US 5,514,595 AGranted

Method for analyzing refrigerant properties

AssigneeSPX Corporation

InventorsDaniel L. Olds, Sandra Sheehe

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Abstract

One or more properties of a refrigerant sample, such as composition, purity or both composition and purity, are analyzed for purposes of refrigerant recovery and reuse by providing a refrigerant cell having a chamber for containing a refrigerant sample and a passage for connecting the chamber to a source of refrigerant in vapor phase. The sample chamber and passage are evacuated, and the chamber and at least a portion of the passage contiguous with the chamber are cooled until the temperature thereof reaches a predetermined temperature at or below ambient temperature. After the chamber and passage have been evacuated and cooled, the passage is connected to a source of refrigerant in vapor phase such that a refrigerant vapor sample is drawn into the chamber and condensed to liquid phase. After the cell chamber has been filled with a liquid refrigerant sample, one or more desired properties of the liquid refrigerant sample are measured or detected.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A method of analyzing refrigerant that comprises the steps of:

(a) providing a refrigerant cell block having a chamber for containing a refrigerant sample,
(b) providing refrigerant passage means for connecting said chamber to a source of refrigerant in vapor phase, at least a portion of said passage means contiguous with said chamber being disposed within said cell block separate from and adjacent to said chamber,
(c) drawing a vacuum in said chamber and said passage means,
(d) cooling said cell block and said portion of said passage means within said cell block simultaneously until temperature of said cell block, and said portion within said cell block, reaches a predetermined temperature,
(e) after said steps (c) and (d), connecting said passage means to a source of refrigerant in vapor phase, such that a refrigerant vapor sample is drawn into said chamber and condensed to liquid phase,
(f) terminating said step (e) when said cell chamber is full of refrigerant in liquid phase, and
(g) detecting one or more properties of the refrigerant in said chamber while the refrigerant is in liquid phase.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.