DE102023106862A1 - Method for monitoring loss of working fluid from a heat pump and correspondingly monitored heat pump - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to ensure the efficiency of a heat pump (10), an automatic method for monitoring working fluid loss from the heat pump (10) is proposed, which comprises continuously recording performance data of the conveying device (15), estimating the temperature of the working fluid on the basis of the recorded performance data of the conveying device (15), recording an actual temperature of the working fluid in the working fluid circuit (12) by at least one selected sensor (24a-d, 25a-d), and assessing a working fluid loss from the heat pump (10) based on a determined difference between the estimated temperature and the recorded actual temperatures. If a working fluid loss from the heat pump (10) is assessed in this way, a corresponding notice is preferably issued to a user in order to encourage the user to carry out repair measures on the heat pump and to protect users and the environment from damage caused by leaked working fluids.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for monitoring working fluid loss from a heat pump and also to a heat pump capable of carrying out such a method.

A heat pump as a refrigeration or heating machine usually has a closed working fluid circuit with a conveying device for conveying a working fluid through the working fluid circuit, a drive device for driving the conveying device and at least one heat exchanger in which the working fluid is in heat exchange with a useful fluid of a useful fluid circuit for a thermal object. Over time, wear or damage can lead to leaks in the working fluid circuit, through which the working fluid then escapes from the working fluid circuit. This can lead to both a short-term total loss of the working fluid and a long-term escape of the working fluid. If the amount of working fluid in the refrigeration circuit falls below a certain value, the machine loses efficiency; with increasing loss of working fluid, the efficiency drops until the machine fails completely due to a lack of working fluid. In addition, some working fluids are toxic and/or flammable for the user and the environment, so early leak detection should help to protect users and the environment. For this reason, gas sensors and pressure sensors within the heat pump housing have already been proposed for the detection of leaks in the heat pump. On the one hand, these additional sensor systems require additional manufacturing effort and, on the other hand, they can only detect very large losses of working fluid.

It is the object of the invention to develop an improved method for monitoring working fluid loss from a heat pump, by means of which even small working fluid losses can be detected so that repairs can be carried out earlier, and which does not generate excessive manufacturing and cost expenditure.

This object is achieved by the automatic method for monitoring working fluid loss from a heat pump, which is defined in independent claim 1. Some advantageous embodiments and further developments of this subject matter of the invention as well as realizations and applications of this invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

An automatic method is proposed for monitoring working fluid loss from a heat pump (can be used as a refrigeration machine or heating machine depending on the application) with a working fluid circuit with a conveying device for conveying a working fluid (depending on the application, for example coolant or heating fluid) through the working fluid circuit, a drive device for driving the conveying device, at least one heat exchanger in which the working fluid is in heat exchange with a utility fluid of a utility fluid circuit for a thermal object (cooling object or heating object), and at least one sensor (e.g. temperature sensor or circuit sensor) for detecting the temperature of the working fluid in the working fluid circuit, in which according to the invention a permanent recording of performance data of the conveying device; an assessment of the temperature of the working fluid on the basis of the recorded performance data of the conveying device; a recording of an actual temperature of the working fluid in the working fluid circuit by a selected one of the at least one sensors; a determination of the difference between the estimated temperature and the recorded actual temperature of the working fluid; and an assessment of whether there is a loss of working fluid from the heat pump based on the determined difference between the estimated and actual temperatures.

The performance data of the conveying device (in particular the compressor) can be recorded by sensor systems that are standard in the conveying device, and the actual temperatures of the working fluid in the working fluid circuit can be recorded by sensors that are standard in the working fluid circuit (usually circuit sensors for temperature and pressure in the working fluid line and temperature sensors in elements of the working fluid circuit), so that no additional elements need to be used in the heat pump to implement the proposed monitoring method. The conveying device drives a working fluid mass flow, which affects the drive of the conveying device within the closed working fluid circuit, and the pressure, mass and temperature of the working fluid in the closed working fluid circuit are dependent on one another. The working fluid pressure exerts a force on the rotor that affects the performance of the conveying device, and the electrical resistance of the motor windings, the magnetic fields and thus the power consumption of the conveying device are temperature-dependent, so that the temperature of the working fluid can be estimated on the basis of the performance data of the conveying device. If the pressure drops due to a leak, for example, the pressure-temperature ratio of the circulation system changes, so that the changing ratio affects the power consumption of the conveying device, which leads to a change This leads to an error in the temperature estimate and thus a deviation between the estimated temperature and the actual temperature. The performance data of the conveyor device to be recorded contains, for example, at least one parameter that is selected from an electrical resistance of the motor windings and the power consumption of the conveyor device. By estimating and evaluating the temperature from the performance data of the conveyor device, even small losses of working fluid can be detected. If there is no loss of working fluid, there is of course essentially no difference between the estimated temperature and the actual temperature.

