Refrigerant system including filtering apparatus and operating method thereof

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a refrigerant system, wherein the refrigerant system of the present disclosure may include: a first valve disposed on a first flow path configured to deliver refrigerant received from a condenser to a expansion valve, a second valve disposed between a first valve and an expansion valve, a control unit configured to control opening and closing of the first valve and the second valve, a second flow path having one end connected to the first valve and the other end connected to the second valve, and configured to deliver the refrigerant received from the first valve to the second valve, and a filtering apparatus disposed on the second flow path and configured to be controlled by the control unit to filter refrigerant flowing through the second flow path.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2025-0005326, filed on January 14, 2025, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present invention relates to a refrigerant system and an operating method of the refrigerant system.BACKGROUND

[0003] In a refrigerant system, the refrigerant exchanges heat while circulating through a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. During this circulation process, various impurities such as metal particles, dust, moisture, and acidic substances may be contained in the refrigerant. These impurities cause several problems in major components of the system (e.g., the compressor, the expansion valve, etc.). Specifically, impurities such as metal particles or other solid impurities may accelerate internal wear of the compressor, and moisture in the refrigerant may turn into ice in a low temperature environment to block the expansion valve, thereby deteriorating system performance. In addition, moisture and acidic substances in the refrigerant may corrode metallic components inside the system.

[0004] In order to solve such problems, a method of installing a filter dryer that may remove impurities while the refrigerant is circulated in the system has been used. The filter dryer performs a function of removing physical particles and moisture from the refrigerant and is generally fixedly installed on a refrigerant flow path.

[0005] However, since the filter drier is designed such that the refrigerant always passes through the filter, continuous resistance is generated in a refrigerant flow, which increases the pressure loss in the system and reduces energy efficiency of the system. In addition, a conventional filter dryer continuously performs filtering even when the impurities content in the refrigerant is low, which causes unnecessary energy consumption and shortens the filter life.

[0006] In addition, the conventional the filter dryer only filters impurities and refrigerant that is lost due to impurities which is removed together with the refrigerant during the filtering process may not be replenished. Therefore, there was a problem that when the refrigerant system is used continuously, the amount of refrigerant may become insufficient, and the performance of the refrigerant system may be deteriorated.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for a technology capable of filtering the refrigerant only when a filtering operation is required and replenishing the filtered refrigerant.SUMMARY

[0008] The present disclosure is directed to performing a filtering operation to remove impurities contained in refrigerant by switching a flow path through which the refrigerant flows from a first flow path to a second flow path when the filtering operation is required.

[0009] In addition, the present disclosure is directed to replenishing refrigerant that is lost by being filtered out together with impurities in the filtering operation into a refrigerant circuit.

[0010] The problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the problems described above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0011] A refrigerant system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a first valve disposed on a first flow path configured to deliver refrigerant received from a condenser to a expansion valve, a second valve disposed between a first valve and an expansion valve, a control unit configured to control opening and closing of the first valve and the second valve, a second flow path having one end connected to the first valve and the other end connected to the second valve, and configured to deliver the refrigerant received from the first valve to the second valve, and a filtering apparatus disposed on the second flow path and configured to be controlled by the control unit to filter refrigerant flowing through the second flow path.

[0012] In some embodiments, the filtering apparatus may include: a refrigerant filter configured to filter the refrigerant flowing through the second flow path; a first sensor unit configured to detect the refrigerant flowing through the second flow path; and a refrigerant tank configured to replenish refrigerant into the second flow path in an amount corresponding to an amount of refrigerant including impurities filtered under control of the control unit.

[0013] In some embodiments, the filtering apparatus may further include a refrigerant oil tank configured to replenish refrigerant oil into the second flow path in an amount corresponding to the amount of refrigerant including impurities filtered under the control of the control unit.

[0014] In some embodiments, the refrigerant filter may include at least one of a stainless-steel mesh filter, an activated alumina filter, a silica gel filter, and an activated carbon filter.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first sensor unit may include a first pressure sensor configured to detect a refrigerant pressure before passing through the refrigerant filter and the second pressure sensor configured to detect a refrigerant pressure after passing through the refrigerant filter.

