Purdue Research Foundation

Vatsal Manilal Shah

James Edward Braun

Eckhard Achim Groll

Orkan Kurtulus

William Travis Horton

Parveen Dhillon

System and methods for oil circulation ratio (OCR) sensing with a suction-line accumulator are provided. The accumulator may include a sensor configured to detect the level of oil. The accumulator may further include a valve which opens when oil is at a high-level and closes when oil is at a low-level. The accumulator may measure a mass flow rate of oil in the vapor compression cycle system based on an amount of time taken to fill a portion of the accumulator. The accumulator may further determine an oil circulation ratio based on the measured time taken to fill the portion of the accumulator. The smart accumulator may output the oil circulation ratio.

Smart accumulator with oil circulation ratio sensing

A system for measuring oil circulation ratio in a vapor-compression refrigeration system (VCRS) is provided. The system may include an oil separator configured to receive the refrigerant and oil flow from the low-pressure line of the VCRS and output a oil flow and a refrigerant flow. The system may further include an oil collector configured to receive the separated oil flow provided by the oil separator. A valve may control an oil flow from the oil collector to the low-pressure line. A level sensor may measure oil level in the oil collector. The system may close, in response to the oil being at or less than a first level, the valve to collect oil in the oil collector. The system may open, in response to the oil being at or greater than a second level, the valve to release oil from the oil collector to the low-pressure line.

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West Lafayette, IN, United States of America

Vatsal Manilal Shah