CN116981892A

CN116981892A - System and method for monitoring electrical components of a chiller system

Info

Publication number: CN116981892A
Application number: CN202280019949.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 迈克尔·斯科特·托德; 阿吉特·瓦桑特·凯恩; 卡尔·理查德·巴利; 卡尼什克·杜贝伊; 余海东; 乔保罗·沃里纳; 西蒙·何
Original assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
Current assignee: Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP
Priority date: 2021-02-19
Filing date: 2022-02-18
Publication date: 2023-10-31
Also published as: KR20230148345A; WO2022178275A1; EP4295089A1; TW202235787A; US20240125500A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a monitoring system configured to monitor an environment within a housing of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and/or refrigeration (HVAC & R) system. The monitoring system includes a sensor configured to acquire data indicative of an environmental parameter value within the housing. The monitoring system also includes a controller configured to receive the data from the sensor, determine an occurrence of a thermal event within the enclosure based on the data, and instruct a circuit breaker of the HVAC & R system to transition to a fault configuration in response to determining the occurrence of the thermal event.

Description

System and method for monitoring electrical components of a chiller system

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims the priority and benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 63/151,418, entitled "system and method for monitoring electrical components of a chiller system (SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS OF A CHILLER SYSTEM)", filed on App. 2, no. 19, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Background

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. It should be understood, therefore, that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

Chiller systems used in commercial or industrial heating, ventilation, air conditioning and/or refrigeration (HVAC & R) systems typically include a compressor for circulating a working fluid (e.g., refrigerant) through a heat exchanger of the HVAC & R system. The heat exchanger facilitates the transfer of thermal energy between the working fluid and a space to be conditioned, such as a room or area within a building or other structure served by the HVAC & R system. Generally, a chiller system includes one or more electrical components that facilitate control and operation of the chiller system. For example, the chiller system may include a Variable Speed Drive (VSD) that facilitates adjustment of an operating speed of a motor (e.g., an electric motor) configured to drive operation of the compressor. It may be desirable to monitor the operating conditions of the electrical components during operation of the chiller system.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure relates to a monitoring system configured to monitor an environment within a housing of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and/or refrigeration (HVAC & R) system. The monitoring system includes a sensor configured to acquire data indicative of an environmental parameter value within the housing. The monitoring system also includes a controller configured to receive data from the sensor, determine an occurrence of a thermal event within the enclosure based on the data, and instruct a circuit breaker of the HVAC & R system to transition to a fault configuration in response to determining the occurrence of the thermal event.

The present disclosure also relates to a method comprising acquiring, via one or more sensors, data indicative of environmental parameter values within a housing of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and/or refrigeration (HVAC & R) system. The method further comprises the steps of: the occurrence of a thermal event within the enclosure is determined based on the data via the controller. The method further comprises the steps of: the controller is configured to instruct, in response to determining occurrence of the thermal event, a circuit breaker of the HVAC & R system to transition to a fault configuration.

The present disclosure also relates to a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and/or refrigeration (HVAC & R) system. The HVAC & R system includes a circuit breaker configured to direct current from the power supply to an electrical component disposed within a housing of the HVAC & R system. The HVAC & R system also includes a sensor configured to acquire data indicative of an environmental parameter within the enclosure. The HVAC & R system also includes a controller configured to receive data from the sensor, determine an occurrence of a thermal event within the enclosure based on the data, and instruct the circuit breaker to transition to a fault configuration to interrupt flow of current to the electrical component in response to determining the occurrence of the thermal event.

Drawings

Various aspects of the disclosure may be better understood upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a building that may utilize a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and/or refrigeration (HVAC & R) system in a commercial environment in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a vapor compression system in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the vapor compression system of FIG. 2 in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the vapor compression system of FIG. 2 in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a portion of an HVAC & R system illustrating a monitoring system configured to monitor one or more electrical components of the HVAC & R system according to an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method for operating the monitoring system of FIG. 5, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; and is also provided with

Fig. 7 is a partially exploded view of an embodiment of a sensor that may be included in the monitoring system of fig. 5 in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. These described embodiments are examples of the presently disclosed technology. In addition, in an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions may be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles "a/an" and "the" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.

As briefly discussed above, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and/or refrigeration (HVAC & R) systems may be used to thermally condition a space within a building, residence, or other suitable structure. For example, HVAC & R systems may include a vapor compression system (e.g., a chiller system) that transfers thermal energy between a heat transfer fluid (such as refrigerant) and a fluid to be conditioned (such as air or water or brine). The vapor compression system may include a condenser and an evaporator fluidly coupled to one another via a conduit. The compressor may be used to circulate a refrigerant through the conduit and thus enable thermal energy transfer between the heat transfer fluid and the fluid to be conditioned via the condenser and/or evaporator. In many cases, the compressor may be driven by a motor (e.g., an electric motor) of the HVAC & R system.

