A vehicle air conditioner with a refrigerant circuit has as components at least one evaporator, a refrigerant compressor, a refrigerant condenser, an expansion valve associated with the evaporator and at least one heat exchanger with an associated expansion valve for coupling with a coolant circuit of a heat source, wherein the components are connected by a refrigerant line. A refrigerant container is provided which is connected on the high-pressure side of the refrigerant compressor with the refrigerant line and has a refrigerant-receiving chamber with a controllable volume, and a control unit is provided with which the volume of the chamber of the refrigerant container is controlled as a function of operating parameters of the refrigerant circuit. Alternatively, the refrigerant container is connected on the high-pressure side of the refrigerant compressor with the refrigerant line by way of a branch line.

A heat-pump circuit may include an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor heat exchanger, a compressor adapted to circulate a working fluid between the indoor and outdoor heat exchangers, and an expansion device disposed between the indoor and outdoor heat exchangers. A monitor for the heat-pump system may include a return-air temperature sensor, a supply-air temperature sensor, and a processor. The return-air temperature sensor may be adapted to measure a first air temperature of air upstream of the indoor heat exchanger. The supply-air temperature sensor may be adapted to measure a second air temperature of air downstream of the indoor heat exchanger. The processor may be in communication with the return-air temperature sensor and the supply-air temperature sensor. The processor may be programmed to determine a working-fluid-charge condition of the heat-pump system based on the first and second air temperatures.

A dynamic receiver is included in parallel to an expander of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system. The dynamic receiver allows control of the refrigerant charge of the HVACR system to respond to different operating conditions. The dynamic receiver can be filled or emptied in response to the subcooling observed in the HVACR system compared to desired subcooling for various operating modes. The HVACR system can include a line directly conveying working fluid from compressor discharge to the dynamic receiver to allow emptying of the dynamic receiver to be assisted by injection of the compressor discharge.

An air conditioning system and a control method are provided. The air conditioning system includes: at least one heat exchanger (1, 2); and at least one control mechanism. Each control mechanism is connected to one of the at least one heat exchanger (1, 2) and is configured to control the corresponding heat exchanger to switch between a first working state and a second working state. The heat exchanger (1, 2) drains liquid when in the first working state and stores liquid when in the second working state.

A dynamic refrigeration system may automatically, at pre-determined time periods on-the-fly, adjust a refrigerant system's refrigerant pressures to predetermined optimal efficiency pressures as the internal and external heat loads change over a range. This may result in the refrigerant system pressures closely operating within a range of predetermined optimal efficiency pressures. This system may automatically instantaneously fine tune and balance on all air conditioning, heat pump, and refrigeration systems as the internal and external heat loads are continuously changing dynamically. The system may include a small liquid refrigerant pump and refrigerant storage tank, one or more wired or wireless pressure transducers and temperature sensors, and a “brain” to make decisions to keep the system instantaneously set at factory specs all the time. The system may include a wireless communication means so it can instantaneously report its operating condition, loads, and cost of operating.

A refrigeration apparatus (1) includes a heat-source-side unit (10) using a refrigerant that works in a supercritical region. The heat-source-side unit (10) includes a compression element (20) configured to compress the refrigerant, a heat-source-side heat exchanger (24), an expansion valve (26) provided downstream of the heat-source-side heat exchanger (24), a receiver (25) provided downstream of the expansion valve (26), and a control unit (101). The control unit (101) performs a first operation for evaluating the amount of the refrigerant based on a high-pressure-side pressure, on a first condition that the internal pressure of the receiver (25) be equal to or less than a supercritical pressure.

An intermediate refrigerant store of a refrigerant system may include a storage container delimiting a refrigerant storage space, a first feed, and a second feed separate from the first feed. The first feed and the second feed may be fluidically connected with the refrigerant storage space for feeding of a refrigerant. At least one discharge may be fluidically connected to the refrigerant storage space and may be configured to discharge the refrigerant from the refrigerant storage space. At least one valve arrangement may be disposed in an associated feed of the first feed and the second feed via which the associated feed may be fluidically closable and openable.

A refrigeration apparatus (1) includes a heat-source-side unit (10) using a refrigerant that works in a supercritical region. The heat-source-side unit (10) includes a compression element (20) configured to compress the refrigerant, a heat-source-side heat exchanger (24), an expansion valve (26) provided downstream of the heat-source-side heat exchanger (24), a receiver (25) provided downstream of the expansion valve (26), and a control unit (101). The control unit (101) performs a first operation for evaluating the amount of the refrigerant based on a high-pressure-side pressure, on a first condition that the internal pressure of the receiver (25) be equal to or less than a supercritical pressure.

During a first cooling operation, a compressor is in an operational state, a liquid pump is in a non-operational state, and an amount of refrigerant allowing for existence of a liquid surface of the refrigerant in a refrigerant tank is accumulated in the refrigerant tank. During a second cooling operation, the compressor is in the non-operational state, the liquid pump is in the operational state, and the amount of the refrigerant allowing for the liquid surface of the refrigerant in the refrigerant tank is accumulated in the refrigerant tank.

A dynamic receiver is included in parallel to an expander of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) system. The dynamic receiver allows control of the refrigerant charge of the HVACR system to respond to different operating conditions. The dynamic receiver can be filled or emptied in response to the subcooling observed in the HVACR system compared to desired subcooling for various operating modes. The HVACR system can include a line directly conveying working fluid from compressor discharge to the dynamic receiver to allow emptying of the dynamic receiver to be assisted by injection of the compressor discharge.