Methods and systems provided for determining a phase state and/or for determining a degree of subcooling in a fluid. An exemplary method for operating a refrigeration cycle includes flowing a refrigerant through a metering device and calculating a pressure differential of the refrigerant across the metering device. Further, the method includes determining whether the refrigerant is a saturated liquid based on the pressure differential. The method includes, when the refrigerant is not a saturated liquid, cooling the refrigerant upstream of the metering device.