In general, HVAC & R systems include electrical components (e.g., power supply components, control components, electromechanical components, etc.) configured to control operation of various components of the chiller system (such as motors, fans, etc. for compressors). For example, in some embodiments, the electrical components can include a Variable Speed Drive (VSD) electrically coupled to the compressor motor and configured to control the operating speed of the motor. As an example, the VSD may accelerate the motor from zero Revolutions Per Minute (RPM) to a threshold operating speed during startup of the HVAC & R system. In some cases, the VSD can further adjust the magnitude of the operating speed and/or the threshold operating speed during operation of the HVAC & R system. In some cases, it may be desirable to monitor the operating state or condition of an electrical component (e.g., VSD) during operation of the HVAC & R system.

Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a monitoring system configured to monitor an operational state or condition of one or more electrical components of an HVAC & R system (e.g., a chiller system). The monitoring system may include one or more sensors disposed within a housing of the HVAC & R system. The housing may be configured to house at least a portion of the electrical component. The sensor is configured to monitor one or more environmental parameters within the enclosure, such as parameters corresponding to the quality and/or composition of air contained or residing within the enclosure. The sensor may also generate and provide feedback indicative of the environmental parameter. A controller of the monitoring system is electrically and/or communicatively coupled to the sensor and configured to receive feedback from the sensor. As discussed in detail herein, the controller is configured to determine and monitor an operational state or condition of one or more electrical components disposed within the housing based on feedback received from the sensors. Further, the controller may adjust operation of the HVAC & R system based on feedback received from the sensors (e.g., based on an operational state or condition of one or more electrical components).

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an environment for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC & R) system 10 in a building 12 for a typical commercial environment. HVAC & R system 10 may include a vapor compression system 14 (e.g., a chiller system) that supplies a cooling liquid that may be used to cool building 12. HVAC & R system 10 may also include a boiler 16 for supplying warm liquid to heat building 12 and an air distribution system that circulates air through building 12. The air distribution system may also include an air return duct 18, an air supply duct 20, and/or an air handler 22. In some embodiments, the air handler 22 may include a heat exchanger that is coupled to the boiler 16 and the vapor compression system 14 via a conduit 24. Depending on the mode of operation of the HVAC & R system 10, the heat exchanger in the air handler 22 may receive either heated liquid from the boiler 16 or cooled liquid from the vapor compression system 14. HVAC & R system 10 is shown with a separate air handler on each floor of building 12, but in other embodiments HVAC & R system 10 may contain air handler 22 and/or other components that may be shared between floors.

Fig. 2 and 3 are embodiments of vapor compression systems 14 that may be used in HVAC & R system 10. Vapor compression system 14 may circulate refrigerant through a circuit beginning with compressor 32. The circuit may also include a condenser 34, an expansion valve or device 36, and a liquid cooler or evaporator 38. Vapor compression system 14 may further include a control panel 40 having an analog-to-digital (a/D) converter 42, a microprocessor 44, a non-volatile memory 46, and/or an interface board 48.

Some examples of fluids that may be used as refrigerants in vapor compression system 14 are: hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) based refrigerants such as R-410A, R-407, R-134a, hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs); "Natural" refrigerants, e.g. ammonia (NH) ₃ ) R-717, carbon dioxide (CO) ₂ ) R-744; or a hydrocarbon-based refrigerant, water vapor, or any other suitable refrigerant. In some embodiments, vapor compression system 14 may be configured to effectively utilize a refrigerant having a normal boiling point of about 19 degrees celsius (66 degrees fahrenheit) at one atmosphere, also referred to as a low pressure refrigerant, as opposed to a medium pressure refrigerant such as R-134 a. As used herein, "normal boiling point" may refer to the boiling temperature measured at one atmosphere.

In some embodiments, vapor compression system 14 may use one or more of Variable Speed Drive (VSD) 52, motor 50, compressor 32, condenser 34, expansion valve or device 36, and/or evaporator 38. The motor 50 can drive the compressor 32 and can be powered by a Variable Speed Drive (VSD) 52. The VSD 52 receives Alternating Current (AC) power having a particular fixed line voltage and fixed line frequency from an AC power source and provides power having variable voltages and frequencies to the motor 50. In other embodiments, the motor 50 may be powered directly from an AC or Direct Current (DC) power source. The motor 50 can comprise any type of motor that can be powered by a VSD or directly from an AC or DC power source, such as a switched reluctance motor, an induction motor, an electronically commutated permanent magnet motor, or another suitable motor.