[0016] In some embodiments, the control unit is configured to calculate an amount of the refrigerant including impurities based on a difference between the refrigerant pressure before passing through the refrigerant filter and the refrigerant pressure after passing through the refrigerant filter, and control the refrigerant tank to provide refrigerant into the second flow path in an amount corresponding to an amount of the calculated refrigerant including impurities.

[0017] In some embodiments, the control unit is configured to control the opening and closing of the first valve and the second valve so that a refrigerant flow is switched from the first flow path to the second flow path when a filtering command is received from a user terminal.

[0018] In some embodiments, the refrigerant system further comprises a second sensor unit disposed on the first flow path and configured to detect a concentration of impurities in the refrigerant flowing through the first flow path.

[0019] In some embodiments, the control unit is configured to control the opening and closing of the first valve and the second valve so that the refrigerant flow is switched from the first flow path to the second flow path when the concentration of impurities in the refrigerant is above a threshold.

[0020] An operating method of a refrigerant system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include: switching a refrigerant flow from a first flow path to a second flow path by controlling opening and closing of a first valve and a second valve; removing impurities by passing refrigerant through a refrigerant filter; calculating an amount of refrigerant including filtered impurities based on a refrigerant pressure before passing through the refrigerant filter and a refrigerant pressure after passing through the refrigerant filter; and replenishing refrigerant in an amount corresponding to the amount of the refrigerant including filtered impurities.

[0021] In some embodiments, the switching of the refrigerant flow from the first flow path to the second flow path may include switching the refrigerant flow from the first flow path to the second flow path when a filtering command is received from a user terminal.

[0022] In some embodiments, it is possible to further include detecting a concentration of impurities in the refrigerant flowing through the first flow path, wherein the switching of the refrigerant flow from the first flow path to the second flow path includes switching the refrigerant flow from the first flow path to the second flow path when the concentration of impurities in the refrigerant is above a threshold.

[0023] In some embodiments, the refrigerant filter may include at least one of a stainless-steel mesh filter, an activated alumina filter, a silica gel filter, and an activated carbon filter.

[0024] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise replenishing refrigerant oil in an amount corresponding to the amount of the refrigerant including filtered impurities.

[0025] A refrigerant system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a first valve disposed on a first flow path configured to deliver refrigerant received from a condenser to an expansion valve, a second valve disposed between a first valve and an expansion valve, a control unit configured to control opening and closing of the first valve and the second valve, a second flow path having one end connected to the first valve and the other end connected to the second valve, and configured to deliver the refrigerant received from the first valve to the second valve, and a filtering apparatus disposed on the second flow path and configured to be controlled by the control unit to filter refrigerant flowing through the second flow path, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine an amount of replacement refrigerant based on a detected amount of filtered impurities.

[0026] In a refrigerant system and an operating method thereof according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to perform a filtering operation to remove impurities contained in the refrigerant by switching a flow path through which the refrigerant flows from a first flow path to a second flow path when a filtering operation is required.

[0027] In addition, in a refrigerant system and an operating method thereof according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to replenish refrigerant lost through filtering together with impurities in the filtering operation into a refrigerant circuit.

[0028] Advantageous effects that may be obtained by the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the benefits mentioned above, and other advantages not mentioned may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] FIG. 1 is a view showing a refrigerant system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operating method of a refrigerant system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a view showing a case where refrigerant flows along a first flow path according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a view showing a case where refrigerant flows along a second flow path according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a view showing a filtering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 6 is a view showing a refrigerant system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation method of a refrigerant system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited or restricted by the embodiments. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification shall have the meaning commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains, but this may vary depending on the intention of a person skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc.

