Refrigerant charge method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Non-azeotropic refrigerant mixtures with significantly different boiling points are often separated in sealed containers before charging, making reliable charging into refrigeration circuits challenging, especially for ultra-low temperature applications.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a container design that separates refrigerants by boiling point, allowing controlled charging through multiple ports and switching mechanisms to ensure complete and balanced distribution within the refrigeration circuit, utilizing the pressure differences between refrigerants to facilitate seamless integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple refrigerants are mixed and charged into the air conditioner, then the cooling performance can be optimized, but the mixing ratio control becomes complex and charging time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant charging process is segmented into two distinct stages: first charging the first refrigerant (R32) to a predetermined amount, then charging the second refrigerant (R134a) to achieve the target mixing ratio. This segmentation simplifies the control complexity by breaking down the multi-refrigerant mixing process into manageable sequential steps with individual control parameters for each stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The first refrigerant is charged in advance to a predetermined amount before the second refrigerant is added. This preliminary action establishes a known baseline quantity, allowing precise control over the final mixing ratio when the second refrigerant is charged. The predetermined charging amount serves as a foundation for subsequent precise mixing ratio control.
2Reliability
If multiple refrigerants are mixed and charged into the air conditioner, then the cooling performance can be optimized, but the charging time becomes longer
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant charging process operates continuously without interruption or manual intervention between stages. The control unit automatically transitions from charging the first refrigerant to charging the second refrigerant based on predetermined conditions, eliminating idle time and ensuring continuous useful action throughout the entire charging process.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor the charging process in real-time, detecting when the first refrigerant has reached the predetermined amount and when the target mixing ratio is achieved. This feedback control enables automatic adjustment of charging parameters and seamless transition between charging stages, optimizing the overall charging time while maintaining precise mixing ratio control.
Data Source
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AI summary
This refrigerant charge method is for a refrigeration circuit provided with a compressor, a condenser, a throttle device, an evaporator, and a first port which is disposed at a high-pressure part of the compressor or at a position downstream of the compressor and upstream of the throttle device, and the method comprises: connecting, to the first port, the mouth of a container having sealed therein refrigerants which include a high-boiling point refrigerant in a liquid state and a middle-boiling point refrigerant which is in a wet gaseous state and has a boiling point lower than the high-boiling point refrigerant; and charging the refrigeration circuit with at least a portion of the refrigerants in the container, through the first port from the container with the mouth oriented downward.