A refrigerant cycle apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit that circulates a refrigerant, and a leak sensor that detects a refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit, in which the refrigerant cycle apparatus includes, as an operating mode, a recovery mode for recognizing occurrence of an abnormality in the leak sensor and recovering a refrigerant to a predetermined location in the refrigerant circuit.

A thermal management system includes a receiver configured to store a refrigerant fluid; a refrigeration system having a refrigerant fluid path that includes the receiver, and at least one evaporator disposed in the refrigerant fluid path. The refrigeration system is configured to receive the refrigerant fluid from the receiver through the refrigerant fluid path. The at least one evaporator is configured to receive the refrigerant fluid and to extract heat from at least one heat load having a specified thermal inertia that is in at least one of thermal conductive or convective contact with the at least one evaporator.

A thermal management system includes a closed-circuit refrigeration system that includes a closed-circuit refrigerant fluid path configured to store a refrigerant fluid; and an absorber/desorber including a bidirectional port coupled to the closed-circuit refrigerant fluid path to regulate an amount of refrigerant vapor at a compressor inlet of the closed-circuit refrigeration system. The absorber/desorber is configured to store an ionic liquid that is configured to absorb or desorb at least a portion of the refrigerant vapor based on a mode of operation of the absorber/desorber.

A thermal management system includes a closed-circuit refrigeration system that includes a vapor cycle system (VCS) and a liquid pumping system (LPS). The VCS includes a receiver that stores a refrigerant fluid and a liquid separator. The vapor cycle system is configured to operate in one or more operational modes including at least one of a TES cooling mode, a heat load cooling mode, or a pump-down mode. The LPS includes a thermal energy storage (TES) that stores a phase change material (PCM) and a pump fluidly coupled to at least one evaporator. The evaporator is configured to extract heat from a heat load that is in thermal conductive or convective contact to the evaporator to transfer heat to the refrigerant fluid and provide the refrigerant fluid from an evaporator outlet to the TES.

A method for refrigerant charge determination in a cooling circuit including a low-pressure section and a high-pressure section. At least one compressor unit generates a compression flow of refrigerant from said low-pressure section to said high-pressure section. At least one expansion device generates an expansion flow of refrigerant from said high-pressure section to said low-pressure section. A heat-releasing heat exchanger in said high-pressure section cools and condenses compressed refrigerant. A heat-absorbing heat exchanger in said low-pressure section vaporizes said expanded refrigerant. The method includes loading refrigerant from said low-pressure section into said high-pressure section. An unloading step admits the expansion flow of refrigerant loaded in said high-pressure section into said low pressure section and determines the amount of refrigerant flowing in said unloading step. The method includes calculating the refrigerant charge in said cooling circuit, based on the amount of refrigerant flowing from said high-pressure section to said low-pressure section.

An air-conditioning management system includes: an air conditioning apparatus configured to carry out a refrigerant recovery operation of recovering a refrigerant from a refrigerant circuit that connects an outdoor unit and an indoor unit and sending the recovered refrigerant to each recovery unit of the outdoor unit; and a control unit configured to make a determination whether all the recovered refrigerant is sendable to each recovery unit before a start of the refrigerant recovery operation by the air conditioning apparatus, and to output, when determining that all the recovered refrigerant is not sendable to each recovery unit, a command for notifying the determination.

An outdoor unit 3 of an air conditioner 1 includes an outdoor control unit 31 having a first control mode and a second control mode different from each other as control modes of a refrigerant recovery operation for recovering a refrigerant of a refrigerant circuit 9. A flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 9 in the first control mode is larger than a flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 9 in the second control mode.

A determination device includes a refrigerant circuit, an operation determination unit, and a refrigerant determination unit. The refrigerant circuit is made of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, and an evaporator that are circularly connected. In a refrigeration cycle operation in accordance with a quantity of heat required by the condensers or the evaporators, the operation determination unit determines whether the refrigeration cycle operation can be normally carried out or not. Upon determination that the refrigeration cycle operation cannot be normally carried out, the refrigerant determination unit determines whether a refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit is regenerable or not, based on a result of the determination. Thus the determination device is provided by which an effort involved with determination as to whether the refrigerant is regenerable or not can be reduced.

When a refrigerant leakage sensor detects a leakage of refrigerant from a refrigeration cycle apparatus having an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, a refrigerant recovery operation is started. In the refrigerant recovery operation, refrigerant is recovered in an accumulator and afterward a pump down operation is performed. In recovery of refrigerant in the accumulator, refrigerant in a liquid phase is accumulated in the accumulator as a result of circulation of refrigerant by operating a compressor in the state where a liquid shut-off valve and a gas shut-off valve are opened. After recovery of refrigerant in the accumulator is ended, the refrigerant in a liquid phase is accumulated in an outdoor heat exchanger by the pump down operation for operating the compressor in the state where the liquid shut-off valve is closed.

A refrigerant pump and a data center cooling system. The data center cooling system includes a refrigerant connected between a condenser and an evaporator. The refrigerant includes a housing, a partition plate, and a pump head. The housing is provided with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet. The partition plate is disposed inside the housing, and they jointly form first space and second space. A pump body includes the pump head and a motor. An inlet of the pump head is located at the bottom of the first space in a gravity direction. The motor is located in the second space. The pump head is configured to transfer refrigerant in the first space to the second space. The liquid inlet is directly connected to the condenser by using a pipeline. The first space is configured to store refrigerant of the data center cooling system.