Automated Charge Testing
Automated charge monitoring and administration system for vapor compression equipment precisely disperses refrigerant in small pulses until optimal levels are reached, enabling faster operation and resource conservation.
Researchers at Purdue University have developed an automated approach to monitoring and administering charge for refrigerant systems in vapor compression equipment. Currently, these systems are not able to automatically dose charge or collect real-time data to determine how much to disperse. Furthermore, current dosing methods do not provide small enough measurements to match the real need of refrigerants. Purdue researcher's approach involves automatically dispersing as little as two cubic centimeters of refrigerant in pulses throughout operation. This new system features a software program to detect equipment performance on-demand. The cyclization of charge is designed to stop once optimal levels are reached, unlike alternative practices.
Advantages:
-Faster operation
-Conservation of resources
-Automation
Potential Applications:
-Building management
-Vapor compression equipment
-Mechanical engineering applications
TRL: 2
Intellectual Property:
Provisional-Patent, 2019-12-03, United States | Utility Patent, 2020-11-12, United States
Keywords: automated refrigerant charging, vapor compression equipment, real-time refrigerant monitoring, charge cyclization, optimal refrigerant levels, refrigerant dosing, building management, mechanical engineering applications, resource conservation, HVAC automation