[0037] In addition, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly and specifically defined otherwise. In certain cases, the applicant may have chosen terms at his own discretion, in which case the meaning thereof will be described in detail in the relevant description section. Accordingly, the terms used in this disclosure should not be simply defined as names of terms, but should be defined based on the meaning of the terms and the overall contents of this disclosure.

[0038] Whenever it is said throughout this specification that a part “includes” a component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may include other components, unless otherwise stated. In addition, the singular forms used herein also include the plural forms unless specifically stated otherwise. In addition, the expression “at least one of a, b and / or c” described throughout this specification may encompass ‘a alone’, ‘b alone’, ‘c alone’, ‘a and b’, ‘a and c’, ‘b and c’, or ‘all of a, b, and c’.

[0039] Further, terms such as “first and / or second” used in this specification may be used to describe various components, but are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another, and are not intended to be limited to the components referred to by the terms. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

[0040] In addition, terms such as “…unit”, “…module”, etc., described in this specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software. In addition, embodiments of the present disclosure may be represented in terms of functional block configurations and various processing steps. These functional blocks may be implemented as any number of hardware and / or software configurations that perform specific functions. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure may employ direct circuit configurations such as memory, processing, logic, look-up tables, etc., which may execute various functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices.

[0041] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In describing the embodiments, description of technical contents that are well known in the technical field to which the present invention belongs and are not directly related to the present invention will be omitted. This is to convey the gist of the present invention more clearly without obscuring it by omitting unnecessary explanations. For the same reason, some components in the attached drawings are exaggerated, omitted or schematically illustrated. In addition, the size of each component does not entirely reflect its actual size. In this specification, the same reference numerals throughout may refer to the same or corresponding components.

[0042] FIG. 1 is a view showing a refrigerant system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerant system 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a compressor 110, a condenser 120, an expansion valve 130, an evaporator 140, a filtering apparatus 150, a first valve 160, a second valve 170, a first flow path F1, and a second flow path F2.

[0044] The compressor 110 may compress refrigerant to create a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 110 may be delivered to the condenser 120 to perform heat exchange. The compressor 110 may be connected to the condenser 120 to continuously circulate the refrigerant.

[0045] Refrigerant is a substance that circulates in the refrigerant system 10 to deliver heat, and may refer to a substance that undergoes a phase change while circulating through the compressor 110, the condenser 120, the expansion valve 130, and the evaporator 140 for cooling or heat deliver. For example, the refrigerant may include natural refrigerants such as carbon dioxide (C02), chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-based refrigerants, hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-based refrigerants, hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-based refrigerants, and hydrofluoroolefin (HFO)-based refrigerants.

[0046] The condenser 120 may be a heat exchanger that converts the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure state into liquid in a low-temperature and high-

[0047] pressure state. The condenser 120 may release heat from the refrigerant to improve cooling efficiency and may deliver the refrigerant delivered from the compressor 110 to the expansion valve 130.

[0048] The expansion valve 130 may be a regulating device that rapidly reduces the refrigerant pressure. The refrigerant whose pressure is reduced by the expansion valve 130 may move to the evaporator 140 and absorb heat. The expansion valve 130 may deliver refrigerant delivered from the condenser 120 to the evaporator 140.

[0049] The evaporator 140 may be a heat exchanger in which the refrigerant in a liquid state vaporizes and absorbs heat. The evaporator 140 may absorb heat from the surroundings to generate a cooling effect for an indoor space. The evaporator 140 may vaporize the refrigerant delivered from the expansion valve 130 and deliver the refrigerant in a gaseous state back to the compressor 110.

[0050] A control unit 141 may be configured to control opening and closing of the first valve 160 and the second valve 170. The control unit 141 may be an electronic control device that controls each component of the refrigerant system 10. The control unit 141 may switch a refrigerant flow between the first flow path F1 and the second flow path F2 depending on whether a filtering operation is required. The control unit 141 may receive data from the first sensor unit 153 and control valve opening / closing and a refrigerant replenishment operation.

