Fuel selection method and related system for a mobile asset

• US 10,344,687 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2015
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Gallagher, Shawn, Norton, Daniel George
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Application Number:
  US14/847,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20150377153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/213 Fuel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 17/12 Control gear; Arrangements for controlling locomotives from remote points in the train or when operating in multiple units control from points outside the train B61L3/00; fluid-actuated telemotors, servomotors F15B; control devices in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 29/0425 Air cooled heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 29/0437 Liquid cooled heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/0618 depending on the engine's or vehicle's position, e.g. on/off road or proximity to a harbor
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/0647 the gaseous fuel being liquefied petroleum gas [LPG], liquefied natural gas [LNG], compressed natural gas [CNG] or dimethyl ether [DME]
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/081 Adjusting the fuel composition or mixing ratio; Transitioning from one fuel to the other
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/701 Information about vehicle position, e.g. from navigation system or GPS signal
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/36 Control for minimising NOx emissions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 25/00 Controlling two or more co-operating engines
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0025 Controlling engines characterised by use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0027 the fuel being gaseous non-electrical control F02D19/02
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/021 Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine conjoint control of vehicle sub-units for propelling the vehicle B60W30/18
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1444 characterised by the characteristics of the combustion gases
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/266 the computer being backed-up or assisted by another circuit, e.g. analogue
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and systems related to operating a mobile asset are provided. In one example, a method for operating a mobile asset includes supplying an engine with a fuel controller a first amount of a first fuel and a second amount of a second fuel and combusting the first fuel and the second fuel at a fuel combustion ratio in at least one cylinder of the engine, the first amount and the second amount being selected based on route information for a route along which the mobile asset is operable to travel and a projected exhaustion of the first fuel that does not precede a projected exhaustion of the second fuel, wherein the mobile asset is unable to operate with the second fuel alone.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile asset, comprising:

supplying an engine with a fuel controller a first amount of a first fuel and a second amount of a second fuel; and

combusting the first fuel and the second fuel at a fuel combustion ratio in at least one cylinder of the engine, the fuel combustion ratio being selected based on route information for a route along which the mobile asset is operable to travel and a projected exhaustion of the first fuel that does not precede a projected exhaustion of the second fuel, wherein the mobile asset is unable to operate with the second fuel alone; and

wherein the fuel combustion ratio is further selected so that an actual emission level associated with usage of the first and second fuels is less than or equal to a determined emission level included in projected emission information associated with the route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first amount and the second amount are selected further based on a remaining quantity of the first fuel in a first fuel source and a remaining quantity of the second fuel in a second fuel source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first amount and the second amount are selected further based on fuel market information including, for at least one of the first fuel or the second fuel, one or more of availability information or price information, and wherein the fuel market information includes fuel market information for one or more fuel stations along the route.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the route information includes one or more of projected mobile asset location information, projected fuel usage information, projected engine speed information, projected engine load information, projected engine emission information, or fuel station location information for one or more fuel stations along the route, and wherein fuel combustion ratio is further selected based on mobile asset operation information including one or more of actual engine speed information, actual engine load information, actual engine emission information, or actual mobile asset location information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fuel combustion ratio is a ratio of the first fuel and the second fuel to be delivered to the at least one cylinder of the engine, and wherein the fuel combustion ratio is further selected based upon mobile asset operation information including one or more of a quantity of at least one of the first or second fuels present in respective mobile asset fuel sources or actual fuel usage information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting the fuel combustion ratio further based upon the mobile asset operation information comprises determining a predicted first amount of the first fuel and a predicted second amount of the second fuel based at least in part on projected fuel usage information and adjusting the predicted first amount of the first fuel and the predicted second amount of the second fuel based on one or more of actual fuel usage information, actual engine speed information, actual engine load information, actual engine emission information, or actual mobile asset location information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising supplying an engine exhaust with a third amount of the first fuel so that the actual emission level associated with usage of the first and second fuels is less than or equal to the determined emission level.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting, from a plurality of fuel stations along the route, a particular fuel station for refueling the mobile asset with at least one of the first or second fuels based upon the route information so that the projected exhaustion of the first fuel does not precede the projected exhaustion of the second fuel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first amount and the second amount are further selected so that the projected exhaustion of a particular fuel selected from the first fuel and the second fuel does not precede projected arrival of the mobile asset at a location where the mobile asset may be resupplied with that particular fuel.