Power system with multiple generator units

• US 20080296976A1
• Filed: 06/01/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Progress Rail Services Corporation (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Progress Rail Services Corporation (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fonseca, Roy Christopher, Wright, Jeffrey Holt, Black, Andrew William
• Granted Patent: US 7,876,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/76
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/472 For selectively connecting the AC sources in a particular order, e.g. sequential, alternating or subsets of sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A method of operating a power system is provided, the power system having power-system controls. The method may include automatically setting a priority ranking for a plurality of generator units of the power system with the power-system controls based at least in part on an operating parameter of each generator unit indicative of a quantity of work done by the generator unit. The method may also include automatically controlling which of the generator units run with the power-system controls based at least in part on the priority ranking of the generator units.

Claims

1. A method of operating a power system, the power system having power-system controls, the method comprising:

automatically setting a priority ranking for a plurality of generator units of the power system with the power-system controls based at least in part on an operating parameter of each generator unit indicative of a quantity of work done by the generator unit; and

automatically controlling which of the generator units run with the power-system controls based at least in part on the priority ranking of the generator units.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating parameter is a quantity of fuel consumed by each generator unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating parameter is a quantity of electricity generated by each generator unit.

4. The method of claim 1, further including, subsequent to setting the priority ranking for the plurality of generator units, automatically resetting the priority ranking for the plurality of generator units in response to predetermined conditions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein automatically resetting the priority ranking in response to predetermined conditions includes automatically resetting the priority ranking in response to a quantity of the operating parameter for at least one of the generator units exceeding a reference value.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein resetting the priority ranking includes resetting the priority ranking based on a quantity of the operating parameter for each generator unit measured from the time the priority ranking was set.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the power system is part of a mobile machine; and

the method further includes selectively propelling the mobile machine with power from one or more of the plurality of generator units.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically setting the priority ranking for the plurality of generator units with the power-system controls includes excluding one or more of the generator units from the priority ranking if an operator has transmitted to the power-system controls one or more predetermined communications for excluding one or more of the generator units from operation.

9. A method of operating a power system, the power system having power-system controls, the method comprising:

automatically controlling with the power-system controls which of a plurality of generator units of the power system run, including selecting which of the generator units run based at least in part on an operating parameter indicative of an amount of service accumulated by each generator unit since a reference point in time, the reference point in time being a time other than the time the generator unit first ran.

10. The method of claim 9, further including resetting the reference point in time in response to predetermined conditions.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein resetting the reference point in time in response to predetermined conditions includes resetting the reference point in time in response to a quantity of the operating parameter for one of the generator units exceeding a reference value.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein selecting which of the generator units run based at least in part on an operating parameter indicative of an amount of service accumulated by each generator unit since a reference point in time includes

setting a priority ranking for the plurality of generator units based at least in part on a quantity of the operating parameter for each generator unit;

and

when selecting a subset of the generator units to run, electing to run a generator unit with a higher position in the priority ranking over a generator unit with a lower position in the priority ranking.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the operating parameter is a quantity of fuel consumed by each generator unit since the reference point in time.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the operating parameter is a quantity of electricity generated by each generator unit since the reference point in time.

15. A mobile machine, comprising:

a plurality of generator units;

one or more electric propulsion motors;

power-system controls that control the plurality of generator units and the one or more electric propulsion motors, including

selectively operating the mobile machine in a first operating mode, including, upon entering the first operating mode, running a plurality of the generator units regardless of the electricity requirements of the mobile machine; and

selectively propelling the mobile machine at least in part by operating one or more of the one or more electric propulsion motors with electricity generated by one or more of the plurality of generator units.

16. The mobile machine of claim 15, wherein the power-system controls also selectively operate the mobile machine in a second operating mode, including, whenever operating the mobile machine in the second operating mode, controlling which of the plurality of generator units run based at least in part on one or more parameters related to the electricity requirements of the mobile machine.

17. The mobile machine of claim 16, wherein the mobile machine is a railroad locomotive.

18. The mobile machine of claim 15, wherein operating in the first operating mode further includes, after initially running a plurality of the generator units regardless of the electricity requirements of the mobile machine, stopping one or more of the plurality of running generator units if predetermined operating conditions related to the electricity requirements of the mobile machine over a period of time occur.

19. The mobile machine of claim 15, wherein operating in the first operating mode further includes, after initially running a plurality of the generator units regardless of the electricity requirements of the mobile machine, stopping one or more of the plurality of running generator units if a parameter related to the electricity requirements of the mobile machine remains below a reference value for a reference period of time.

20. The mobile machine of claim 19, wherein the parameter related to the electricity requirements of the mobile machine is a quantity of electric power required by the electric propulsion motors.