Air conditioning system and method for leakage detection in an air conditioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10399412-B2
Application number	US-201715616227-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2017
Priority date	Jun 8, 2016
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

There is described an air conditioning system with a refrigerant circuit, wherein the air conditioning system includes a leakage detection system. The leakage detection system has a room temperature sensor, an inlet temperature sensor for detection of a refrigerant temperature at a refrigerant inlet of a refrigerant evaporator, and an outlet temperature sensor for detection of a refrigerant temperature at a refrigerant outlet of the refrigerant evaporator. The sensors ( 34, 36, 40 ) are coupled with a calculating unit. In addition, there is described a method for leakage detection, in which a room temperature of the room to be air-conditioned is detected before the refrigerant evaporator on an air inlet side, a refrigerant inlet temperature is detected at the refrigerant inlet of a refrigerant evaporator, and a refrigerant outlet temperature is detected at a refrigerant outlet of the refrigerant evaporator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air conditioning system with a refrigerant circuit, wherein in a circulation direction of a refrigerant the air conditioning system comprises a refrigerant condenser which can be in heat exchange with an environment, a refrigerant throttle, a refrigerant evaporator which can be in heat exchange with a room to be air-conditioned, and a refrigerant compressor,
characterized in that the air conditioning system includes a leakage detection system
with a room temperature sensor which is formed to detect a room temperature of the room to be air-conditioned, upstream of the refrigerant evaporator on an air inlet side,
with an inlet temperature sensor which is formed to detect a refrigerant temperature at a refrigerant inlet of the refrigerant evaporator,
with an outlet temperature sensor which is formed to detect a refrigerant temperature at a refrigerant outlet of the refrigerant evaporator,
with a calculating unit which is coupled with the room temperature sensor, the inlet temperature sensor and the outlet temperature sensor, wherein the calculating unit is formed to calculate an outlet differential temperature as a difference of the room temperature and the refrigerant temperature at the refrigerant outlet and an evaporator differential temperature as a difference of the refrigerant temperature at the refrigerant inlet and at the refrigerant outlet, the outlet differential temperature and the evaporator differential temperature being used for leakage detection.

2. The air conditioning system of claim 1 wherein it includes a refrigerant-tight separating device for at least partly separating the refrigerant circuit from the room to be air-conditioned.

3. The air conditioning system of claim 2 wherein the separating device comprises a refrigerant inlet valve, which is formed to selectively shut off the refrigerant inlet, and a refrigerant outlet valve, which is formed to selectively shut off the refrigerant outlet.

4. The air conditioning system of claim 2 wherein the separating device comprises a refrigerant-tight flap which is formed to shut off the air conditioning system from the room to be air-conditioned.

5. The air conditioning system of claim 1 wherein the leakage detection system comprises a notifying unit, including a display, a screen, or an indicator lamp, which is coupled with the calculating unit.

6. The air conditioning system of claim 1 wherein the refrigerant evaporator is designed as double-tube heat exchanger.

7. A method for leakage detection in an air conditioning system with a refrigerant circuit, wherein in a circulation direction of the refrigerant the air conditioning system comprises a refrigerant condenser which can be in heat exchange with an environment, a refrigerant throttle, a refrigerant evaporator, which can be in heat exchange with a room to be air-conditioned, and a refrigerant compressor, the method comprising the following steps:
a) detecting a room temperature of the room to be air-conditioned, upstream of the refrigerant evaporator on an air inlet side,
b) detecting a refrigerant inlet temperature at a refrigerant inlet of the refrigerant evaporator,
c) detecting a refrigerant outlet temperature at a refrigerant outlet of the refrigerant evaporator,
d) calculating an outlet differential temperature as a difference of the room temperature and the refrigerant outlet temperature,
e) calculating an evaporator differential temperature as a difference of the refrigerant outlet temperature and the refrigerant inlet temperature,
f) detecting a leakage, if the outlet differential temperature decreases and simultaneously the evaporator differential temperature increases by a fixed value.

8. The method according to claim 7 , characterized in that after detection of a leakage a refrigerant-tight separating device is activated for at least partly separating the refrigerant circuit from the room to be air-conditioned.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein after detection of a leakage the refrigerant inlet of the refrigerant evaporator is shut off by means of a refrigerant inlet valve and the refrigerant outlet of the refrigerant evaporator is shut off by means of a refrigerant outlet valve.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein after detection of a leakage a refrigerant-tight flap is closed, which shuts off the air conditioning system from the room to be air-conditioned.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein after detection of a leakage an electronic message is sent, which comprises information on the presence of a leakage.

Assignees

• Truma Geraetetechnik Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Mathe Christian
• Hummel Georg
• Haertig Sebastian
• Hiller Werner
• Gumpp Daniel
• Venschott Mathias

Classifications

• F25B2700/21175

  of the refrigerant at the outlet of the evaporator · CPC title

• F25B2700/21174

  of the refrigerant at the inlet of the evaporator · CPC title

• F25B2500/222

  Detecting refrigerant leaks · CPC title

• F25B2500/19

  Calculation of parameters · CPC title

• F25B2700/2104

  of an indoor room or compartment · CPC title