[0051] In the present disclosure, the filtering operation may refer to an operation in which the refrigerant flow is switched to the second flow path and impurities are removed as the refrigerant passes through the filtering apparatus when the refrigerant filtering is required, such as when the control unit 141 receives a filtering command from a user terminal or impurities are detected in the refrigerant. In addition, in the present disclosure, the refrigerant replenishment operation may refer to an operation of replenishing refrigerant lost during the filtering operation from a refrigerant tank 151.

[0052] In FIG. 1, for example, the evaporator 140 is illustrated as including the control unit 141, but the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the control unit 141 may be disposed at other locations of the refrigerant system 10, such as the filtering apparatus 150, the condenser 120, etc., depending on an embodiment.

[0053] The filtering apparatus 150 may include the refrigerant tank 151, the refrigerant filter 152, and the first sensor unit 153. The filtering apparatus 150 may filter the refrigerant flowing along the second flow path F2 and replenish the refrigerant lost after removal of impurities. The filtering apparatus 150 may receive a command from the control unit 141 to perform the filtering operation and the refrigerant replenishment operation.

[0054] In the present disclosure, impurities may refer to a substance that circulates with the refrigerant in the refrigerant system 10 and may deteriorate system performance or damage components, and, for example, impurities may be metal particles, dust, moisture, acidic substances, etc.

[0055] The refrigerant tank 151 may replenish refrigerant into the second flow path F2 in an amount corresponding to an amount of impurities filtered under the control of the control unit 141. Some of the refrigerant may be lost in the process of filtering the impurities. The refrigerant tank 151 may store refrigerant for replenishing the refrigerant lost during the filtering operation. The control unit 141 may be further configured to determine an amount of replacement refrigerant based on a detected amount of filtered impurities.

[0056] The refrigerant filter 152 may filter refrigerant flowing through the second flow path. The refrigerant filter 152 may remove impurities metal particles, dust, moisture, etc., in the refrigerant. For example, the refrigerant filter 152 may include various filters such as a stainless-steel mesh filter, an activated alumina filter, an activated carbon filter, and a silica gel filter.

[0057] The first sensor unit 153 may detect the refrigerant flowing through the second flow path F2. The first sensor unit 153 may transmit measured data to the control unit 141, and the control unit 141 may control the operation of the refrigerant system 10 based on the data received from the first sensor unit 153.

[0058] In some embodiments, the refrigerant system 10 may further include a second sensor unit for detecting the concentration of impurities in the first flow path F1. The second sensor unit will be described in more detail later with reference to FIG. 6.

[0059] The first valve 160 may be located on the first flow path F1 configured to deliver refrigerant received from the condenser 120 to the expansion valve 130.

[0060] The second valve 170 may be located between the first valve 160 and the expansion valve 130.

[0061] The first valve 160 and the second valve 170 may be switching valves that switch a refrigerant flow path. The first valve 160 and the second valve 170 may switch the refrigerant flow to either the first flow path F1 or the second flow path F2 in response to a signal from the control unit 141. The first valve 160 and the second valve 170 may allow the refrigerant to circulate through the first flow path F1 during normal operation, and may switch the refrigerant flow to the second flow path F2 when filtering is required.

[0062] The first flow path F1 may refer to a primary path through which the refrigerant circulates normally, and for example, may refer to a path leading to the compressor 110, the condenser 120, the expansion valve 130, and the evaporator.

[0063] The second flow path F2 may refer to an auxiliary path through which the refrigerant flow is switched to pass through the filtering apparatus 150 when the filtering operation is required.

[0064] A refrigerant system 10 and an operating method of the same according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may perform a filtering operation to remove impurities contained in the refrigerant by switching a flow path through which the refrigerant flows from the first flow path F1 to the second flow path F2 when the filtering operation is required.

[0065] In addition, the refrigerant system and the operating method of the same according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may replenish refrigerant lost through filtering together with impurities filtered in the filtering operation into a refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant system and its operating method are configured to replenish the refrigerant circuit with a volume of replacement refrigerant equivalent to the total amount of fluid removed during the filtering operation. The total amount of fluid removed during the filtering operation includes both the filtered impurities and the portion of refrigerant discharged alongside those impurities.

