Biosensors for monitoring air conditioning and refrigeration processes
AssigneeCarrier Corporation
InventorsSharmista Chatterjee, Sunita Satyapal, Harvey Michels, Richard Meinzer, Jared Barney Hertzberg
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Abstract
A biosensor 10 provides for real time monitoring a selected aspect of an air conditioning or a refrigeration process and system. The biosensor 10 includes a biocomponent element 20 carrying a bioagent 22 operative to detect one or more analytes indicative of the selected aspect of the climate control process to be monitored.
Claims4
An apparatus for detecting a leak of refrigerant from an evaporator coil of an air conditioning apparatus, the evaporator coil disposed in a air flow duct associated with the air conditioning apparatus, comprising:
- a biosensor disposed in the air conditioning duct in the vicinity of the evaporator coil, said biosensor having a biocomponent element including a bioagent operative to detect refrigerant leaking from the evaporator coil;
- and
- a sensor element operatively associated with the biocomponent element for generating a measurable output signal indicative of the presence of the refrigerant.
An apparatus for detecting the occurrence of corrosion within the interior of an absorption apparatus utilizing a process gas to chill a fluid, comprising:
- a biosensor disposed in contact with the process gas at a location external of the absorption chiller, said biosensor having a biocomponent element including a bioagent operative to detect hydrogen gas in the process gas from the absorption chiller.
An apparatus for detecting the occurrence of corrosion within a heating, ventilating or air conditioning system having an air flow duct, comprising:
- a biosensor disposed in the air conditioning duct, said biosensor having a biocomponent element including a bioagent operative to detect a chemical byproduct of corrosion of a metal component;
- and
- a sensor element operatively associated with the biocomponent element for generating a measurable output signal indicative of the presence of the chemical byproduct.
An apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein said biosensor is coated with a plastic compound the adsorbs refrigerant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.