Method for Refrigerant Charge Determination in a Cooling Circuit

Method for refrigerant charge determination in a cooling circuit,

• said cooling circuit comprising
• a low pressure section and a high pressure section,
• at least one compressor unit for generating a compression flow of refrigerant from said low pressure section to said high pressure section by compressing said refrigerant,
• at least one expansion device for generating an expansion flow of refrigerant from said high pressure section to said low pressure section by expanding refrigerant present in said high pressure section,
• a heat releasing heat exchanger in said high pressure section for cooling, in particular condensing, compressed refrigerant,
• a heat absorbing heat exchanger in said low pressure section for vaporizing said expanded refrigerant,
• said method comprising the following steps a pressure equalizing step admitting the expansion flow of refrigerant into said low pressure section in particular with the compression flow being terminated,
• a termination step, terminating said expansion flow,
• an evacuating step using the compressor unit to generate said compression flow for pumping essentially all refrigerant from said low pressure section into said high pressure section and determining the total amount of refrigerant transferred during said evacuation step from said low pressure section to said high pressure section
• and calculating on the basis of said amount of refrigerant transferred during said evacuation step from said low pressure section to said high pressure section the refrigerant charge in said cooling circuit.