Portable Method And Apparatus For Monitoring Refrigerant-Cycle Systems

• US 20160223238A1
• Filed: 04/11/2016
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Corporation LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Kates, Lawrence
• Granted Patent: US 10,352,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/39 Monitoring filter performance
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/57 using telephone networks
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/86 by controlling compressors within refrigeration or heat pump circuits
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/30 Velocity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/50 Load
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/60 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/005 of safety devices F25B49/02 and F25B49/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0221 Preprocessing measurements, e.g. data collection rate adjustment; Standardization of measurements; Time series or signal analysis, e.g. frequency analysis or wavelets; Trustworthiness of measurements; Indexes therefor; Measurements using easily measured parameters to estimate parameters difficult to measure; Virtual sensor creation; De-noising; Sensor fusion; Unconventional preprocessing inherently present in specific fault detection methods like PCA-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/10 Complex mathematical operations function generation by table look-up G06F1/03; evaluation of elementary functions by calculation G06F7/544

Abstract

A portable monitoring system that monitors various aspects of the operation of a refrigerant-cycle system is described. In one embodiment, the system includes a processor that measures power provided to the refrigerant-cycle system and gathers data from one or more sensors and uses the sensor data to calculate a figure of merit related to the efficiency of the system. In one embodiment, the measurements performed by the monitoring system include one or more of: an evaporator input air temperature, an evaporator output air temperature, evaporator air flow, evaporator air humidity, condenser air input temperature, condenser air output temperature sensor, electrical power. In one embodiment, the portable monitoring system receives information about the refrigerant-cycle system from either the system itself or from a computer network.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for monitoring the operation of a refrigerant-cycle system, the monitoring system comprising:

a monitoring unit including a processing system, a display, and one or more user input devices;

an airflow sensor provided to the monitoring unit and configured to generate airflow data;

a power sensor provided to the monitoring unit and configured to generate power data;

an ambient temperature sensor provided to the monitoring unit and configured to generate ambient air temperature data for air provided to an evaporator of the refrigerant-cycle system; and

a network interface provided to the monitoring unit,

the monitoring unit using the network interface to query and receive performance information regarding an HVAC unit identified by a model number,

the performance information comprising efficiency data specifying, for an input present ambient air temperature, a maximum expected efficiency of the HVAC unit according to the input present ambient air temperature,

the monitoring unit determining a present maximum expected efficiency of the HVAC unit, wherein the present maximum expected efficiency of the HVAC unit is determined using the input present ambient air temperature and using an input present ambient humidity,

the monitoring unit using the airflow data, the power data, output air temperature data for air flowing from the evaporator, and the ambient air temperature data to compute a present efficiency of the HVAC unit, and

the monitoring unit using the display to display a relationship between the present efficiency and the present maximum expected efficiency.