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US 2020/0049362 A1Published application
Leak detection unit for refrigerant system
AssigneeCarrier Corporation
InventorsLei Chen, Zhiwei Yang, Warren Clough, Larry D. Burns, Ivan Rydkin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An HVAC system is provided having an air supply system, a refrigerant circuit configured to condition air in the air supply system, and an electrochemical sensor configured to detect a refrigerant leak from the refrigerant circuit.
Claims7
A method of detecting a refrigerant leak in an HVAC system having an air supply system and a refrigerant circuit configured to condition air in the air supply system, the method comprising:
- providing a sensor configured to detect refrigerant from the refrigerant circuit that is present in the air in the air supply system;
- applying a positive bias voltage to the sensor;
- conditioning the sensor to establish a baseline response;
- measuring voltage or current in the sensor to determine if a refrigerant concentration of the air in the air supply system is greater than a predetermined concentration;
- reducing the refrigerant concentration of the air in the air supply system, if the determined refrigerant concentration is greater than the predetermined concentration, by at least one of venting air from the air supply system and supplying outside air to the air supply system;
- subsequent to said reducing the refrigerant concentration, measuring voltage or current in the sensor to determine if a refrigerant concentration of the air in the air supply system is greater than a second predetermined concentration, where the second predetermined concentration is less than the predetermined concentration.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.