[0066] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operating method of a refrigerant system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0067] FIG. 2 may be described with reference to FIG. 1 described above.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 2, the operating method (S100) of the refrigerant system may include receiving a filtering command (S110), switching a refrigerant flow from a first flow path to a second flow path by controlling opening and closing of a first valve and a second valve (S120), removing impurities by passing refrigerant through a refrigerant filter (S130), calculating an amount of (refrigerant including) filtered impurities on the basis of a refrigerant pressure before passing through the refrigerant filter and a refrigerant pressure after passing through the refrigerant filter (S140), and replenishing refrigerant in an amount corresponding to the amount of the (refrigerant including) filtered impurities (S150).

[0069] Although FIG. 2 illustrates that operations S110 to S150 are performed sequentially, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and some operations may be combined and performed simultaneously, some operations may be omitted, or new operations may be added.

[0070] In operation S110, a filtering command may be received. The filtering command may be a command manually input from a user terminal (e.g., a refrigerant system controller).

[0071] In operation S120, the refrigerant flow may be switched from first flow path F1 to the second flow path F2 by controlling opening and closing of the first valve 160 and the second valve 170. For example, the control unit 141 may switch the refrigerant flow from the first flow path F1 to the second flow path F2 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0072] In operation S130, impurities may be removed by passing refrigerant through the refrigerant filter. For example, the filtering apparatus 150 may remove impurities (e.g., metal particles, dust, moisture, etc.) contained in the refrigerant through the refrigerant filter 152. The refrigerant filter 152 may include, for example, various filters such as a stainless-steel mesh filter, an activated alumina filter, an activated carbon filter, and a silica gel filter. The filtered refrigerant may return to the circulation path of the refrigerant system 10 through the second valve 170.

[0073] In operation S140, the amount of filtered impurities may be calculated based on (for example, on the basis of) the refrigerant pressure before passing through the refrigerant filter and the refrigerant pressure after passing through the refrigerant filter. For example, the first sensor unit 153 may measure the refrigerant pressure before passing through the refrigerant filter and the refrigerant pressure after passing through the refrigerant filter, and the control unit 141 may calculate the amount of filtered impurities based on a difference between the two pressure values. The control unit 141 may store data corresponding to the difference between two pressure values in the form of a lookup table for calculating the amount of impurities.

[0074] In operation S150, refrigerant in an amount corresponding to the amount of refrigerant including filtered impurities may be replenished. For example, the control unit 141 may control the refrigerant tank 151 to supply the refrigerant in an amount corresponding to the amount of refrigerant including impurities calculated in S140 into the second flow path F2.

[0075] FIG. 3 is a view showing a case where refrigerant flows along a first flow path according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 may be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 described above.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerant system 10 may allow refrigerant to flow through the first flow path F1 during normal operation. The refrigerant flowing through to the first flow path may circulate back to the compressor 110 after sequentially passing through the compressor 110, the condenser 120, the first valve 160, the second valve 170, the expansion valve 130, and the evaporator 140.

[0077] The control unit 141 may control the first valve 160 and the second valve 170 so that the refrigerant does not flow into the second flow path F2.

[0078] FIG. 4 is a view showing a case where refrigerant flows along a second flow path according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 may be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 described above.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 4, the refrigerant system 10 may allow refrigerant to flow through the first flow path F1 during filtering operation. Refrigerant delivered from the condenser 120 may flow into the second flow path F2, pass through the filtering apparatus 150, and then be delivered to the expansion valve 130 through the second valve 170.

[0080] The control unit 141 may control the first valve 160 and the second valve 170 so that the refrigerant flow is switched from the first flow path F1 to the second flow path F2 when the filtering operation is required.