Preferably, the method further comprises comparing the determined difference in temperatures with a predetermined limit value associated with the selected one of the at least one sensors, and an existing loss of working fluid is assessed when it has been determined that the determined difference in temperatures exceeds the predetermined limit value. Without a difference between the estimated temperature and the actual temperature, there is certainly no loss of working fluid. However, the use of a limit value advantageously supports the variants that a loss of working fluid is likely to occur with a small difference in temperatures and a loss of working fluid is definitely present with a large difference in temperatures. In addition, the predetermined limit value is adapted to the sensor selected for this method for detecting the actual temperature of the working fluid, since different temperatures of the working fluid are naturally present in different positions in the working fluid circuit. This use of a limit value supports the correct evaluation of the estimated temperature in the case of a temperature difference that exists even without a loss of working fluid, if a sensor is used that is present at a different location in the working fluid circuit, where the working fluid is normally at a different temperature than at the conveyor device. And preferably, the method further comprises assessing the amount of working fluid loss based on the magnitude of the limit violation when assessing an existing working fluid loss.

In one embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises outputting (e.g. optically, acoustically and/or digitally) a notification to a user indicating a loss of working fluid from the heat pump. Based on such a notification, the user can activate a repair of the heat pump and protect himself and the environment from critical working fluids being discharged. And if the amount of working fluid loss is also assessed based on the magnitude of the limit value violation, the notification issued to the user can preferably indicate a minor loss of working fluid or a total loss of the working fluid from the heat pump depending on the assessed amount of working fluid loss.

In the monitoring method according to the invention, the actual temperature of the working medium in the working medium circuit can preferably be measured by a temperature sensor in the conveying device or a circuit sensor upstream of the conveying device or a circuit sensor downstream of the conveying device, since in these variants the temperature estimated at the conveying device without loss of working medium essentially corresponds to the actual temperature recorded. Alternatively, the actual temperature of the working medium in the working medium circuit can also be recorded by a circuit sensor on the side of a respective heat exchanger opposite the conveying device, a temperature sensor in the respective heat exchanger or a temperature sensor in the expansion element, wherein in these variants the comparison of the temperature difference with an associated limit value explained above is preferably carried out.

In one embodiment of the invention, several actual temperatures of the working fluid in the working fluid circuit are recorded by selected sensors. In this case, the respective differences between the estimated temperature and the recorded actual temperatures of the working fluid are determined and the determined temperature differences are compared with predetermined limit values that are assigned to the respective sensors. Since the working fluid has different temperatures in different places in the working fluid circuit as standard, different limit values of the temperature differences must be assigned to the different sensors. This variant with several sensors and accordingly several temperature differences to be processed may be somewhat more complex, but can advantageously assess an existing working fluid loss even more reliably. In one variant, a working fluid loss from the heat pump can be assessed as existing if at least one predetermined limit value is exceeded by the determined temperature difference. In another variant, which assesses an existing working fluid loss even more reliably, a working fluid loss from the heat pump can be assessed as existing if all predetermined limit values are exceeded by the determined temperature differences.

In one embodiment of the invention, the estimation of the temperature of the working medium, the determination of the difference between the estimated temperature and the recorded actual temperature of the working medium and the assessment of the loss of working medium from the heat pump are carried out by a computer-aided method which is set by a user and/or by artificial intelligence itself. And depending on the embodiment of the monitoring method, this computer-aided method may also compare the determined difference in temperatures with the predetermined limit value.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a heat pump (can be used as a refrigeration machine or heating machine depending on the application) contains a working fluid circuit with a conveying device for conveying a working fluid (depending on the application, for example, coolant or heating fluid) through the working fluid circuit, a drive device for driving the conveying device and at least one heat exchanger in which the working fluid is in heat exchange with a utility fluid of a utility fluid circuit for a thermal object (cooling object or heating object), and at least one sensor (e.g. temperature sensor or circuit sensor) for detecting the temperature of the working fluid in the working fluid circuit, wherein the conveying device has a power sensor system for detecting performance data of the conveying device, and wherein the heat pump further has an evaluation unit which is connected to the power sensor system of the conveying device and is configured to carry out the automatic method discussed above for monitoring working fluid loss from the heat pump according to the invention.

