US 11,732,916 B2
Refrigeration leak detection
Brian R. Butler, Centerville, OH (US); Stuart K. Morgan, West Chester, OH (US); Hung Pham, Dayton, OH (US); Winfield S. Morter, Sidney, OH (US); Andrew M. Welch, Sidney, OH (US); David Alfano, Sidney, OH (US); and Michael A. Saunders, Sidney, OH (US)
Assigned to Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc., Sidney, OH (US)
Filed by Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc., Sidney, OH (US)
Filed on Jul. 28, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/940,808.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/036,193, filed on Jun. 8, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0381708 A1, Dec. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. F24F 11/36 (2018.01); F24F 11/84 (2018.01); F24F 11/52 (2018.01); F24F 11/58 (2018.01); F24F 11/86 (2018.01); F24F 140/12 (2018.01); F24F 140/20 (2018.01)
CPC F24F 11/36 (2018.01) [F24F 11/52 (2018.01); F24F 11/58 (2018.01); F24F 11/84 (2018.01); F24F 11/86 (2018.01); F24F 2140/12 (2018.01); F24F 2140/20 (2018.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A refrigerant control system, comprising:
a charge module configured to determine an amount of refrigerant that is present within refrigerant lines and a first heater exchanger of a refrigeration system within a building,
wherein the charge module is configured to determine the amount of refrigerant within the first heat exchanger based on a volume of a combination of (a) the first heat exchanger located within the building and (b) the refrigerant lines,
wherein the charge module is configured to, using measurements taken during a pumpdown operation, determine the volume of the combination of (a) the first heat exchanger and (b) the refrigerant lines based on a mass of refrigerant removed during the pumpdown operation and to determine the mass of refrigerant removed during the pumpdown operation based on a compressor displacement volume, a change in temperature, and a density of refrigerant at an outlet of the first heat exchanger, and
an isolation module configured to selectively open and close an isolation valve of the refrigeration system and to, via the isolation valve, maintain the amount of refrigerant within the refrigerant lines and the first heat exchanger within the building below a predetermined amount of the refrigerant,
wherein the pumpdown operation includes closing the isolation valve and operating the compressor.