[0081] FIG. 5 is a view showing a filtering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] FIG. 5 may be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 described above. Referring to FIG. 5, a filtering apparatus 250 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a refrigerant filter 251, a first pressure sensor 252, a second pressure sensor 253, a refrigerant tank 254, and a refrigerant oil tank 255. The filtering apparatus 250 shown in FIG. 5 may correspond, for example, to the filtering apparatus 150 shown in FIG. 1.

[0083] The first pressure sensor 252 may measure a refrigerant pressure (IN) before passing through the refrigerant filter 251. The first pressure sensor 252 may transmit the measured refrigerant pressure (IN) to the control unit 141.

[0084] The refrigerant filter 251 may include a first filter (F1) 251A, a second filter (F2) 251B, and a third filter (F3) 251C.

[0085] The first filter (F1) 251A may be, for example, a stainless-steel mesh filter that primarily removes metal particles and large-sized impurities.

[0086] The second filter (F2) 251B may be, for example, an activated alumina filter or a silica gel filter that removes moisture contained in the refrigerant.

[0087] The third filter (F3) 251C may be, for example, an activated carbon filter that removes fine particles and organic substances contained in the refrigerant.

[0088] The second pressure sensor 253 may measure a refrigerant pressure (OUT) after passing through the refrigerant filter 251. The second pressure sensor 253 may transmit the measured refrigerant pressure (OUT) to the control unit 141. The control unit 141 may calculate the amount of the filtered impurities based on the refrigerant pressure (IN, OUT) before and after filtering received from the first pressure sensor 252 and the second pressure sensor 253. In addition, the control unit 141 may store an amount of refrigerant and refrigerant oil lost together with impurities during filtering the refrigerant in the form of a lookup table, and may calculate an amount of refrigerant and refrigerant oil to be replenished based on the amount of filtered impurities. The control unit 141 may further provide information to other associated systems regarding the amount of refrigerant and refrigerant oil lost together with impurities in the form of an alert based on predetermined thresholds. The control unit 141 may further identify the type of impurities.

[0089] The refrigerant tank 254 may replenish refrigerant (RFR) into the second flow path F2 in an amount corresponding to the amount of the filtered impurities under control of the control unit 141. The refrigerant tank 254 may provide refrigerant (RFR) in an amount corresponding to the amount of the filtered impurities into the second flow path F2 according to a control signal of the control unit 141.

[0090] The refrigerant oil tank 255 may replenish refrigerant oil (RFO) into the second flow path F2 in an amount corresponding to the amount of the refrigerant including filtered impurities under the control of the control unit 141. The refrigerant oil tank 255 may provide refrigerant oil (RFO) in an amount corresponding to the amount of the filtered impurities into the second flow path F2 according to the control signal of the control unit 141.

[0091] FIG. 6 is a view showing a refrigerant system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0092] FIG. 6 may be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 described above.

[0093] Referring to FIG. 6, a refrigerant system 30 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may include a compressor 310, a condenser 320, an expansion valve 330, an evaporator 340, a filtering apparatus 350, a first valve 360, a second valve 370, a second sensor unit 380, a first flow path F1, and a second flow path F2. In FIG. 6, contents overlapping with FIG. 1 will be omitted.

[0094] The refrigerant system 30 shown in FIG. 6 may further include the second sensor unit 380, unlike the refrigerant system 10 shown in FIG. 1. The second sensor unit 380 may detect concentration of impurities in the refrigerant flowing through the first flow path F1 and may provide the detected concentration of impurities to the control unit 341. The second sensor unit 380 may include, for example, a pressure sensor that measures a refrigerant pressure, and may measure the concentration of impurities based on a difference between the measured pressure and a refrigerant pressure corresponding to a normal state. However, this is merely an example, and the second sensor unit 380 may measure the concentration of impurities in various ways. For example, the second sensor unit 380 may measure the concentration of impurities by including an optical sensor that measures a degree of light scattering, an electrical conductivity sensor that measures electrical conductivity, or the like.