The compressor 32 compresses a refrigerant vapor and delivers the vapor to the condenser 34 through a discharge passage. In some embodiments, the compressor 32 may be a centrifugal compressor. The refrigerant vapor delivered by the compressor 32 to the condenser 34 may transfer heat to a cooling fluid (e.g., water or air) in the condenser 34. As a result of heat transfer with the cooling fluid, the refrigerant vapor may condense into a refrigerant liquid in the condenser 34. The liquid refrigerant from the condenser 34 may flow through an expansion device 36 to an evaporator 38. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, condenser 34 is water-cooled and includes a tube bundle 54 connected to a cooling tower 56 that supplies cooling fluid to condenser 34.

The liquid refrigerant delivered to the evaporator 38 may absorb heat from another cooling fluid, which may or may not be the same cooling fluid used in the condenser 34. The liquid refrigerant in the evaporator 38 may undergo a phase change from liquid refrigerant to refrigerant vapor. As shown in the illustrated embodiment of fig. 3, evaporator 38 can include a tube bundle 58 having a supply line 60S and a return line 60R connected to a cooling load 62. The cooling fluid of the evaporator 38 (e.g., water, ethylene glycol, calcium chloride brine, sodium chloride brine, or any other suitable fluid) enters the evaporator 38 through a return line 60R and exits the evaporator 38 through a supply line 60S. Evaporator 38 can reduce the temperature of the cooling fluid in tube bundle 58 by heat transfer with the refrigerant. Tube bundles 58 in evaporator 38 can include a plurality of tubes and/or a plurality of tube bundles. In any event, vapor refrigerant exits evaporator 38 and returns to compressor 32 through a suction line to complete the cycle.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of vapor compression system 14 with intermediate circuit 64 coupled between condenser 34 and expansion device 36. The intermediate circuit 64 may have an inlet line 68 directly fluidly connected to the condenser 34. In other embodiments, the inlet line 68 may be indirectly fluidly coupled to the condenser 34. As shown in the embodiment illustrated in fig. 4, the inlet line 68 includes a first expansion device 66 positioned upstream of an intermediate vessel 70. In some embodiments, the intermediate vessel 70 may be a flash tank (e.g., a flash intercooler). In other embodiments, the intermediate vessel 70 may be configured as a heat exchanger or "surface economizer". In the illustrated embodiment of fig. 4, the intermediate vessel 70 functions as a flash tank, and the first expansion device 66 is configured to reduce (e.g., expand) the pressure of the liquid refrigerant received from the condenser 34. During the expansion process, a portion of the liquid may evaporate, and thus the intermediate vessel 70 may be used to separate vapor from the liquid received from the first expansion device 66.

In addition, the intermediate vessel 70 may provide further expansion of the liquid refrigerant due to the pressure drop experienced by the liquid refrigerant as it enters the intermediate vessel 70 (e.g., due to the rapid increase in volume experienced as it enters the intermediate vessel 70). Vapor in the intermediate vessel 70 may be drawn by the compressor 32 through a suction line 74 of the compressor 32. In other embodiments, the vapor in the intermediate vessel may be drawn to an intermediate stage (e.g., non-suction stage) of the compressor 32. The liquid collected in intermediate vessel 70 may have a lower enthalpy than the liquid refrigerant exiting condenser 34 due to expansion in expansion device 66 and/or intermediate vessel 70. Liquid from intermediate vessel 70 may then flow in line 72 through second expansion device 36 to evaporator 38.

With the foregoing in mind, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a portion of an HVAC & R system 10 illustrating a monitoring system 100 configured to monitor an operating condition or state of one or more electrical components 102 of the HVAC & R system 10 and/or of the HVAC & R system 10 (overall). For example, one or more of the components 102 can include the VSD 52 and/or components of the VSD 52. For clarity, as used herein, "electrical component 102" may refer to and/or include digital components (e.g., microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits [ ASICs ], field programmable gate arrays [ FPGAs ]), analog components (e.g., wires, resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, transistors), electromechanical components (e.g., solenoids, actuators), power components (e.g., power supplies, inverters, power buses, etc.), and/or other components that operate with and/or with current. In the illustrated embodiment, the HVAC & R system 10 includes a circuit breaker 104 configured to receive power from a power supply 106. As a non-limiting example, the power supply 106 may provide three-phase, fixed voltage, and fixed frequency Alternating Current (AC) power to the circuit breaker 104 from an AC grid, distribution system, or other source. The circuit breaker 104 is configured to distribute power received from the power supply 106 to the electrical components 102 of the HVAC & R system 10. In some embodiments, the circuit breaker 104 may supply power to the monitoring system 100. In other embodiments, the monitoring system 100 may receive a supply of power from a separate power source (e.g., a battery).

