Refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus

• US 9,239,180 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2010
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Ochiai, Yasutaka, Tanaka, Kosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradford, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US13/498,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20120180506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,099 Days
• Field of Search: 62/77, 621/49, 622/92
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/36 to leakage of heat-exchange fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2345/003 Control issues for charging or collecting refrigerant to or from a cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/13 Economisers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2500/19 Calculation of parameters
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2500/222 Detecting refrigerant leaks
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/05 Refrigerant levels
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/04 Refrigerant level
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/005 of safety devices F25B49/02 and F25B49/04 take precedence

Abstract

When an operating state indicated by a set of operation data measured during normal operation becomes a state satisfying an operation data obtaining condition, the set of operation data at the time is obtained as a set of operation data for initial learning, and an inner volume of a refrigerant extension piping is calculated based on the obtained set of operation data for initial learning. A total amount of refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit 10 is calculated based on the calculated inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping and the current set of operation data, and the calculated total refrigerant is compared with a reference amount of refrigerant to determine a presence or absence of refrigerant leakage.

Claims

1. A refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus comprising:

a refrigerant circuit including an outdoor unit that is a heat source unit and an indoor unit that is a use side unit connected through refrigerant extension piping;

a measuring unit that measures temperature and pressure of a main portion of the refrigerant circuit as operation data;

a calculating unit that has an operation data obtaining condition specifying an operating state and obtains, upon satisfaction of the operation data obtaining condition with respect to an operating state indicated by a set of operation data measured by the measuring unit during normal operation, the set of operation data at that time as a set of operation data for initial learning, the calculating unit calculating an inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping based on the obtained set of operation data for the initial learning and an initial charging amount that is a charging amount of refrigerant at the initial installation time of the refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus, the calculating unit calculating a reference amount of refrigerant that is a criterion for determining refrigerant leakage from the refrigerant circuit based on the calculated inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping and the set of operation data for the initial learning; and

a determining unit that calculates a total amount of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit based on the inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping calculated by the calculating unit and a set of operation data measured by the measuring unit during normal operation, the determining unit comparing the calculated total amount of refrigerant with the reference amount of refrigerant to determine a presence or absence of refrigerant leakage, wherein

the refrigerant extension piping includes a liquid refrigerant extension piping and a gas refrigerant extension piping,

the normal operation is a cooling operation in which a superheat degree of the refrigerant at an outlet of an indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit is controlled to adjust to a target value to cool indoor air by the indoor heat exchanger operating as an evaporator, or a heating operation in which a subcooling degree of the refrigerant at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit is controlled to adjust to a target value to heat indoor air by the indoor heat exchanger operating as a condenser,

the calculating unit is configured to create a calculation formula for determining the total amount of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit, using an unknown inner volume of the liquid refrigerant extension piping, an inner volume of the gas refrigerant extension piping expressed by a relational expression for the inner volume of the liquid refrigerant extension piping, and the set of operation data for the initial learning obtained during the normal operation,

to create an equation in which the total amount of refrigerant obtained from the calculation formula is equal to the initial charging amount, and

to solve the equation to calculate the inner volume of the liquid refrigerant extension piping and the inner volume of the gas refrigerant extension piping as the inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping.

2. The refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the calculating unit calculates a plurality of inner volumes of the refrigerant extension piping by changing the sets of operation data for the initial learning, and uses an average value of the calculation results to calculate the reference amount of refrigerant and the total amount of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit.

3. The refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2, wherein when the average value is calculated from the plurality of calculation results of the inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping, the calculating unit determines whether each of calculation results is a calculation result in a state without refrigerant leakage and calculates the average value by using only calculation results in a state without refrigerant leakage.

4. The refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the calculating unit calculates the inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping based on a set of operation data when a compressor operating capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

5. The refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the calculating unit calculates the inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping based on a set of operation data when an outdoor temperature is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature.

6. The refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the calculating unit calculates the inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping based on a set of operation data when a compressor operating capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and an outdoor temperature is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature.

7. The refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining unit calculates the total amount of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit based on a set of operation data when a compressor operating capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and uses the total amount to determine the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage.

8. The refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining unit calculates the total amount of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit based on a set of operation data when an outdoor temperature is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature, and uses the total amount to determine the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage.

9. The refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining unit calculates the total amount of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit based on a set of operation data when a compressor operating capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and an outdoor temperature is equal to or greater than a predetermined temperature, and uses the total amount to determine the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage.

10. The refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an output unit that transmits a determination result of the determining unit to the outside.

