Containers (100) for cryopreserved biological samples (102) may include an insulated housing including a cavity (108) for containing at least one cryopreserved biological sample; and a sealed reservoir (106) at least partly surrounding the cavity, the sealed reservoir including liquified gas (120) such as liquified air, the gas being kept largely liquified by a heat transfer engine (112) such as a Stirling cryocooler. A valve (114) may be provided to function as both a pressure relief valve and an inlet valve. The inlet valve may be coupled to a sensor (122) for sensing a volume of liquified gas within the sealed reservoir. The container may further include a heat exchanger (116) coupled to the heat engine and extending into the sealed reservoir.

Provided is a refrigeration cycle apparatus including: a refrigerant circuit formed by connecting, by a refrigerant pipe, a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, an evaporator and a liquid reservoir; a liquid level detection sensor including a plurality of heat generating units and a plurality of temperature detection units, the heat generating units being paired with the temperature detection units, and provided in the liquid reservoir, the liquid level detection sensor being configured to detect a liquid level of a refrigerant accumulated in the liquid reservoir, based on a temperature of each of the heat generating units, in which the liquid reservoir includes a container for accumulating the refrigerant, an inlet pipe connected to the refrigerant circuit and configured to allow a portion of the refrigerant flowing out of the container to flow into the container, and in which in the container, a shielding portion is provided between an discharge outlet for the refrigerant of the inlet pipe and the liquid level detection sensor, to prevent the portion of the refrigerant flowing out of the discharge outlet from directly coming into contact with the liquid level detection sensor.

An air conditioner may prevent a refrigerant stored in a refrigerant storage from rapidly flowing into a main refrigerant circuit when the type of operation is switched.

The air conditioner may include a refrigerant circuit provided with a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator; a refrigerant amount detection device configured to determine whether a refrigerant state in an outlet of the compressor is a supercooled state or a gas-liquid two phase state, and configured to calculate a refrigerant amount ratio in the refrigerant circuit, based on a predetermined set value according to at least one of a temperature and a pressure detected in the refrigerant circuit, and the refrigerant state; and a controller configured to control the refrigerant circuit according to the refrigerant amount ratio calculated by the refrigerant amount detection device.

A refrigeration apparatus includes a compressor, a heat source-side heat exchanger, a receiver, a utilization-side heat exchange, a receiver degassing pipe interconnecting an upper portion of the receiver and a suction side of the compressor, and a receiver liquid level detection pipe connected to the receiver. The receiver liquid level detection pipe detects whether or not liquid level in the receiver has reached a predetermined position on a lower side of a position where the receiver degassing pipe is connected. The receiver liquid level detection pipe merges with the receiver degassing pipe via a capillary tube. The receiver degassing pipe has a refrigerant heater to heat refrigerant flowing through the receiver degassing pipe. Whether or not the liquid level in the receiver has reached the predetermined position is detected using a temperature of refrigerant flowing though the receiver degassing pipe.

A method of controlling an air conditioner including activating a refrigeration cycle by driving an compressor; detecting a high pressure and a low pressure when the refrigeration cycle is activated; adjusting an operating frequency of the compressor based on the detected high pressure or low pressure of the refrigeration cycle; determining a current load of an inside space through a load detecting unit; determining a load level of the inside space by comparing the current load with a reference load; and determining the operating frequency of the compressor based on the determined load level.

A method and a correspondingly designed device are provided for controlling or regulating a coolant circuit of an air conditioning system, which includes at least one compressor, at least one condenser or gas cooler, and at least one evaporator. A controllable coolant expansion device is connected to the coolant inlet of the evaporator. It is detected when the coolant circuit is under filled with a coolant and, when an under filling of the coolant is detected, the control strategy of the expansion device is changed.

A refrigerant amount determining device includes: an operation data acquiring unit configured to acquire operation data of an air conditioning system; a calculating unit configured to calculate a refrigerant amount index value from the operation data acquired; an inferring unit configured to infer information regarding correction of the refrigerant amount index value using a correction model and at least one of the acquired operation data or the calculated refrigerant amount index value; and a determining unit configured to determine a refrigerant amount of the air conditioning system based on the information regarding correction of the refrigerant amount index value.

A level sensor is configured to provide a receiver level indicating an amount of the refrigerant present in the receiver and a level model provides a heat rejecting heat exchanger estimate indicating an amount of the refrigerant present in the heat rejecting heat exchanger based on a temperature of the refrigerant. From the sensor and the model, a loss of refrigerant from the RVCS system is estimated.

A cooling system includes a coolant transmitter that transmits coolant at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure. The cooling system also includes an evaporation vessel at atmospheric pressure. The evaporation vessel can contain an amount of coolant at the boiling point of the coolant. The cooling system also includes a pressure reducer fluidically coupled to the coolant transmitter and the evaporation vessel. The pressure reducer can include an orifice. The cooling system is configured such that heat is transferred from the coolant in the coolant transmitter to the coolant contained in the evaporation vessel. An exit stream conduit can fluidically couple the coolant transmitter and the pressure reducer, with the exit stream conduit diverting a portion of the coolant from the coolant transmitter to the evaporation vessel.

A refrigerant recovery management system includes a first generation unit and a second generation unit. The first generation unit generates first information to send a refrigerant recovered from refrigerant-use equipment to a refrigerant treatment practitioner that conducts refrigerant treatment on the refrigerant. The second generation unit generates second information on the refrigerant treatment, to report the refrigerant treatment to a manager that manages refrigerant recovery.