Paper No 692 – Detecting Leaks of Flammable Refrigerants below the 5% Lower Flammability Limit with a Low-Cost Sensor Platform – 14th IEA Heat Pump Conference, Chicago, USA
A new low-cost sensor platform was developed for detecting flammable refrigerant leaks below the 5% lower flammability limit with an intrinsic self-check feature, detection times of under 1 s, no field calibration requirement, and rapid communication with a monitoring station or the fire department using Internet of Things technology. The sensor platform is plug and play and is specifically suitable for environmentally friendly low–global warming potential natural refrigerants, such as propane, that can achieve higher energy efficiency and operate at lower costs compared with hydrofluorocarbons. Because of its flammability, propane is mainly used in secondary and cascade refrigeration systems in supermarkets and chillers. Further adoption and market penetration depends on improved equipment safety because of tight safety standards from regulators and building codes. This sensor platform will provide OEMs and end users with increased safety features and optionality. Adoption of this platform for propane, which has a global warming potential of 3, will help reduce global warming relative to the use of hydrofluorocarbons.