11. A refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus comprising:

a refrigerant circuit including an outdoor unit that is a heat source unit and an indoor unit that is a use side unit connected through refrigerant extension piping;

a measuring unit that measures temperature and pressure of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit as operation data;

a calculating unit that has at least two operation data obtaining conditions, each specifying an operation state and obtains, upon satisfaction of the operation data obtaining condition with respect to an operating state indicated by a set of operation data measured by the measuring unit during normal operation, the set of operation data at that time as a set of operation data for initial learning, the calculating unit calculating an inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping based on the obtained at least two sets of operation data for the initial learning, the calculating unit calculating a reference amount of refrigerant that is a criterion for determining refrigerant leakage from the refrigerant circuit based on the calculated inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping and any one of the at least two sets of operation data for the initial learning; and

a determining unit that calculates a total amount of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit based on the inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping calculated by the calculating unit and a set of operation data measured by the measuring unit during normal operation, the determining unit comparing the calculated total amount of refrigerant with the reference amount of refrigerant to determine a presence or absence of refrigerant leakage, wherein

the refrigerant extension piping includes a liquid refrigerant extension piping and a gas refrigerant extension piping,

the normal operation is a cooling operation in which a superheat degree of the refrigerant at an outlet of an indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit is controlled to adjust to a target value to cool indoor air by the indoor heat exchanger operating as an evaporator, or a heating operation in which a subcooling degree of the refrigerant at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit is controlled to adjust to a target value to heat indoor air by the indoor heat exchanger operating as a condenser,

the calculating unit is configured to create a calculation formula for determining the total amount of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit for each set of operation data for the initial learning obtained during the normal operation, using an unknown inner volume of the liquid refrigerant extension piping and an inner volume of the gas refrigerant extension piping expressed by a relational expression for the inner volume of the liquid refrigerant extension piping,

to create an equation in which the total amount of refrigerant obtained from each calculation formula is equal, and

to solve the equation to calculate the inner volume of the liquid refrigerant extension piping and the inner volume of the gas refrigerant extension piping as the inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping.

12. The refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least two operation data obtaining conditions specify operating states that differ in the densities of the refrigerant in the refrigerant extension piping from one another.

13. The refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus of claim 12, wherein the refrigerant extension piping includes a liquid refrigerant extension piping and a gas refrigerant extension piping, and the at least two operation data obtaining conditions specify operating states that differ in densities of liquid refrigerant flowing in the liquid refrigerant extension piping.

14. A refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus comprising:

a refrigerant circuit including an outdoor unit that is a heat source unit and an indoor unit that is a use side unit connected through refrigerant extension piping;

a measuring unit that measures temperature and pressure of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit as operation data;

a calculating unit that has at least two operation data obtaining conditions each specifying an operation state and obtains, upon satisfaction of the operation data obtaining condition with respect to an operating state indicated by a set of operation data measured by the measuring unit during normal operation, the set of operation data at that time as a set of operation data for initial learning, the calculating unit calculating an inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping based on the obtained at least two sets of operation data for the initial learning, the calculating unit calculating a reference amount of refrigerant that is a criterion for determining refrigerant leakage from the refrigerant circuit based on the calculated inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping and any one of the at least two sets of operation data for the initial learning; and

a determining unit that calculates a total amount of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit based on the inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping calculated by the calculating unit and a set of operation data measured by the measuring unit during normal operation, the determining unit comparing the calculated total amount of refrigerant with the reference amount of refrigerant to determine a presence or absence of refrigerant leakage, wherein

the refrigerant extension piping includes a liquid refrigerant extension piping and a gas refrigerant extension piping,

the normal operation is a cooling operation in which a superheat degree of the refrigerant at an outlet of an indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit is controlled to adjust to a target value to cool indoor air by the indoor heat exchanger operating as an evaporator, or a heating operation in which a subcooling degree of the refrigerant at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit is controlled to adjust to a target value to heat indoor air by the indoor heat exchanger operating as a condenser,

the calculating unit is configured to create a calculation formula for determining the total amount of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit for each set of operation data for the initial learning, using an unknown inner volume of the liquid refrigerant extension piping and an unknown inner volume of the gas refrigerant extension piping,

to create, with at least three operation data for initial learning, at least two equations in which the total amount of refrigerant obtained from each of the calculation formulas is equal, and

to solve the simultaneous equations to calculate the inner volume of the liquid refrigerant extension piping and the inner volume of the gas refrigerant extension piping as the inner volume of the refrigerant extension piping.