In any event, the circuit breaker 104 may monitor the magnitude of the current flow from the power supply 106 through the circuit breaker 104 and to the electrical component 102 (e.g., across contacts of the circuit breaker 104). The circuit breaker 104 is configured to enable or interrupt the flow of current through the circuit breaker 104 based on the magnitude of the flow of current. For example, in response to the magnitude of the current flow through the circuit breaker 104 exceeding a threshold, or remaining above the threshold for a predetermined time interval, the circuit breaker 104 may electrically decouple the power supply 106 from the electrical component 102 (e.g., via opening of contacts of the circuit breaker 104) to prevent the flow of current from the power supply 106 to the electrical component 102. That is, the circuit breaker 104 may transition to an open circuit configuration to electrically decouple the power supply 106 from all of the electrical components 102 or from a subset of the electrical components 102. Indeed, it should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the circuit breaker 104 may include a plurality of individual circuit breakers configured to selectively enable or prevent the flow of electrical current from the power supply 106 to the corresponding electrical component 102 of the HVAC & R system 10.

In some embodiments, in the open configuration of the circuit breaker 104, the circuit breaker 104 may be configured to block the flow of current 107 (e.g., from the power supply 106) to the electrical component 102 while still enabling the flow of current 108 (e.g., from the power supply 106) to the monitoring system 100. As discussed below, in a fault configuration of the circuit breaker 104 (e.g., a type of open configuration of the circuit breaker 104), the circuit breaker 104 may block the flow of current (e.g., from the power supply 106) to both the electrical component 102 and the monitoring system 100.

In the illustrated embodiment, the monitoring system 100 includes a controller 110 (e.g., a printed circuit board [ PCB ], an automated controller, a programmable logic controller [ PLC ]), configured to receive power from the circuit breaker 104. In particular, the controller 110 may be electrically coupled to a power converter 112 configured to receive AC power (e.g., current) from the circuit breaker 104 and output Direct Current (DC) power (e.g., current) to the controller 110. As a non-limiting example, the power converter 112 may receive a supply of 120 volts AC power from the circuit breaker 104 and output a supply of 24 volts DC power to the controller 110. In some embodiments, the fuse 114 may be electrically coupled between the circuit breaker 104 and the power converter 112.

In certain embodiments, some or all of the electrical components 102 and/or the monitoring system 100 or portions thereof may be disposed within a housing 120 (e.g., electronic housing, shell) of the HVAC & R system 10. The controller 110 may be electrically and/or communicatively coupled to one or more sensors 122 of the monitoring system 100. As discussed in detail herein, the sensor 122 is configured to monitor one or more environmental parameters within the interior 124 of the housing 120 and provide feedback indicative of the environmental parameters to the controller 110. As used herein, an "environmental parameter" may include, for example, a concentration (e.g., in parts per million [ ppm ]) of a compound (e.g., an organic compound, a non-organic compound) that may be dispersed in air within the enclosure 120. As a non-limiting example, such compounds may include carbon monoxide. Additionally or alternatively, the "environmental parameter" may include a concentration of particulate matter (e.g., carbon particles) that may be suspended in the air within the enclosure 120. The sensors 122 may include a first grouping or subset of sensors 130 (e.g., one or more of the sensors 122) and a second grouping or subset of sensors 132 (e.g., one or more of the sensors 122), which facilitate detection and monitoring of environmental parameters within the housing 120 via the controller 110, as discussed below. It should be appreciated that each sensor 122 in the first grouping of sensors 130 and/or the second grouping of sensors 132 may be disposed at various suitable locations within the housing 120. For example, the sensors 130, 132 may be located near a particular electrical component 102 for which monitoring is desired. The controller 110 may utilize feedback received from the sensors 122 to evaluate the operating condition or state of the electrical component 102 and/or the HVAC & R system 10 (overall).

For example, in some embodiments, certain electrical components 102 may suffer from performance degradation over time. Indeed, the usable or design life of some of the electrical components 102 may expire, and it may be desirable to perform maintenance and/or replacement of such electrical components 102 in order to maintain the desired operation of the HVAC & R system 10. In some cases, performance degradation and/or other variables of the electrical component 102 (e.g., power quality, environmental factors such as humidity, etc.) may cause the electrical component 102 to experience thermal events during operation of the HVAC & R system 10. As used herein, a thermal event may indicate an operating condition or state of the electrical component 102, wherein the temperature of the electrical component 102 exceeds an expected operating temperature range of the electrical component 102 (e.g., overheating of the electrical component 102). As such, during a thermal event, the operating state of the electrical component 102 may deviate from the intended operating state of the electrical component 102 (e.g., the temperature of the electrical component 102 may rise above the intended operating temperature of the electrical component 102).

