SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING ENGINE FUEL LIMITS

• US 20140336852A1
• Filed: 05/07/2013
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Dowell, John Patrick, Sukumaran, Suseel, Polkus, Greg Thomas, Ozolins, Jason Daniel, Tharakan, Atul George
• Granted Patent: US 9,475,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/21
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 79/30 for diagnosing, testing or predicting the integrity or performance of vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 79/40 for controlling the operation of vessels, e.g. monitoring their speed, routing or maintenance schedules
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/21 Control means for engine or transmission, specially adapted for use on marine vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/22 the propulsion power units being controlled from exterior of engine room, e.g. from navigation bridge; Arrangements of order telegraphs
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0614 Actual fuel mass or fuel injection amount
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0625 Fuel consumption, e.g. measured in fuel liters per 100 kms or miles per gallon
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/101 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2416 Interpolation techniques
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2422 Selective use of one or more tables
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2432 Methods of calibration
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 70/10 Measures concerning design or construction of watercraft hulls

Abstract

A method of determining fuel limits for an engine includes measuring an actual fuel value for the engine and creating a plurality of engine speed points. The method further includes calculating respective static fuel limit points for each of the engine speed points utilizing the actual fuel value. The static fuel limit points define and limit a rated power of the engine.

Claims

1. A method for determining fuel limits for an engine comprising the steps of:

measuring an actual fuel value for the engine;

selecting a plurality of engine speed points; and

calculating respective static fuel limit points for the engine speed points utilizing the actual fuel value;

wherein the static fuel limit points define and limit a rated power of the engine.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating a fuel limit curve from the static fuel limit points and engine speed points through interpolation; and

controlling operation of the engine for driving a load based on the fuel limit curve.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the actual fuel value is obtained by measuring an amount of fuel consumed while the engine operates at its maximum continuous rated speed and load.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the engine speed points are normalized to maximum continuous rated engine speed.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of engine speed points are from twenty to thirty engine speed points.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of calculating the static fuel limit points for the engine speed points includes the steps of:

selecting a power map based on an engine application; and

utilizing the power map to calculate the static fuel limit points.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the power map contains fuel limit regions containing normalized speed and load factors for multiple engine applications.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein at least one of the fuel limit regions contains user configurable speed and load factors.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of calculating the static fuel limit points for the engine speed points includes the steps of:

calculating brake specific fuel consumption; and

utilizing the brake specific fuel consumption to calculate the static fuel limit points.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

selecting a fuel efficiency parameter based on engine speed; and

utilizing the fuel efficiency parameter to calculate the static fuel limit points.

9. The method of 1 wherein the step of calculating the static fuel limit points for the engine speed points includes the step of:

adjusting the actual fuel value by a fuel value scaler to account for changes in achievable engine power.

12. A method for modifying an engine fuel limit curve comprising the steps of:

receiving, at an electronic control unit of an engine, a value for a configurable parameter; and

calculating respective static fuel limit points for a plurality of engine speed points utilizing an actual fuel value for the engine and the configurable parameter;

wherein the static fuel limit points define and limit a rated power of the engine.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the configurable parameter is a fuel value scaler which adjusts the actual fuel value to account for changes in achievable engine power.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the configurable parameter is an application type for which the engine is to be used.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the configurable parameter is at least one of a speed factor or a load factor of an engine power map.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the static fuel limit points and speed points are interpolated to create a fuel limit curve that defines and limits the engine'"'"'s rated power.

17. The method of claim 12 further including the step of controlling the engine to drive a load based on the static fuel limit points.

18. An engine control system comprising:

an engine control unit; and

a storage device electrically connected to the engine control unit, the storage device comprising a non-transient tangible medium having machine readable instructions stored thereon that when executed by the engine control unit cause the engine control unit to calculate respective static fuel limit points for a plurality of engine speed points utilizing an actual fuel value for an engine, the static fuel limit points defining and limiting a rated power of the engine.

19. The engine control system of claim 18 further comprising:

a human machine interface operatively connected to the engine control unit, the human machine interface allowing a user to selectively actuate the engine control unit to calculate static fuel limit points and/or to enter a configurable parameter that may be used by the engine control unit to calculate the static fuel limit points.

20. The engine control system of claim 18, wherein the engine control unit is configured to create a fuel limit curve from the static fuel limit points and engine speed points through linear interpolation.

21. The engine control system of claim 20, wherein the engine control unit is configured to receive a value for at least one configurable parameter and to modify the fuel limit curve based on the value.