[0095] The control unit 341 may control the opening and closing of the first valve 360 and the second valve 370 so that the refrigerant flow is switched from the first flow path F1 to the second flow path F2 when the concentration of impurities in the refrigerant is above a threshold. The control unit 341, for example, may determine the threshold based on data collected during operation of the refrigerant system 30. In addition, the control unit 341 may store the concentration of impurities that requires the filtering operation in the form of a lookup table.

[0096] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation method of a refrigerant system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0097] FIG. 7 may be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 described above.

[0098] Referring to FIG. 7, the operating method (S200) of the refrigerant system may include determining whether a concentration of impurities in the refrigerant is above a threshold (S210), switching a refrigerant flow from a first flow path to a second flow path by controlling opening and closing of a first valve and a second valve (S220), removing impurities by passing refrigerant through a refrigerant filter (S230), calculating the amount of the filtered impurities on the basis of a refrigerant pressure before passing through the refrigerant filter and a refrigerant pressure after passing through the refrigerant filter (S240), and replenishing refrigerant in an amount corresponding to the amount of the filtered impurities (S250).

[0099] Although FIG. 7 illustrates that operations S210 to S250 are performed sequentially, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and some operations may be combined and performed simultaneously, some operations may be omitted, or new operations may be added.

[0100] In operation S210, whether the concentration of impurities in the refrigerant is above the threshold may be determined. For example, the control unit 341 may receive the concentration of impurities in the refrigerant from the second sensor unit 380 and may determine whether the concentration of impurities in the refrigerant is above the threshold. When the concentration of impurities in the refrigerant is below the threshold (S210, No), the control unit 341 may determine that a filtering operation is not required, and operation S210 may be performed again. When the concentration of impurities in the refrigerant is above the threshold (S210, Yes), operation S220 may be performed.

[0101] In operation 220, the refrigerant flow may be switched from the first flow path F1 to the second flow path F2 by controlling opening and closing of the first valve 360 and the second valve 370. For example, the control unit 341 may switch the refrigerant flow from the first flow path F1 to the second flow path F2.

[0102] In operation S230, impurities may be removed by passing refrigerant through the refrigerant filter. For example, the filtering apparatus 350 may remove impurities (e.g., metal particles, dust, moisture, etc.) contained in the refrigerant through the refrigerant filter 352. The refrigerant filter 352 may include, for example, various filters such as a stainless-steel mesh filter, an activated alumina filter, an activated carbon filter, and a silica gel filter. The filtered refrigerant may return to the circulation path of the refrigerant system 30 through the second valve 370.

[0103] In operation S340, the amount of filtered impurities may be calculated based on the refrigerant pressure before passing through the refrigerant filter and the refrigerant pressure after passing through the refrigerant filter. For example, the first sensor unit 353 may measure the refrigerant pressure before passing through the refrigerant filter and the refrigerant pressure after passing through the refrigerant filter, and the control unit 341 may calculate the amount of filtered impurities based on a difference between the two pressure values. The control unit 341 may store data corresponding to the difference between two pressure values in the form of a lookup table for calculating the amount of refrigerant including impurities.

[0104] In operation S350, refrigerant in an amount corresponding to the amount of filtered impurities (i.e. the refrigerant lost while filtering the impurities) may be replenished. For example, the control unit 341 may control the refrigerant tank 351 to supply the refrigerant in an amount corresponding to the amount of impurities calculated in S240 into the second flow path F2.

[0105] The above-described contents are specific examples for carrying out the present disclosure. The present disclosure will include not only the embodiments described above, but also embodiments that may be simply designed or easily modified. In addition, the present disclosure will also include techniques that may be easily modified and implemented using the embodiments described above. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, but should be defined not only by the claims described below but also by equivalents of the claims of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A refrigerant system, comprising:a first valve disposed on a first flow path configured to deliver refrigerant received from a condenser to an expansion valve;a second valve disposed between the first valve and the expansion valve;a control unit configured to control opening and closing of the first valve and the second valve;a second flow path having one end connected to the first valve and the other end connected to the second valve, and configured to deliver the refrigerant received from the first valve to the second valve; anda filtering apparatus disposed on the second flow path and configured to be controlled by the control unit to filter refrigerant flowing through the second flow path.