In certain embodiments, the presence of certain compounds and/or particulates in the air within the enclosure 120 may indicate the potential occurrence and/or presence of a thermal event. That is, environmental parameters within the enclosure 120 may change before and/or during a thermal event. Accordingly, the sensor 122 is configured to detect the presence of one or more compounds and/or particulates in the air, which may be indicative of a potential or existing thermal event. Accordingly, the controller 110 may detect the occurrence or potential occurrence of a thermal event within the enclosure 120 in response to feedback from one or more of the sensors 122 indicative of current (e.g., real-time) and/or detected environmental parameters within the enclosure 120.

For example, in some embodiments, carbon monoxide may be present in the interior 124 of the enclosure 120 prior to or during a thermal event. The first grouping of sensors 130 may include a carbon monoxide sensor configured to detect a concentration of carbon monoxide within the interior 124. As such, based on feedback from the first grouping of sensors 130, the controller 110 may continuously or intermittently monitor the concentration of carbon monoxide within the enclosure 120 (e.g., during operation of the HVAC & R system 10). In some embodiments, the controller 110 may determine the occurrence of a thermal event in response to feedback from any of the first grouping of sensors 130 indicating that the concentration of carbon monoxide within the interior 124 exceeds a threshold (e.g., a target amount or tolerance) at a particular time instance or for a predetermined time interval (e.g., 5 seconds). Additionally or alternatively, the controller 110 may determine the potential or actual occurrence of a thermal event in response to feedback from a subset (e.g., two or more) of the first grouping of sensors 130 indicating that the concentration of carbon monoxide within the interior 124 exceeds a threshold at any particular instance of time or for a predetermined time interval. To this end, the controller 110 may detect the potential or occurrence of a thermal event without utilizing temperature feedback, for example, from one or more temperature sensors configured to monitor an operating temperature (e.g., of one or more of the electrical components 102) within the housing 120.

In some embodiments, the controller 110 may detect a potential occurrence or actual occurrence of a thermal event based on feedback from the second grouping of sensors 132 (in addition to or instead of feedback that may be received by the controller 110 from the first grouping of sensors 130). For example, in some embodiments, particulate matter (e.g., carbon particles) may be present within the interior 124 of the housing 120 prior to, at the beginning of, and/or during a thermal event. The second grouping of sensors 132 may include an optical sensor (e.g., a photodetector) configured to detect a concentration of particulates (e.g., carbon particles) in the air that may be suspended within the interior 124. As such, based on feedback received from the second grouping of sensors 132, the controller 110 may continuously or intermittently monitor the concentration of particulates in the air suspended within the enclosure 120 (e.g., during operation of the HVAC & R system 10). In some embodiments, the controller 110 may determine the potential occurrence or presence of a thermal event in response to feedback from any of the sensors 132 of the second group indicating that the concentration of particulate matter suspended in the air within the interior 124 exceeds a threshold (e.g., a target amount or tolerance) at a particular time instance or for a predetermined time interval (e.g., 5 seconds). Additionally or alternatively, the controller 110 may determine the potential occurrence or presence of a thermal event in response to feedback from a subset (e.g., two or more) of the second grouping of sensors 132 indicating that the concentration of particulate matter suspended in the air within the interior 124 exceeds a threshold at any particular instance of time or for a predetermined time interval. To this end, the controller 110 may detect the potential occurrence or presence of a thermal event within the enclosure 120 without utilizing temperature feedback, for example, from one or more temperature sensors configured to monitor an operating temperature (e.g., of the electrical component 102) within the enclosure 120.

In some embodiments, in response to detection of a potential occurrence or presence of a thermal event within the enclosure 120, the controller 110 may send instructions to the shunt release 140 of the circuit breaker 104 to validate an interruption in the flow of power (e.g., current) from the power supply 106 to the electrical component 102 and to the monitoring system 100. Shunt release 140 enables adjustment of circuit breaker 104 based on an input signal from controller 110 (e.g., rather than based on the magnitude of current flowing through circuit breaker 104 at a particular instance in time). For example, shunt release 140 may be configured to actuate circuit breaker 104 (e.g., in response to receiving a control signal from controller 110) to transition circuit breaker 104 to a fault configuration (e.g., a type of open circuit configuration) in which circuit breaker 104 may electrically decouple power supply 106 from electrical component 102 and/or monitoring system 100. As such, under a fault configuration, the circuit breaker 104 may block the flow of current 146 (e.g., both currents 107 and 108) from the power supply 106 to the electrical component 102 and to the monitoring system 100. To this end, shunt release 140 enables controller 110 to validate interruption of current flow from circuit breaker 104 to electrical component 102 and to components of monitoring system 100 (e.g., sensor 122, controller 110) based on feedback from any one of sensors 122 or a combination thereof. By inhibiting the flow of electrical current from the power supply 106 to the electrical component 102, the controller 110 may inhibit the progression and/or escalation of thermal events and enable the electrical component 102 to cool to a temperature substantially equal to or below the intended operating temperature of the electrical component 102.

