A pumped refrigerant system can include a condenser, a pump coupled downstream of the condenser, an evaporator assembly coupled downstream of the pump, the condenser being coupled downstream of the evaporator assembly, and a refrigerant heating assembly coupled downstream of the pump, the condenser being coupled downstream of the refrigerant heating assembly. The refrigerant heating assembly can include a tank and a heating element coupled to the tank and configured to heat refrigerant within the tank. An input valve can be configured to selectively allow the pump to push refrigerant into the tank. An output valve can be configured to selectively inject heated refrigerant from the tank into plumbing upstream of the condenser.

A refrigerant replacement method for a refrigeration apparatus is intended to replace a first refrigerant charged into a refrigerant circuit of the refrigeration apparatus with a second refrigerant. The second refrigerant is used together with a refrigerating machine oil having a higher additive content by percentage than another refrigerating machine oil to be used together with the first refrigerant. The method includes: a refrigerant recovery step of recovering the first refrigerant from the refrigerant circuit; an oil charging step of additionally charging a refrigerating machine oil having a predetermined additive content by percentage into the refrigerant circuit; and a refrigerant charging step of charging the second refrigerant into the refrigerant circuit. The predetermined additive content by percentage is higher than the additive content by percentage of the refrigerating machine oil to be used together with the second refrigerant.

An integrated sensor and service port for HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) equipment or an HVAC system. The integrated sensor and service port may comprise an anti-blowback mechanism.

Methods and related systems for charging a refrigerant into a climate control system. In an embodiment, the method includes (a) coupling a storage tank to a refrigerant loop of the climate control system through a charging valve; (b) opening and closing the charging valve in a plurality of cycles; and (c) flowing refrigerant from the storage tank to the refrigerant loop through the charging valve when the charging valve is open, during (b). In addition, the method includes (d) determining a detected saturated temperature of the refrigerant within the refrigerant loop after each cycle of the plurality of cycles; and (e) adjusting an amount of time that the charging valve is open during each cycle of the plurality of cycles during (b) as a function of the detected saturated temperature from a previous cycle of the plurality of cycles.

A refrigeration system includes a main refrigeration circuit for holding refrigerant fluid, the main refrigeration circuit including: a compression device 12, a heat rejecting heat exchanger 14, an expansion device 18 and a heat absorbing heat exchanger 16. In addition, the refrigeration system includes a buffer tank 20 attached to the main refrigeration circuit, with valves 22, 24 for controlling flow of refrigerant fluid between the main refrigeration circuit and the buffer tank 20. The refrigeration system is arranged such that the valves 22, 24 are controlled to transfer refrigerant fluid between the main refrigeration circuit and the buffer tank 20 based on a measure of sub-cooling in the main refrigeration circuit.

A system for charging an outdoor unit with refrigerant includes a sensor configured to measure a refrigerant concentration and a user device configured to receive the measured refrigerant concentration. The system includes that the user device is configured to, in response to the measured refrigerant concentration exceeding a threshold, generate and display an alert on a user interface of the user device indicating the measured refrigerant concentration exceeds the threshold.

A refrigerant metering system/method incorporating a manual expansion valve (MEV), condenser isolation valve (CIV), flow isolation valve (FIV), and evaporator isolation valve (EIV) is disclosed. The MEV is configured to replace a conventional automated expansion valve (AEV) that controls a refrigerant flow valve (RFV) that is positioned in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system between a refrigerant condenser coil (RCC) and a refrigerant evaporator coil (REC) and permits manual metering of refrigerant by the RFV from the RCC to the REC and also allows complete shutoff of refrigerant flow by the RFV from the RCC to the REC. The MEV allows rapid HVAC repair and restoration of service where a replacement AEV is not readily available. The CIV/FIV/EIV are positioned in the refrigerant flow lines to permit the AEV and/or REC to be isolated from HVAC refrigerant flow for repairs to the AEV and/or REC.

The refrigerant management system has a service port connection, refrigerant treatment elements and a wet circuit connecting the service port connection to the refrigerant treatment elements. The refrigerant treatment elements are comprised of a refrigerant filter, a compressor, a condenser coil and a tank. The tank has tank head manifolds mounted thereto. The filter, the compressor and the condenser coil being mounted to the tank and connected to the tank head manifolds by respective pairs of tubing. The wet circuit being partially incorporated inside the tank head manifolds and inside the tank between the tank head manifolds. The first tank head manifold connects the service port connection to the refrigerant filter. The second tank head manifold connects the compressor to the condenser coil and to the tank. Conduits inside the tank extending between the first and second tank head manifolds connect the refrigerant filter to the compressor.

A refrigerant quality control system indicates quality information of a recovered refrigerant. The refrigerant quality control system includes a CPU and a storage. The CPU is configured to acquire first information related to a quality of the recovered refrigerant from a first information terminal possessed by a provider of the recovered refrigerant via a communication network. The storage stores the first information acquired by the CPU. The CPU is further configured to provide a second information terminal with second information based on the first information stored in the storage via the communication network. The second information terminal is possessed by an entity different from the provider.

A refrigerant charge controller for heating, ventilation, or air conditioning (HVAC) equipment includes a processing circuit configured to analyze usage data for the HVAC equipment using a machine learning model to estimate an amount of refrigerant used by the HVAC equipment, identify a refrigerant deficiency based on the amount of refrigerant, and initiate a corrective action in response to identifying the refrigerant deficiency.