A refrigerant control system includes: a charge module configured to determine an amount of refrigerant that is present within a first portion of a refrigeration system within a building; and an isolation module configured to selectively open and close an isolation valve of the refrigeration system and to, via the isolation valve, maintain the amount of refrigerant within the first portion within the building below a predetermined amount of the refrigerant.

In a power converter, an inductance L of a reactor and a capacitance C of a capacitor satisfy a condition of the expression (1) below. In the power converter, a current-limiting circuit between an AC power source and the capacitor is unnecessary. Herein, αm ([A.Math.s]) is a value of a ratio of a maximum rated current squared time product to a maximum rated output current of diodes of a rectifier circuit, Pmax is a maximum power consumption of the motor, Vac is a voltage value of a three-phase AC voltage, and a value of a constant a is 4.3

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}a.C.\sqrt{\frac{C}{L}}.Math.\frac{{\mathrm{Vac}}^3}{P_{\max }}\le {\alpha }_m.& \left(1\right)\end{array}$

According to one embodiment, an air conditioner carries out a heating operation, a cooling operation, a cooling/heating mixed operation in which a higher priority is given to cooling, and a cooling/heating mixed operation in which a higher priority is given to heating.

A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit, by pipes, connecting a compressor, a flow switching device, a first heat exchanger, an expansion device, and a second heat exchanger. As refrigerant to be circulated through the refrigerant circuit, any one of a refrigerant having saturated gas temperature under standard atmospheric pressure that is higher than that of R32 and a refrigerant mixture mainly composed of the refrigerant is used. The refrigerant circuit includes an internal heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through a refrigerant-inlet side of the second heat exchanger and the refrigerant flowing through a refrigerant-outlet side of the second heat exchanger.

A method of operating an air conditioner unit, as provided herein, includes initiating a first heat pump cycle, the first heat pump cycle comprising sending a control signal to the fan to rotate at a predetermined rotational speed, and detecting an actual rotational speed of the fan, calculating a first flow rate of air through the first heat exchanger based on the control signal and the actual rotational speed, storing the first flow rate as a first reference flow rate, stopping the first heat pump cycle, initiating a second heat pump cycle, calculating a second flow rate of air through the first heat exchanger, comparing the calculated second flow rate to the first reference flow rate, and directing the air conditioner unit based on the comparison of the calculated second flow rate to the first reference flow rate.

A refrigeration apparatus includes a heat source-side unit and a utilization-side unit that are connected to each other, and performs a refrigeration cycle in which a high pressure of a refrigerant reaches or exceeds a critical pressure. The refrigeration apparatus also includes a control unit configured to perform a first action of returning the refrigerant to the heat source-side unit when a stop condition of the utilization-side unit is satisfied, and a second action of prohibiting the first action when a pressure at the heat source-side unit is equal to or more than the critical pressure of the refrigerant. This configuration suppresses damage to a refrigerant storage reservoir and the like in returning the refrigerant to the heat source-side unit.

An apparatus evaluation system includes a first evaluation unit that evaluates a first air conditioning apparatus, and a first air conditioning control unit that controls a second air conditioning apparatus. The first evaluation unit performs a first evaluation process to evaluate the first air conditioning apparatus based on a first evaluation index obtained in a first operation performed as a first evaluation operation at a time of installation, and a second evaluation process to evaluate the first air conditioning apparatus based on the first evaluation index obtained in a second operation performed as the first evaluation operation after the first evaluation process. The control unit operates the second air conditioning apparatus before at least one of the first and second operations of the first air conditioning apparatus is performed, and/or while at least one of the first and second operations of the first air conditioning apparatus is being performed.

A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a refrigeration cycle circuit connecting a compressor, a refrigerant flow switching device, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an indoor heat exchanger, a first junction portion provided between the outdoor heat exchanger and the expansion valve and configured to divide refrigerant, a second junction portion provided between the indoor heat exchanger and the refrigerant flow switching device and configured to divide the refrigerant, a bypass pipe connecting the first junction portion and the second junction portion and configured to cause the refrigerant to flow through the bypass pipe, a first valve provided between the second junction portion and the refrigerant flow switching device, a second valve provided to the bypass pipe, a first temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature in a room to which air passing through the indoor heat exchanger is provided, and a second temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of refrigerant at a liquid portion of the indoor heat exchanger. In an operation status in which the compressor operates, the expansion valve is fully closed, the first valve is opened, and the second valve is closed, when a temperature measured by the first temperature sensor and a temperature measured by the second temperature sensor are different from each other, the refrigeration cycle apparatus is configured to detect an abnormality at at least one of the expansion valve and the second valve.

A performance degradation diagnosis system includes a determining unit, and control unit. A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit having a compressor, heat-source-side heat exchanger, and use-side heat exchanger. The determining unit determines, based on an index indicating an operation state of the refrigeration cycle apparatus, performance degradation of the refrigeration cycle apparatus with respect to each of a plurality of performance degradation factors. In a case in which the determining unit determines performance degradation, the control unit grasps an operation condition of the refrigeration cycle apparatus which is operating. In a case in which the operation condition of the refrigeration cycle apparatus is not suitable to determine performance degradation with respect to a performance degradation factor of a determination target, the control unit controls the operation condition of the refrigeration cycle apparatus so that the operation condition of the refrigeration cycle apparatus becomes an appropriate operation condition.

A heat pump system including a charge compensator having a liquid line port for an inflow of a refrigerant into the charge compensator and for an outflow of the refrigerant from the charge compensator. The heat pump system further includes an isolation valve configured to control flows of the refrigerant to and from the charge compensator through a liquid line piping of the heat pump system based on whether the heat pump system is operating in a cooling mode, a defrost mode, or a heating mode, where the liquid line port is fluidly coupled to the liquid line piping of the heat pump system.