In some embodiments, the monitoring system 100 includes an indicator 150 (e.g., a trip point memory device, a visual indicator, etc.) configured to provide an indication (visual indication) of whether the controller 110 has activated the shunt release 140 in response to detection of a thermal event. That is, the indicator 150 may provide an indication as to: whether the controller 110 has validated the interruption of the current flow from the power supply 106 to the electrical component 102 and the monitoring system 100 based on feedback from the sensor 122.

For example, in some embodiments, the indicator 150 may include an electromagnet 152, a plate 154 (e.g., a disc), and a spring 156. The electromagnet 152 may be configured to generate a magnetic force sufficient to hold the plate 154 in the first orientation (e.g., face-up orientation) via a current supplied to the electromagnet 152 from the circuit breaker 104. In response to interruption of the current to the electromagnet 152 (e.g., when the controller 110 transitions the circuit breaker 104 to a fault configuration in response to detection of a thermal event), a decrease or loss of magnetic force generated by the electromagnet 152 enables the spring 156 to transition the plate 154 from the first orientation to the second orientation (e.g., a face-down orientation). Thus, an operator (e.g., a service technician) checking the HVAC & R system 10 can determine via the check of the indicator 150 whether a thermal event has occurred. For example, the operator may determine that a thermal event has not occurred based on an observation of the plate 154 of the indicator 150 in the first orientation. Instead, the operator may determine that a thermal event has occurred based on an observation of the plate 154 of the indicator 150 in the second orientation.

As discussed above, the indicator 150 may transition the plate 154 from the first orientation to the second orientation in response to an interruption of power or current to the monitoring system 100, such as may occur when the controller 110 actuates the shunt release 140 to transition the circuit breaker 104 to a fault configuration. However, the indicator 150 may not transition the plate 154 from the first orientation to the second orientation in response to an interruption of power or current alone to the electrical component 102. For example, the indicator 150 may not transition the plate 154 from the first orientation to the second orientation in response to: the circuit breaker 104 interrupts the flow of current to the electrical component 102 as a result of the flow of current through the circuit breaker 104 exceeding a threshold value. In such cases, the circuit breaker 104 (e.g., in an open circuit configuration) may still maintain a supply of power (e.g., current flow) to the monitoring system 100 (e.g., to the controller 110). The indicator 150 may be coupled to the controller 110 and/or to another suitable component of the monitoring system 100. In other embodiments, the monitoring system 100 may include any other suitable device configured to alert an operator of the occurrence of a thermal event in addition to or in lieu of the indicator 150. In further embodiments, the controller 110 may be configured to send an indication (e.g., a warning message, a warning command) to another electronic device external to the monitoring system 100 upon detection of a thermal event. The controller 110 may send an indication prior to actuation of the shunt release 140, concurrently with actuation of the shunt release 140, or in response to actuation of the shunt release 140.

In some embodiments, the controller 110 includes a processor 160, such as a microprocessor, that can execute software for controlling components of the HVAC & R system 10 and/or components of the monitoring system 100. Processor 160 may include a plurality of microprocessors, one or more "general purpose" microprocessors, one or more special purpose microprocessors, and/or one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or some combination thereof. For example, processor 160 may include one or more Reduced Instruction Set (RISC) processors. The controller 110 may also include a memory device 162 (e.g., memory storage device, etc.) that may store information such as instructions, control software, look-up tables, configuration data, and the like. The memory device 162 may include volatile memory, such as Random Access Memory (RAM), and/or non-volatile memory, such as Read Only Memory (ROM). The memory device 162 may store various information and may be used for various purposes. For example, the memory device 162 may store processor-executable instructions including firmware or software for execution by the processor 160, such as instructions for controlling components of the HVAC & R system 10 and/or components of the monitoring system 100. In some embodiments, the memory device 162 is a tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable medium that may store machine-readable instructions for execution by the processor 160. The memory device 162 may include ROM, flash memory, a hard disk drive, or any other suitable optical, magnetic, or solid state storage medium, or a combination thereof. Memory device 162 may store data, instructions, and any other suitable data.