With this heat pump according to the invention, the same advantages are achieved as with the automatic monitoring method according to the invention. With regard to the advantages and explanations, reference is therefore also made to the advantages and explanations explained above with regard to the method.

The heat pump preferably further comprises an output element which is connected to the evaluation unit and is configured to output to a user an indication of loss of working fluid from the heat pump (e.g. optically, acoustically and/or digitally).

Preferably, the at least one sensor for temperature detection contains a temperature sensor in the conveying device and/or a circuit sensor upstream of the conveying device and/or a circuit sensor downstream of the conveying device. Alternatively or additionally, a circuit sensor on the side of a respective heat exchanger opposite the conveying device and/or a temperature sensor in the respective heat exchanger and/or a temperature sensor in the expansion element can also be included.

In one embodiment of the invention, the evaluation unit contains a computer-aided method that is configured to estimate the temperature of the working medium based on the performance data of the conveying device recorded by the performance sensor system, to determine the difference between the estimated temperature and the recorded actual temperature of the working medium, and to assess the loss of working medium from the heat pump. This computer-aided method can be set by a user and/or by artificial intelligence itself. And the evaluation unit for carrying out the monitoring of loss of working medium from the heat pump can optionally be integrated with a control unit for controlling the drive device for the conveying device (optionally in a common control system).

The invention also relates to an electronic device (for example as a household appliance, commercial device or vehicle device) which has a heat pump according to the invention as described above and at least one thermal object (cooling object or heating object) whose working medium circuit is in heat exchange with the working medium circuit in the at least one heat exchanger of the heat pump. The electronic device can be, for example, a laundry treatment device, a refrigerator and/or freezer, an air conditioning system or the like.

• 1 den Grundaufbau eines Ausführungsbeispiels einer Wärmepumpe gemäß der Erfindung; und
• 2 ein Flussdiagramm eines Ausführungsbeispiel eines automatischen Überwachungsverfahren gemäß der Erfindung.

The invention is defined by the appended claims. The above and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following exemplary description of preferred, non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. In these, partly schematically:

• 1 the basic structure of an embodiment of a heat pump according to the invention; and
• 2 a flow chart of an embodiment of an automatic monitoring method according to the invention.

Referring to 1 An embodiment of a heat pump according to the invention is explained by way of example in the form of a refrigeration system for a cooling object. Alternatively, this heat pump can also be used as a heating system for a heating object. The thermal object can, for example, Example: a unit of a household appliance, such as a laundry appliance, a refrigerator and/or freezer, an air conditioning unit, etc.

The heat pump 10 has a working medium circuit 12 for a working medium (e.g. refrigerant R134a), which has a working medium conveying device 15 in the form of a compressor or compressor, a high-pressure side heat exchanger 16 in the form of a condenser or condenser, an expansion element 17 in the form of an expansion valve or a throttle and a low-pressure side heat exchanger 18 in the form of an evaporator along the working medium line 13. The gaseous working medium is first compressed in the compressor 15 and then liquefied in the condenser 16 while releasing heat, for example to the environment. The liquefied working medium is then expanded by the expansion valve 17. In the subsequent evaporator 18, the working medium evaporates while absorbing heat at a low temperature, and is then compressed again in the compressor 15.

At the evaporator 18, the working medium circuit 12 is in heat exchange with a utility medium circuit 32 of a cooling object 30 in the form of, for example, a cold room. As in 1 As indicated, the useful medium circuit 32 in the region of the evaporator 18 contains at least one useful medium conveyor 34a, 34b upstream or downstream of the evaporator 18 for conveying the useful medium (eg cold air flow) through the evaporator, and preferably also at least one temperature sensor 36a, 36b upstream or downstream of the evaporator.

As in 1 As shown, the heat pump 10 further includes a control unit 20a for regulating the operation of the components 15, 16, 17, 18 of the working medium circuit 12 and preferably also of the at least one utility medium conveyor 34a, 34b of the utility medium circuit 32. The control unit 20a is typically connected to several circuit sensors 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d for detecting the temperature and/or pressure of the working medium at different points of the working medium circuit 12 and also to the at least one temperature sensor 36a, 36b of the utility medium circuit 32 for detecting the temperature of the utility medium (in each case wirelessly or wired). Based on the parameters obtained, the control unit 20a controls in particular a drive device 22 for operating the compressor 15 in order to regulate the cooling capacity of the working medium circuit 12 in order to meet the cooling requirement of the cooling object 30.

