Systems and methods of remote monitoring of refrigeration and cooling systems

A method of remote monitoring of refrigeration systems to detect leaks of refrigerant, comprising the step of:

• providing at least one sensor in communication with a refrigeration system having refrigerant;
• measuring, via the sensor, at least one parameter of the refrigeration system including a quantity of refrigerant in the refrigeration system;
• recording data from the at least one sensor periodically on a location monitoring station having at least one local processor, thereby generating recorded sensor data;
• collecting the recorded sensor data over time on the local monitoring station, thereby generating collected sensor data;
• aggregating refrigerant levels over a plurality of time periods of differing sizes via the local processor;
• using shorter of the time periods to identify leaks with a lower amplitude;
• using longer of the time periods to identify leaks with a higher amplitude;
• determining via the local processor using at least one algorithm and using the collected sensor data whether a refrigerant leak is occurring in the refrigeration system being monitored, thereby generating a state of the refrigeration system;
• communicating the state of the refrigeration system from the local monitoring station to at least one server;
• and
• sending, from the at least one server, at least one message to at least one user communication device via communication channels, the at least one message pertaining to the state of the refrigeration system.

A system for remote monitoring of refrigeration systems, comprising:

• a local monitoring station, having at least one sensor configured to be in communication with a refrigeration system having refrigerant, said at least one sensor measuring at least a quantity of refrigerant in the refrigeration system including a refrigerant output temperature of a main refrigerant tank of the refrigeration system, said local monitoring station further having at least one local processor;
• at least one server, remote from and in communication with said local monitoring station and accessible by at least one user communication device via communication channels, said server having at least one remote processor;
• and
• software residing at least partially on at least one of said local monitoring station or said server, wherein at least one of said at least one local processor or said least one remote processor are configured to execute said software to cause said system to:
• record data from said at least one sensor periodically to generate recorded sensor data;
• collect said recorded sensor data over time to generate collected sensor data;
• determine a density of the refrigerant using the output temperature;
• calculate a refrigerant height in the main refrigerant tank using at least the density;
• calculate a main refrigerant tank weight using tank type, the calculated refrigerant height, the density, and tank diameter;
• and
• compare the calculated main refrigerant tank weight with a predetermined low-level limit;
• determine via at least one algorithm, using said collected sensor data, a status of said at least one parameter to thereby generate a state of the refrigeration system;
• and
• communicate said state of the refrigeration system to the at least one user communication device.

A method of remote monitoring of refrigeration systems, comprising the step of:

• providing at least one sensor in communication with a refrigeration system having refrigerant;
• measuring, via the at least one sensor, at least a quantity of refrigerant in the refrigeration system including a refrigerant output temperature of a main refrigerant tank of the refrigeration system;
• recording data from the at least one sensor periodically on at least one of a location monitoring station having at least one local processor or at least one remote server in communication with the local monitoring station and having at least one remote processor, thereby generating recorded sensor data;
• collecting the recorded sensor data over time on at least one of the local monitoring station and the at least one remote server, thereby generating collected sensor data;
• determining a density of the refrigerant using the output temperature;
• calculating the refrigerant height in the main refrigerant tank using at least the density;
• calculating a main refrigerant tank weight using tank type, the calculated refrigerant height, the density, and the tank diameter;
• and
• comparing the calculated main refrigerant tank weight with a predetermined low-level limit;
• determining via at least one of the local processor or the remote processor using at least one algorithm and using the collected sensor data a status of at least the main refrigerant tank weight, thereby generating a state of the refrigeration system;
• and
• sending, from at least one of the local monitoring station or the at least one server, at least one message to at least one user communication device via communication channels, the at least one message pertaining to the state of the refrigeration system.