Fig. 6 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method 170 for operating the monitoring system 100 in accordance with the techniques described herein. It should be noted that the steps of the method 170 discussed below may be performed in any suitable order and are not limited to the order shown in the illustrated embodiment of fig. 6. Further, it should be noted that in some embodiments, additional steps of method 170 may be performed and certain steps of method 170 may be omitted. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that certain steps of the method 170 may be performed concurrently with other steps. The method 170 may be performed by the processor 160 of the controller 110 (e.g., via execution of processor-executable instructions stored on the memory device 162) and/or by other suitable processing circuitry of the HVAC & R system 10 and/or the monitoring system 100.

The method 170 includes operating the monitoring system 100 to detect the potential occurrence or existence of a thermal event in the enclosure 120, as indicated by block 172. The illustrated embodiment of method 170 further includes monitoring feedback (e.g., data) from the first and second groupings of sensors 130, 132, as indicated by blocks 174 and 176, respectively. As indicated by block 178, the controller 110 may determine whether feedback, for example, from sensors in the first group of sensors 130 indicates that the carbon monoxide concentration within the housing 120 exceeds a first threshold. As indicated by block 180, the controller 110 may determine whether feedback, for example, from sensors in the second grouping of sensors 132 indicates that the concentration of particulate matter in the air suspended within the enclosure 120 exceeds a second threshold.

In response to determining that none of the sensors 122 in the first grouping of sensors 130 provide feedback indicating that the concentration of carbon monoxide within the enclosure 120 exceeds the first threshold, and none of the sensors 122 in the second grouping of sensors 132 provide feedback indicating that the concentration of particulate matter suspended in air within the enclosure 120 exceeds the second threshold, the controller 110 may return to block 172 of the method 170. In response to determining that at least one of the sensors 122 in the first grouping of sensors 130 provides an indication that the concentration of carbon monoxide within the enclosure 120 exceeds a first threshold and/or at least one of the sensors 122 in the second grouping of sensors 132 indicates that the concentration of particulate matter in the air suspended within the enclosure 120 exceeds a second threshold, the controller 110 may activate the shunt release 140 to transition the circuit breaker 104 to the fault configuration, as indicated by block 182, in accordance with the foregoing techniques. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the controller 110 may control the shunt release 140 and/or detect thermal events based on feedback from other suitable sensors (in addition to or instead of feedback provided by the first and second groupings of sensors 130, 132).

Fig. 7 is a partially exploded view of an embodiment of one of the sensors 122, referred to herein as a sensor 190 (e.g., a sensor assembly or module). The sensors 190 may include or be one of the sensors 122 in the first group of sensors 130 and/or one of the sensors 122 in the second group of sensors 132. Indeed, in some embodiments, the sensors 190 may have one or more of the first grouping of sensors 130 and one or more of the second grouping of sensors 132 housed within the housing 192 of the sensors 190. In other embodiments, each sensor 122 in the first group of sensors 130 and each sensor 122 in the second group of sensors 132 may be disposed within a separate housing 192.

In some embodiments, the sensor 190 may include one or more magnets 194 (e.g., permanent magnets) coupled to a surface of the housing 192 (e.g., base surface 196, base portion) or placed within a recess thereof. The magnet 194 facilitates magnetic coupling (e.g., detachable coupling, detachable attachment) of the sensor 190 with a desired panel or other structural component of the housing 120 (e.g., a metal panel forming at least a portion of the housing 120). As such, magnet 194 facilitates mounting sensor 190 at various locations on or within housing 120 without involving modifications (e.g., physical changes) to housing 120. That is, to couple the sensor 190 to a particular portion of the housing 120, a service technician may magnetically engage the magnet 194 with a metal component (e.g., panel, beam, post) of the housing 120 to hold the sensor 190 in a desired position within the housing 120 (e.g., adjacent to one or more of the electrical components 102). Indeed, it should be understood that the monitoring system 100 may be a retrofit kit configured for installation in a housing (e.g., housing 120) of an existing embodiment of the HVAC & R system 10 that did not previously include the monitoring system 100.

As set forth above, embodiments of the present disclosure may provide one or more technical effects that may be useful in detecting the occurrence of an in-enclosure thermal event of an HVAC & R system that may include one or more electrical components. In particular, the present embodiments include a monitoring system having one or more sensors configured to monitor an environmental parameter within a housing configured to house an electrical component. The monitoring system may facilitate detection of thermal events within the enclosure based on the monitored environmental parameters and without the use of dedicated temperature sensors. Further, the monitoring system may interrupt the supply of current to the electrical component to inhibit the occurrence or escalation of thermal events. The technical effects and problems set forth in the specification are examples and are not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that the embodiments described in the specification may have other technical effects and may solve other technical problems.

It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of the monitoring system as shown in the various exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited in the claims. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present application. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. In the claims, any means-plus-function clause is intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present applications.

