Method of evaluating refrigerant charge within a refrigeration circuit
AssigneeCarrier Corporation
InventorLucas Chapeau
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of evaluating refrigerant charge within a refrigeration circuit. The method includes measuring a quantity of liquid refrigerant within a flash tank of the refrigeration circuit; determining an expected quantity of liquid refrigerant within the flash tank; comparing the expected quantity with the measured quantity of liquid refrigerant within the flash tank; and evaluating the refrigerant charge within the refrigeration circuit based on the comparison.
Claims20
A method of evaluating refrigerant charge within a refrigeration circuit, the method comprising:
- measuring a quantity of liquid refrigerant within a flash tank of the refrigeration circuit;
- determining an expected quantity of liquid refrigerant within the flash tank;
- comparing the expected quantity with the measured quantity of liquid refrigerant within the flash tank;
- and
- evaluating the refrigerant charge within the refrigeration circuit based on the comparison, wherein evaluating the refrigerant charge comprises determining an undercharge condition within the refrigeration circuit during operation of the refrigeration circuit.
An apparatus for evaluating refrigerant charge within a refrigeration circuit, the apparatus comprising:
- a liquid level sensor disposed in operative association with a flash tank of a refrigeration circuit;
- and
- a processor in communication with the liquid level sensor, the processor being configured to:
- control the liquid level sensor to measure a quantity of refrigerant within the flash tank;
- determine an expected quantity of liquid refrigerant within the flash tank;
- compare the expected quantity with the measured quantity of liquid refrigerant within the flash tank;
- and
- evaluate the refrigerant charge within the refrigeration circuit based on the comparison, wherein to evaluate the refrigerant charge, the processor is configured to determine an undercharge condition within the refrigeration circuit during operation of the refrigeration circuit.
A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed on a processor that is in communication with a liquid level sensor that itself is in operative association with a flash tank of a refrigeration circuit, causes the processor to:
- control the liquid level sensor to measure a quantity of refrigerant within the flash tank of the refrigeration circuit;
- determine an expected quantity of liquid refrigerant within the flash tank;
- compare the expected quantity of liquid refrigerant with the measured quantity of liquid refrigerant within the flash tank;
- and
- evaluate the refrigerant charge within the refrigeration circuit based on the comparison, wherein to evaluate the refrigerant charge, the processor is caused to determine an undercharge condition within the refrigeration circuit during operation of the refrigeration circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.