20.05.2020

Prevent leaks in air conditioning and cooling systems with permanent pressure sensors

Air conditioning and refrigeration systems suffer from leaks. Within a year it is not unlikely that 30% of the refrigerant gas in the circuit will be lost. As there is a legal requirement of permanent monitoring for certain categories of systems (Regulation (EU) No 517/2014), we considered it appropriate to do some testing to allow the filling of the system to be done on time and without any surprises.

Using an ON/OFF contact and a permanently installed pressure sensor on the suction side, we were able to reliably observe the behavior of the circuit during manual removal and addition of refrigerant gas.

This system, in normal operation with the compressor active, has a circuit pressure of 3.6 – 3.7 bar.

When the refrigerant gas is removed, the pressure drop is obvious.

After tests, we came up with two alarms for this installation on the Arpedon Mechbase platform.

A Minor alarm at the level of 3.3 bar that works as a warning and a Major alarm at 3 bar.

Both alarms automatically generate work commands in the maintenance software (CMMS) that is installed on that installation to control the measurements.

If your installation includes air conditioning/ or refrigeration units, we can help you diagnose leaks with the permanent Arpedon Maintnode. systems in a timely manner.

Any industrial sensor can be integrated into our products. The process of increasing capabilities is ongoing. Tell us about your applications