The technology presented and claimed herein is referenced and applied to substantial objects and concrete examples of practical nature that arguably improve upon the art and that are therefore not abstract, intangible, or purely theoretical. Furthermore, if any claim appended to the end of this specification contains one or more elements denoted as "means … for [ performing ] [ function ] or" step … for [ performing ] [ function ], it is contemplated that such elements will be interpreted in accordance with 35U.S. C.112 (f). However, for any claim containing elements specified in any other way, it is intended that such elements not be construed in accordance with 35u.s.c.112 (f).

Claims

1. A monitoring system configured to monitor an environment within a housing of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and/or refrigeration (HVAC & R) system, the monitoring system comprising:

a sensor configured to acquire data indicative of an environmental parameter value within the housing; and

a controller configured to:

receiving the data from the sensor;

determining an occurrence of a thermal event within the enclosure based on the data; and

a circuit breaker of the HVAC & R system is instructed to transition to a fault configuration in response to determining the occurrence of the thermal event.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the data comprises a concentration of carbon monoxide within the enclosure.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the data comprises a concentration of particulate matter suspended in air within the enclosure.

4. The monitoring system of claim 1, comprising the circuit breaker, wherein the circuit breaker is configured to monitor a magnitude of a current directed to an electrical component of the HVAC & R system by the circuit breaker, and wherein the circuit breaker is configured to transition to an open circuit configuration to interrupt flow to the electrical component in response to the magnitude exceeding a threshold.

5. The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein in the open configuration, the circuit breaker is configured to direct current from a power supply to the controller.

6. The monitoring system of claim 5, wherein in the fault configuration, the circuit breaker is configured to interrupt flow of current from the power supply to the controller and to interrupt flow of current to the electrical component.

7. The monitoring system of claim 6, comprising an indicator configured to provide a visual indication indicative of the occurrence of the thermal event in response to interrupting the flow of current to the controller.

8. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the occurrence of the thermal event in response to determining that the data from the sensor indicates that the environmental parameter value exceeds a threshold.

9. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the occurrence of the thermal event in response to determining that the data from the sensor indicates that the environmental parameter value exceeds a threshold for a predetermined time interval.

10. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a warning message to an electronic device in response to determining the occurrence of the thermal event.

11. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises:

a housing; and

a magnet coupled to the housing, wherein the magnet is configured to enable detachable mounting of the sensor with the housing.

12. A method, comprising:

acquiring data indicative of environmental parameter values within a housing of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and/or refrigeration (HVAC & R) system via one or more sensors;

determining, via a controller, an occurrence of a thermal event within the enclosure based on the data; and

Instructing, via the controller, a circuit breaker of the HVAC & R system to transition to a fault configuration in response to determining the occurrence of the thermal event.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the occurrence of the thermal event comprises: the occurrence of the thermal event is determined, via the controller, based on the environmental parameter value exceeding a threshold at a time instance or based on the environmental parameter value exceeding the threshold for a predetermined time interval.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein indicating the circuit breaker to transition to the fault configuration comprises causing the circuit breaker to interrupt flow of current from a power supply to an electrical component disposed within the housing via the controller.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein acquiring the data comprises: a first concentration of carbon monoxide within the enclosure, a second concentration of particulate matter suspended in air within the enclosure, or both is monitored via the one or more sensors.

16. A heating, ventilation, air conditioning and/or refrigeration (HVAC & R) system comprising:

a circuit breaker configured to direct current from an electrical power supply to an electrical component disposed within a housing of the HVAC & R system;

A sensor configured to acquire data indicative of an environmental parameter within the housing; and

a controller configured to:

receiving the data from the sensor;

in response to determining the occurrence of the thermal event, the circuit breaker is instructed to transition to a fault configuration to interrupt the flow of the current to the electrical component.

17. The HVAC & R system of claim 16, wherein the circuit breaker is configured to transition to an open circuit configuration to interrupt the flow of the current to the electrical component in response to a magnitude of the current exceeding a threshold.

18. The HVAC & R system of claim 17, wherein the circuit breaker is configured to direct additional current from the power supply to the controller in the open circuit configuration and to block flow of the additional current from the power supply to the controller in the fault configuration.

19. The HVAC & R system of claim 18, comprising an indicator configured to provide a visual indication indicative of the occurrence of the thermal event in response to interrupting the flow of the additional current to the controller.

20. The HVAC & R system of claim 16, comprising an additional sensor configured to acquire additional data indicative of the environmental parameter within the housing, wherein the controller is configured to determine the occurrence of the thermal event in response to:

the data from the sensor indicates that the value of the environmental parameter exceeds a threshold; and

the additional data from the additional sensor indicates that the value of the environmental parameter exceeds the threshold.