A smart early detection system for gas leaks in refrigeration applications.

Abstract

The current HFC refrigerant market scenario represents one of the biggest challenges that stakeholders of commercial & industrial refrigeration and HVAC systems have faced during the last years. Precisely, regulatory restrictions are nowadays causing acute inflation and limited availability for several HFC refrigerants in Europe. Refrigerant leaks are the main root of this situation and their reduction must be part of the final solution. With the ultimate goal of reducing refrigerant leakage in refrigeration systems, a novel smart early detection system for refrigerants, based on highly sensitive, selective and accurate HFC-gas transmitters, is presented. Thanks to a connected network of transmitters, the system provides information about the time, leak location and severity (economical, operative and environmental impact) of the refrigerant leaks, making use of computed smart leak indicators. The system is built on two main assets: (i) an early detection ability and (ii) a correct categorization and localization (in space and time) of the leak by the computing platform.