A fluid or gas cooling and/or condensing apparatus, system and method provides a cooling apparatus for cooling and condensing material, such as, for example, refrigerant from air conditioners, refrigerators, and other like mechanical cooling devices for collecting the same. Specifically, the cooling apparatus comprises a cold plate having a cooling coil, a heat plate with one or more heat sinks attached thereto wherein heat is transferred from the cold plate to the heat plate, and a fan for cooling the heat plate, further wherein a cooling fluid, such as water, for example, is sent through the coil, and heat is removed therefrom and transferred to the heat plate. The cooled fluid is then circulated through a condenser coil within a cooling cylinder to condense the same for easy collection within a tank or other receptacle. Other gases and/or fluids may be condensed and/or chilled in a similar fashion, such as wine, for example.

A portable apparatus for recharging liquid refrigerant, such as a glycol/water mixture, in a refrigeration circuit of a chiller system includes a frame, a reservoir containing the liquid refrigerant mounted to the frame, and a recharging circuit mounted to the frame. The recharging circuit is fluidly coupled to the reservoir and is configured to receive the liquid refrigerant from the reservoir. The recharging circuit comprises a filter configured to remove particulate matter from the liquid refrigerant, an air bubble separator configured to remove air bubbles from the liquid refrigerant, a pump, a flow regulating valve, and at least one outlet port configured to be fluidly coupled to the refrigeration circuit via a hose. The pump is configured to pump the liquid refrigerant from the reservoir through the filter and the air bubble separator, and into the refrigeration circuit via the hose.

An HVAC system includes an evaporator coil and a compressor fluidly coupled to the evaporator coil. A condenser coil is fluidly coupled to the compressor. The condenser coil includes at least one condenser circuit fluidly coupled between a discharge line and an exit manifold. A sub-cool circuit is fluidly coupled between the exit manifold and a liquid line. A first temperature sensor is disposed at an entrance to the sub-cool circuit. A second temperature sensor is disposed at an exit to the sub-cool circuit. An HVAC controller is operatively coupled to the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor. The HVAC controller is configured to determine a temperature difference across the sub-cool circuit.

The present application provides apparatus (15) for connection to an HVAC-R system during maintenance or commissioning. The apparatus includes a plurality of ports (16, 17, 18) for fluid connection to the HVAC-R system and to maintenance apparatus, for example a refrigerant tank, a refrigerant recovery unit and/or a vacuum pump. The apparatus also includes a plurality of fluid connections (20) between the plurality of ports, each of the plurality of fluid connections having an electrically actuatable valve (21) to open and close the fluid connection. The apparatus also includes a control unit configured to control each of the electrically actuatable valves to configure the plurality of fluid connections.

A testing and charging system for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system includes a testing and charging apparatus operably connectible to a refrigerant line of the HVAC system, an inert gas supply operably connected to the testing and charging apparatus, a refrigerant supply operably connected to the testing and charging apparatus, and a controller. The controller is configured to command the testing and charging apparatus to perform a pressure test of the HVAC system, command the testing and charging system to perform a vacuum test of the HVAC system, and command the testing and charging system to charge the HVAC system with refrigerant.

The present invention provides an inexpensive and stable refrigerant charging device and a refrigerant charging system by improving a charging speed and reducing costs while preventing liquid-back. The present invention includes a refrigerant charging flow path having a refrigerant charging port connected to a refrigerant flow path of an air conditioner, a valve provided at the refrigerant charging flow path, and a control device configured to control the valve. The control device includes a discharging superheat calculator configured to calculate the discharging superheat degree from a refrigerant temperature and a refrigerant pressure at a discharge side of a compressor, and a valve controller configured to control the opening and closing state of the valve based on the calculated discharging superheat degree calculated by the discharge super-heat calculator.

The disclosure relates to apparatuses and methods for indicating status of multi-phase vacuum-assisted recovery of refrigerant from a vehicle. One apparatus for multi-phase vacuum-assisted recovery of refrigerant from a vehicle includes a compressor that removes refrigerant from the vehicle during a first phase and a second phase of a recovery process. The apparatus also includes a vacuum pump to assist the compressor in the removal of refrigerant from the vehicle during a second stage of the recovery process. Further, the vacuum pump is fluidly connected in series with the compressor during the second phase of the recovery process. The apparatus additionally includes one or more status lights and at least one processor to determine a status of the recovery process. At least one of the status lights is illuminated to represent a status of the recovery process, and at least one is visible from 360 degrees around the apparatus.

A system for indicating on an electronic device that the refrigerant being introduced by a user to an air conditioning system has reached its optimum fill level includes a sensor device having a main body, the sensor device being structured and disposed for measuring a range of data; a wireless transmitter on the sensor device, the wireless transmitter being in communication with the electronic device for wirelessly transmitting the range of data to the electronic device; an electronic application configured for use with the electronic device; and wherein the electronic application is structured and disposed for visually indicating to the user via the electronic device the transmitted range of data in real time and audibly indicating to the user via the electronic device when the transmitted range of data reaches a predetermined value.

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system may include a refrigerant loop to circulate refrigerant, a first valve, a second valve, a sensor to measure parameters of the refrigerant, a refrigerant tank fluidly coupled to the refrigerant loop via the valves, and control circuitry communicatively coupled to the sensor, the first valve, and the second valve. The control circuitry may determine environmental conditions and detect whether an undercharge or overcharge condition is present in the refrigerant loop based at least in part on the environmental conditions and the measured parameters. The control circuitry may also instruct the first valve to open when the undercharge condition is detected to facilitate flowing refrigerant from the refrigerant tank into the refrigerant loop and instruct the second valve to open when the overcharge condition is detected to facilitate flowing refrigerant from the refrigerant loop into the refrigerant tank.

Maintenance apparatus of an air conditioning system mounted on a motor vehicle. The maintenance apparatus comprises: two external ducts, a discharging circuit, which is connected to the ducts to receive the carbon dioxide contained in the air conditioning system at a first pressure and a first flow rate and is structured so as to discharge the carbon dioxide received into the environment, a measuring apparatus, which is configured so as to measure the amount of carbon dioxide that passes through the discharging circuit, and a pressure and flow rate reducing device, which is structured so as to reduce the first pressure and the first flow rate of the carbon dioxide to the be measured to a second predetermined pressure and to a second predetermined flow rate, respectively.