Refrigerant charge management device for heat pump systems
AssigneeCarrier Corporation
InventorDhruv Chanakya Hoysall
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is a refrigerant charge management device comprising a refrigerant charge vessel enclosing a volume, a movable impervious barrier separating the volume into a first volume and a second volume, a first port disposed in fluid communication with the first volume and configured for fluid connection to a heat pump system, and a second port disposed in fluid communication with the second volume and configured for fluid connection to the heat pump system, wherein the movable impervious barrier is configured to move in response to a difference in pressure between the first volume and the second volume thereby changing the size of the first volume and the second volume.
Claims20
A refrigerant charge management device comprising:
- a refrigerant charge vessel enclosing a volume,
- a movable impervious barrier separating the volume into a first volume and a second volume,
- a first port disposed in fluid communication with the first volume and configured for fluid connection to a heat pump system,
- a second port disposed in fluid communication with the second volume and configured for fluid connection to the heat pump system, wherein the movable impervious barrier is configured to move in response to a difference in pressure between the first volume and the second volume thereby changing the size of the first volume and the second volume;
- and
- a stop disposed within the volume, wherein the stop is configured to prevent the movable impervious barrier from covering at least one of the first port or second port.
A method of operating a heat pump system comprising:
- connecting in fluid communication a first port of a refrigerant charge management device and a first location in a refrigerant circuit of the heat pump system, wherein the first location is disposed fluidly between a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger,
- connecting in fluid communication a second port of the refrigerant charge management device and a second location in the refrigerant circuit of the heat pump system, wherein the second location is disposed fluidly between an expansion valve and an indoor heat exchanger, operating the heat pump system comprising creating a refrigerant flow through the refrigerant circuit,
- simultaneously displacing a first portion and a second portion of the refrigerant flow to the refrigerant charge management device, wherein the first portion is displaced from the first location to a first volume of the refrigerant charge management device and the second portion is displaced from the second location to a second volume of the refrigerant charge management device, and
- simultaneously adjusting the size of the first volume and the second volume of the refrigerant charge management device based on a difference in pressure between the first volume and second volume.
A method for refrigerant charge management, the method comprising:
- enclosing a volume with a refrigerant charge vessel,
- separating, with a movable impervious barrier, the volume into a first volume and a second volume,
- providing a first port in fluid communication with the first volume, the first port configured for fluid connection to a heat pump system, and
- providing a second port in fluid communication with the second volume, the second port configured for fluid connection to the heat pump system,
- wherein the movable impervious barrier is configured to move in response to a difference in pressure between the first volume and the second volume thereby changing the size of the first volume and the second volume;
- and
- providing a stop within the volume, the stop configured to prevent the movable impervious barrier from covering at least one of the first port or second port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.