrigeration observed, "We found the installation to be straightforward and commissioning went smoothly and without incident using R-454C set-up data provided by Chemours and with support from engineering consultants, Wave, to optimize the system to give best energy performance.''

Kevin Collins, head of Facilities at Central England Co-Operative, commented, ''This ground-breaking installation proves that we can have a sustainable, long-term solution to meet our corporate strategy without compromising performance and efficiency and, at best, cost. Other low GWP solutions considered, such as propane secondary and CO₂ booster systems, were excluded as these did not meet our selection criteria.'' 

"The adoption of Opteon™ XL20 (R-454C) by the Central England Co-Op shows that this technology is a viable and credible solution for commercial retail and will act as a signpost to other end-users as the European F-gas regulations continue to move the HVACR industry to more environmentally sustainable solutions that Opteon™ XL A2L HFO refrigerants from Chemours are the ideal long-term solution to maximize environmental and economic benefits," said Murli Sukhwani, regional business director, Fluorochemicals, EMEA.

Opteon™ low GWP HFO refrigerants are a portfolio of sustainable and versatile refrigerants that meet the long-term needs of the refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pump, and chiller markets. They have been developed to help meet increasingly stringent global regulations, while maintaining or improving performance compared to the products they replace. Their adoption also encourages more sustainable refrigerant choices and equipment designs to reduce the carbon footprint of the HVACR industry. Specifically, in Europe, the very low GWP Opteon™ XL refrigerant portfolio supports the market transitions required by the F-Gas Regulation and enables customers to select their optimal solution when performance, safety, sustainability, and the total cost of ownership are taken into account.

For more information on Opteon™ refrigerants, please visit opteon.com.

About The Chemours Company
The Chemours Company (NYSE: CC) is a global leader in titanium technologies, fluoroproducts, and chemical solutions, providing its customers with solutions in a wide range of industries with market-defining products, application expertise and chemistry-based innovations. Chemours ingredients are found in plastics and coatings, refrigeration and air conditioning, mining, and general industrial manufacturing. Our flagship products include prominent brands such as Teflon™, Ti-Pure™, Krytox™, Viton™, Opteon™, Freon™ and Nafion™. Chemours published its first corporate responsibility commitment report in 2018, which highlights goals aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The company has approximately 7,000 employees and 28 manufacturing sites serving approximately 3,700 customers in over 120 countries. Chemours is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware and is listed on the NYSE under the symbol CC.

For more information, we invite you to visit chemours.com or follow us on Twitter @Chemours or LinkedIn.  

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. The words "believe," "expect," "will," "anticipate," "plan," "estimate," "anticipate," "target," "project," and similar expressions, among others, generally identify "forward-looking statements" which speak only as of the date the statements were made. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, the outcome or resolution of any pending or future environmental liabilities, litigation and other legal proceedings or contingencies, anticipated future operating and financial performance, business plans and prospects, transformation plans, cost savings targets and plans to increase profitability, that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events which may not be accurate or realized. Forward-looking statements also involve risks and uncertainties which are beyond Chemours' control. Additionally, there may be other risks and uncertainties that Chemours is unable to identify at this time or that Chemours does not currently expect to have a material impact on its business. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Chemours assumes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement for any reason, except as required by law.

CONTACT: 

NEWS MEDIA 
David Rosen
Executive and Financial Communications Manager
+1.302.773.2711
media@chemours.com

INVESTORS 
Jonathan Lock 
VP, Corporate Development and Investor Relations 
+1.302.773.2263 
investor@chemours.com 

SOURCE The Chemours Company

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