Over time, wear or damage to the working fluid circuit 12 can cause leakage, which can cause the working fluid to escape from the working fluid circuit 12. As in 1 As shown, the heat pump 10 therefore also contains an evaluation unit 20b for monitoring the loss of working fluid from the heat pump 10. In this embodiment, this evaluation unit 20b is integrated with the control unit 20a in a common control 20. Alternatively, the control unit 20a and the evaluation unit 20b can also be contained in separate controls, wherein the separate controls are then preferably connected to one another.

The evaluation unit 20b is connected to a power sensor 26 in the compressor 15 in order to permanently record performance data of the compressor 15. Such a power sensor 26 is included as standard in a compressor 15. The compressor 15 contains, for example, a compression device for compressing the working medium mass flow introduced from the working medium line 13 before it is discharged into the working medium line 13 and a compressor motor for driving the compression device, wherein the pressure, mass and temperature of the working medium in the closed working medium circuit are dependent on one another and the working medium pressure exerts a force on the rotor that affects the performance of the conveying device, and wherein the electrical resistance of the motor windings, the magnetic fields and thus the power consumption of the conveying device are temperature-dependent. The performance data of the compressor 15 to be recorded by the performance sensor 26 therefore contain an electrical resistance of the motor windings and the power consumption of the conveying device, from which the evaluation unit 20b can estimate the temperature of the working medium in the area of the compressor.

As in 1 As indicated, the evaluation unit 20b is also connected to at least one sensor 24, 25 for detecting the temperature of the working medium in the working medium circuit 12. Preferably, the evaluation unit 20b is connected to at least one of the temperature sensor 25a in the compressor 15 and the circuit sensor 24d upstream of the compressor 15 and the circuit sensor 24a downstream of the compressor 15, which each measure the temperature of the working medium in the area of the compressor 15. Alternatively or additionally, the evaluation unit 20b can also be connected to at least one of the circuit sensor 24b downstream of the high-pressure side heat exchanger 16 and the circuit sensor 24c upstream of the low-pressure side heat exchanger 18 and the temperature sensor 25b in the high-pressure side heat exchanger 16 and the temperature sensor 25c in the expansion element 17 and the temperature sensor 25d in the low-pressure side heat exchanger 18, which each measure the temperature temperature of the working fluid in the working fluid circuit 12.

And as in 1 As illustrated, the evaluation unit 20b is preferably also connected to an output element 29, with which an indication of an assessed loss of working fluid from the heat pump 10 can be output. Depending on the structure of the output element 29, the indication can be output to the user of the heat pump 10, for example, optically and/or acoustically. Optionally, the indication can also be output digitally, ie, for example, wirelessly or via a network to a user device (eg mobile phone).

In addition, the evaluation unit 20b preferably contains a computer-aided method 28 for assessing whether there is a loss of working fluid from the heat pump 10, based on the performance data of the compressor 15 recorded by the performance sensor 26 and the actual temperature of the working fluid recorded by the at least one sensor 24, 25, wherein this computer-aided method 28 can be set by a user and/or even by artificial intelligence. Algorithms attributed to artificial intelligence can optionally be used.

As explained above, in the embodiment of 1 A cooling object 30 for cooling the useful medium by the working medium is coupled to the evaporator 18 of the working medium circuit 12. As in 1 As indicated, alternatively or additionally, a heating object 31 for heating the working medium by the working medium can be coupled to the condenser 16 of the working medium circuit 12.

Referring to 2 The automatic method 100 according to the invention for monitoring working fluid loss is now described from the above-explained and in 1 illustrated heat pump 10.

In a first step S110, the performance data of the compressor 15 are continuously recorded. In step S112, the evaluation unit 20b estimates the temperature of the working medium based on the recorded performance data of the compressor 15. In step S114, the evaluation unit 20b records an actual temperature of the working medium in the working medium circuit 12, which is measured by one or more of the sensors 24, 25 explained above. Then, in step S116, the evaluation unit 20b determines the difference between the estimated temperature and the recorded actual temperature of the working medium.

Based on the determined difference between the estimated temperature and the actual temperature, the evaluation unit 20b can then judge in step S120 whether there is a loss of working fluid from the heat pump 10. If no difference is determined between the estimated temperature and the actual temperature, it is judged that no loss of working fluid exists.

If in step S120 a loss of working fluid from the heat pump 10 has been assessed based on an existing difference between the estimated and the actual temperature of the working fluid, a corresponding indication indicating the loss of working fluid is preferably output to the user via the output element 29 (e.g. optically, acoustically and/or digitally) in a next step S124.