2. The refrigerant system of claim 1, wherein the filtering apparatus includes:a refrigerant filter configured to filter the refrigerant flowing through the second flow path;a first sensor unit configured to detect the refrigerant flowing through the second flow path; anda refrigerant tank configured to replenish refrigerant into the second flow path in an amount corresponding to an amount of impurities filtered under control of the control unit.

3. The refrigerant system of claim 2, wherein the filtering apparatus further comprises a refrigerant oil tank configured to replenish refrigerant oil into the second flow path in an amount corresponding to the amount of impurities filtered under the control of the control unit.

4. The refrigerant system of claim 2, wherein the refrigerant filter includes at least one of a stainless-steel mesh filter, an activated alumina filter, a silica gel filter, and an activated carbon filter.

5. The refrigerant system of claim 2, wherein the first sensor unit includes a first pressure sensor configured to detect a refrigerant pressure before passing through the refrigerant filter and the second pressure sensor configured to detect a refrigerant pressure after passing through the refrigerant filter.

6. The refrigerant system of claim 5, wherein the control unit is configured to calculate an amount of the filtered impurities based on a difference between the refrigerant pressure before passing through the refrigerant filter and the refrigerant pressure after passing through the refrigerant filter, and control the refrigerant tank to provide refrigerant into the second flow path in an amount corresponding to an amount of the calculated impurities.

7. The refrigerant system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the opening and closing of the first valve and the second valve so that a refrigerant flow is switched from the first flow path to the second flow path when a filtering command is received from a user terminal.

8. The refrigerant system of claim 2, wherein, the refrigerant system further comprises a second sensor unit disposed on the first flow path and configured to detect a concentration of impurities in the refrigerant flowing through the first flow path.

9. The refrigerant system of claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to control the opening and closing of the first valve and the second valve so that the refrigerant flow is switched from the first flow path to the second flow path when the concentration of impurities in the refrigerant is above a threshold.

10. An operating method of a refrigerant system, comprising:switching a refrigerant flow from a first flow path to a second flow path by controlling opening and closing of a first valve and a second valve;removing impurities by passing refrigerant through a refrigerant filter;calculating an amount of filtered impurities based on a refrigerant pressure before passing through the refrigerant filter and a refrigerant pressure after passing through the refrigerant filter; andreplenishing refrigerant in an amount corresponding to the amount of the filtered impurities.

11. The operating method of a refrigerant system of claim 10, wherein the switching of the refrigerant flow from the first flow path to the second flow path includes switching the refrigerant flow from the first flow path to the second flow path when a filtering command is received from a user terminal.

12. The operating method of a refrigerant system of claim 10, further comprising detecting a concentration of impurities in the refrigerant flowing through the first flow path,wherein the switching of the refrigerant flow from the first flow path to the second flow path includes switching the refrigerant flow from the first flow path to the second flow path when the concentration of impurities in the refrigerant is above a threshold.

13. The operating method of a refrigerant system of claim 10, wherein the refrigerant filter includes at least one of a stainless-steel mesh filter, an activated alumina filter, a silica gel filter, and an activated carbon filter.

14. The operating method of a refrigerant system of claim 10, further comprising replenishing refrigerant oil in an amount corresponding to the amount of the filtered impurities.

15. A refrigerant system, comprising:a first valve disposed on a first flow path configured to deliver refrigerant received from a condenser to an expansion valve;a second valve located between the first valve and the expansion valve;a control unit configured to control opening and closing of the first valve and the second valve;a second flow path having one end connected to the first valve and the other end connected to the second valve, and configured to deliver the refrigerant received from the first valve to the second valve; and a filtering apparatus disposed on the second flow path and configured to be controlled by the control unit to filter refrigerant flowing through the second flow path,wherein the control unit is further configured to determine an amount of replacement refrigerant based on a detected amount of filtered impurities.

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