US Patent 11879673 Refrigerant charge control system for heat pump systems

Air sourced or water sourced packaged self-contained heat pump units having indoor and outdoor sections are provided. The heat pump unit distributes its total charge of refrigerant between a main refrigerant system and a refrigerant charge control system while keeping the total charge of refrigerant in the heat pump unit constant. The refrigerant charge control system has a refrigerant reservoir, an inlet conduit, and an outlet conduit that extends into the reservoir such that its lowest point is close to the bottom of the reservoir.