This information, which is issued by the automatic monitoring process 100 of the heat pump 10, allows the user to carry out or arrange for appropriate repairs to the heat pump 10 even in the event of a minor loss of working fluid in order to maintain or restore efficient operation of the heat pump 10. For safety reasons, the system can also be switched off.

As in 2 As indicated, the recording of the performance data of the compressor 15 and the corresponding evaluations by the evaluation unit 20b are continued when no loss of working fluid has yet been assessed, and preferably also after an assessed loss of working fluid (particularly in the case of a minor loss of working fluid).

In addition, 2 an optional step S118 is shown, by means of which the working fluid loss can then be assessed even more reliably in step S120, and which is particularly advantageous when detecting an actual temperature of the working fluid somewhere in the working fluid circuit 12 or when detecting several actual temperatures of the working fluid at different points in the working fluid circuit 12. In this step S118, the evaluation unit 20b compares the difference between the estimated and the actual temperature determined in step S116 with a predetermined limit value, wherein this limit value is assigned to and adapted to the respective sensor by which the actual temperature is detected.

In step S120, an existing loss of working fluid is then assessed if it has been determined in step S118 that the determined difference in temperatures exceeds the respective predetermined limit value. If several actual temperatures of the working fluid in the working fluid circuit 12 are detected by respectively selected sensors 24, 25, then in step S120 a loss of working fluid can be assessed as being present if at least one predetermined limit value is exceeded by the determined difference in temperatures or if even all predetermined limit values are exceeded by the determined differences in temperatures.

The use of the limit value supports the variants that a loss of working fluid is likely to occur when the temperature difference is small and that a loss of working fluid is definitely present when the temperature difference is large, and also the correct evaluation of the estimated temperature in the case of a temperature difference that exists even without a loss of working fluid when a sensor is used that is located at a different point in the working fluid circuit where the working fluid normally has a different temperature than at the conveyor.

As in 2 As shown, in an optional step S122, after assessing an existing working fluid loss in step S120, the amount of the working fluid loss can also be assessed based on the extent to which the limit value is exceeded. In this embodiment of the monitoring method 100, the indication given to the user in step S124 can preferably indicate a minor working fluid loss or a total loss of the working fluid from the heat pump depending on the assessed amount of the working fluid loss.

The invention is defined by the appended claims. The embodiments explained above serve only to improve the understanding of the invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of protection defined by the claims. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, other embodiments are also possible within the scope of the invention, in particular by omitting individual features from or adding additional features to the embodiments described above.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST

10

Heat pump (as cooling or heating system)

12

Work equipment cycle

13

Work equipment management

15

Conveying device, especially compressor

16

high-pressure side heat exchanger, especially condenser / condenser

17

Expansion device, especially expansion valve / throttle

18

Low-pressure side heat exchanger, especially evaporator

20

steering

20a

Control unit for operation of the conveyor device

20b

Evaluation unit for monitoring procedures

22

Drive device for 15

24a

Downstream circuit sensor 15 for temperature / pressure of the working fluid in 13

24b

Downstream circuit sensor 16 for temperature / pressure of the working fluid in 13

24c

Upstream circuit sensor 18 for temperature / pressure of the working fluid in 13

24d

Upstream circuit sensor 15 for temperature / pressure of the working fluid in 13

25a

Temperature sensor in 15

25b

Temperature sensor in 16

25c

Temperature sensor in 17

25d

Temperature sensor in 18

26

Power sensors in 15

28

computer-aided procedure in 20b

29

Output element

30

thermal object (cooling object at 18)

31

thermal object (heating object at 16)

32

Resource cycle

34a

Upstream material conveyor 16 18

34b

Utility conveyor downstream 16 18

36a

Upstream utility temperature sensor 16 18

36b

Utility temperature sensor downstream 16 18

100

Proceedings

Claims (14)

