The invention relates to refrigeration systems generally used in large cooling applications. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for monitoring the quantity of refrigerant within the refrigeration system.
One method of monitoring refrigerant includes placing a mechanical float within a receiver vessel of a refrigeration system. The mechanical float provides a visual indication of the level of refrigerant within the vessel. In this case, the level of refrigerant is only viewed during servicing operations. Alternatively, the mechanical float can include an electrical output signal fed to a tracking system. The tracking system generally includes a visual display and an alarm actuated when the level of refrigerant indicates a nearly empty receiver vessel. However, this method is difficult to employ in heat exchangers such as condensers.
Another method of monitoring refrigerant includes an infrared leak detector. The infrared leak detector includes a sensor placed on the outer surface of refrigeration system elements (e.g. receiver vessel, piping, valves, heat exchangers). By action of an air pump, the infrared detector can sample air surrounding the refrigeration system and detect refrigerant. The presence of refrigerant in the air can indicate the existence of a leak and thus trigger an alarm.