An air conditioning system can be toggled between a heating mode, in which heat is withdrawn from a source (e.g., a geothermal source) and deposited into a conditioned space (e.g., a building), and a cooling mode, in which heat is withdrawn from the conditioned space and deposited into the source. The air conditioning system uses a combination of efficiency-enhancing technologies, including injection of superheated vapor into the system's compressor from an economizer circuit, adjustable compressor speed, the use of one or coaxial heat exchangers and the use of electronic expansion valves that are continuously adjustable from a fully closed to various open positions. A controller may be used to control the system for optimal performance in both the heating and cooling modes, such as by disabling the economizer circuit and vapor injection when the system is in the cooling mode.

An air conditioning system can be toggled between a heating mode, in which heat is withdrawn from a source (e.g., a geothermal source) and deposited into a conditioned space (e.g., a building), and a cooling mode, in which heat is withdrawn from the conditioned space and deposited into the source. The air conditioning system uses a combination of efficiency-enhancing technologies, including injection of superheated vapor into the system's compressor from an economizer circuit, adjustable compressor speed, the use of one or coaxial heat exchangers and the use of electronic expansion valves that are continuously adjustable from a fully closed to various open positions. A controller may be used to control the system for optimal performance in both the heating and cooling modes, such as by disabling the economizer circuit and vapor injection when the system is in the cooling mode.

An air-conditioning apparatus has different two modes including a response detection diagnosis in which a control unit diagnoses a trouble of a component device during the trouble diagnosis operation based on presence or absence of a response from the operational state sensor when the mode has forcibly changed the device operation, and a performance detection diagnosis in which a trouble is detected by a detection value of the operational state sensor at a time when the operational state of the trouble diagnosis operation is stable, and the performance detection diagnosis is executed after the response detection diagnosis is executed.

An air-conditioning apparatus includes a primary-side circuit in which a compressor, a first flow switching device, an outdoor heat exchanger, a second flow switching device, a first expansion device, and a relay heat exchanger are connected by pipes and in which refrigerant circulates; a secondary-side circuit in which the relay heat exchanger, a pump, a plurality of indoor heat exchangers, and heat medium flow control devices are connected by pipes and in which a heat medium circulates; and a controller configured to control the first and second flow switching devices such that in cooling and heating operations, the refrigerant and a heat-source-side fluid flow through the outdoor heat exchanger in opposite directions and the refrigerant flows through the relay heat exchanger in a constant direction. The pump is installed such that the heat medium, the refrigerant flow, and air for an air-conditioning target space flow in particular directions.

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.

A vapor cycle system for cooling components includes a refrigeration circuit through which a mass of a refrigerant flows. The refrigeration circuit, in turn, includes a compressor, a first condenser, a second condenser fluidly coupled to the first condenser in series or in parallel, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. Furthermore, the system includes a refrigerant charge control device configured to increase or decrease the mass of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration circuit.

The application relates to an air conditioner/heat pump expansion function box and an air conditioner/heat pump heat storage refrigeration system, and belongs to the technical field of air conditioner/heat pump systems. Two distribution pipelines are arranged in the air conditioner/heat pump expansion function box body; each distribution pipeline comprises a main pipeline and at least one branch pipeline; the two ends of each main path are provided with an outdoor unit nut head and an indoor unit nut head respectively. The end portion, far away from the main path, of each branch path is provided with a radiation assembly nut head; an outdoor unit nut head is connected with an outdoor unit, an indoor unit nut head is connected with an indoor unit, and a radiation assembly nut head is connected with a radiation assembly. Therefore, an air conditioner/heat pump heat storage refrigeration system is formed, reasonable distribution of water-free floor heating pipelines is achieved, the energy efficiency ratio of the air conditioner/heat pump system is increased, pipeline connection of a unit is achieved under the non-oxidation condition, it is guaranteed that no impurities exist in the system pipelines, the service life of the unit is long, the assembling efficiency is improved, no welding process exists on site, operation is easy, and the appearance is attractive.

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.

A refrigerant control system includes: a charge module configured to determine an amount of refrigerant that is present within a refrigeration system of a building; a leak module configured to diagnose that a leak is present in the refrigeration system based on the amount of refrigerant; and at least one module configured to take at least one remedial action in response to the diagnosis that the leak is present in the refrigeration system.

An outdoor unit according to the present disclosure includes: a compressor that sucks refrigerant, compresses the sucked refrigerant, and discharges the compressed refrigerant; a first refrigerant flow switching device that switches a flow passage for the refrigerant between a flow passage for a cooling operation and a flow passage for a heating operation; a heat-source-side heat exchanger that causes heat exchange to be performed between the refrigerant and external fluid; a heat-source-side backflow prevention device and a connection pipe that are included in a flow passage for the refrigerant in which an outlet from which the refrigerant flows to an outside region and an inlet into which the refrigerant flows from the outside region are unchanged regardless of which of the cooling operation and the heating operation is performed; and a flow passage pipe through which part of the refrigerant having flowed from the inlet passes in the cooling operation.