Automatic method (100) for monitoring working fluid loss from a heat pump (10), wherein the heat pump (10) has a working fluid circuit (12) with a conveying device (15) for conveying a working fluid through the working fluid circuit (12), a drive device (22) for driving the conveying device (15), at least one heat exchanger (16, 18) in which the working medium is in heat exchange with a useful medium of a useful medium circuit (32) for a thermal object (30, 31), and has at least one sensor (24a-d, 25a-d) for detecting the temperature of the working medium in the working medium circuit (12), the method (100) comprising: continuously detecting (S110) performance data of the conveying device (15); estimating (S112) the temperature of the working medium on the basis of the detected performance data of the conveying device (15); detecting (S114) an actual temperature of the working medium in the working medium circuit (12) by a selected one of the at least one sensors (24a-d, 25a-d); determining (S116) the difference between the estimated temperature and the detected actual temperature of the working medium; and assessing (S120) whether there is a loss of working medium from the heat pump (10) based on the determined difference between the estimated and actual temperatures. Procedure (100) according to Claim 1 , further comprising comparing (S118) the determined difference in temperatures with a predetermined limit value associated with the selected one of the at least one sensors (24a-d, 25a-d), wherein it is judged (S120) that a loss of working fluid from the heat pump (10) is present if it has been determined that the determined difference in temperatures exceeds the predetermined limit value. Procedure (100) according to Claim 2 further comprising, when an existing working fluid loss is assessed, assessing (S122) the amount of working fluid loss based on the magnitude of the limit value exceedance. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising outputting (S124) an indication to a user indicating a loss of working fluid from the heat pump (10). Procedure (100) according to Claim 3 , further comprising outputting (S124) an indication to a user indicating a loss of working fluid from the heat pump (10), wherein the indication output to the user indicates a minor loss of working fluid or a total loss of the working fluid from the heat pump (10) depending on the assessed amount of the loss of working fluid. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the actual temperature of the working medium in the working medium circuit (12) is measured by a temperature sensor (25a) in the conveying device (15) or a circuit sensor (24d) upstream of the conveying device (15) or a circuit sensor (24a) downstream of the conveying device (15). Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, in which a plurality of actual temperatures of the working medium in the working medium circuit (12) are detected by respectively selected sensors (24a-d, 25a-d) (S114); the respective differences between the estimated temperature and the detected actual temperatures of the working medium are determined (S116); the determined differences in the temperatures are compared with predetermined limit values assigned to the respective sensors (24a-d, 25a-d) (S118); and a loss of working medium from the heat pump (10) is assessed as being present (S120) if at least one predetermined limit value is exceeded by the determined difference in the temperatures, or if all predetermined limit values are exceeded by the determined differences in the temperatures. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the estimation (S112) of the temperature of the working medium, the determination (S116) of the difference between the estimated temperature and the detected actual temperature of the working medium and the assessment (S120) of the working medium loss from the heat pump (10) are carried out by a computer-aided method (28), wherein the computer-aided method (18) is set by a user and/or itself by artificial intelligence. Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the performance data of the conveying device (15) to be recorded contain at least one parameter which is selected from an electrical resistance of the motor windings and the power consumption of the conveying device (15). Heat pump (10), comprising: a working medium circuit (12), which comprises: a conveying device (15) for conveying a working medium through the working medium circuit (12), a drive device (22) for driving the conveying device (15), and at least one heat exchanger (16, 18) in which the working medium is in heat exchange with a useful medium of a useful medium circuit (32) for a thermal object (30, 31); and at least one sensor (24a-d, 25a-d) for detecting the temperature of the working medium in the working medium circuit (12), wherein the conveying device (15) has a power sensor sensor system (26) for detecting performance data of the conveying device (15); and wherein the heat pump (10) further comprises an evaluation unit (20b) which is connected to the performance sensor system (26) of the conveying device (15) and is configured to carry out the automatic method (100) for monitoring working fluid loss from the heat pump (10) according to one of the Claims 1 until 9 to carry out. Heat pump (10) to Claim 10 , further comprising an output element (29) which is connected to the evaluation unit (20b) and is configured to output to a user an indication of loss of working fluid from the heat pump (10). Heat pump (10) to Claim 10 or 11 , in which the at least one sensor for temperature detection contains a temperature sensor (25a) in the conveying device (15) and/or a circuit sensor (24d) upstream of the conveying device (15) and/or a circuit sensor (24a) downstream of the conveying device (15). Heat pump (10) according to one of the Claims 10 until 12 , in which the evaluation unit (20b) contains a computer-aided method (28) which is configured to estimate the temperature of the working medium based on the performance data of the conveying device (15) detected by the performance sensor system (26), to determine the difference between the estimated temperature and the detected actual temperature of the working medium and to assess the working medium loss from the heat pump (10), wherein the computer-aided method (28) can be set by a user and/or even by artificial intelligence. Electronic device, comprising: a heat pump (10) according to one of the Claims 10 until 13 and at least one thermal object (30, 31), the working medium circuit (32) of which is in heat exchange with the working medium circuit (12) in the at least one heat exchanger (16, 18) of the heat pump (10).

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