Patent ID: 8973380
Filing Date: 2015-03-10
Classification: F25B,H05K

Abstract:
1. A method of detecting loss of refrigerant within a cooling system of the type having a condenser, a refrigerant receiver in fluid communication with the condenser, a sensor configured to detect a level of refrigerant within the receiver, an evaporator in fluid communication with the receiver, and a pump or compressor in fluid communication with the evaporator and the condenser, the method comprising: establishing a plurality of baseline measurements of refrigerant mass contained in the receiver during a plurality of power loads applied to the cooling system for a plurality of cooling system configurations; generating a curve of refrigerant mass versus power for the cooling system for each of the plurality of cooling system configurations, in response to establishing the plurality of baseline measurements of refrigerant mass contained in the receiver during the plurality of power loads applied to the cooling system for the plurality of cooling system configurations; selecting a curve of refrigerant mass versus power for the cooling system associated with a cooling system configuration; adjusting a Y-intercept corresponding to the selected curve of refrigerant mass versus power based on a set of initial conditions of the cooling system; monitoring a mass of refrigerant in the receiver at a certain power load applied to the cooling system; determining a respective baseline measurement of refrigerant mass for the certain power load from the selected curve of refrigerant mass versus power; and identifying whether the monitored mass of refrigerant is less than the respective baseline measurement of refrigerant mass over a predetermined period of time.