Fuel system for consist having daughter locomotive

• US 9,718,478 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2014
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Progress Rail Locomotive Inc. (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Electro-Motive Diesel Incorporated (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Foege, Aaron Gamache
• Primary Examiner(s): KUHFUSS, ZACHARY L
• Application Number:
  US14/554,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20150083229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 105 2605, 105 615
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 17/02 Bunkers; Tanks; Tenders coachwork B61D; Water or fuel pick-up or scoop apparatus; Water or fuel supply fittings trackside installations, e.g. bunkers, tanks, for filling locomotives with sand or water B61K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6858 Locomotive

Abstract

The disclosure is directed to a fuel system for a consist. The fuel system may have a tank located on a tender car of the consist and configured to hold a supply of liquefied gaseous fuel. The fuel system may also have an accumulator located on a daughter locomotive of the consist and configured to hold a supply of pressurized gaseous fuel at a predetermined pressure. The fuel system may further have at least one conduit fluidly connecting the tank to the accumulator and the accumulator to a first engine on a lead locomotive of the consist. The accumulator is configured to supply pressurized gaseous fuel to the first engine when pressure of fluid within the at least one conduit drops below the predetermined pressure of the pressurized gaseous fuel in the accumulator.

Claims

1. A fuel system for a consist, comprising:

a tank located on a tender car of the consist and configured to hold a supply of liquefied gaseous fuel;

an accumulator located on a daughter locomotive of the consist and configured to hold a supply of pressurized gaseous fuel at a predetermined pressure; and

at least one conduit fluidly connecting the tank to the accumulator and the accumulator to a first engine on a lead locomotive of the consist, wherein the accumulator is configured to supply pressurized gaseous fuel to the first engine when pressure of fluid within the at least one conduit drops below the predetermined pressure of the pressurized gaseous fuel in the accumulator.

2. The fuel system of claim 1, wherein the at least one conduit further fluidly connects the accumulator to a second engine on the daughter locomotive.

3. The fuel system of claim 2, further including at least one control valve configured to regulate fuel flow between the tank and the accumulator and between the accumulator and the first and second engines.

4. The fuel system of claim 3, wherein the first and second engines are substantially identical.

5. The fuel system of claim 3, further including at least one pump configured to move liquefied gaseous fuel from the tank toward the accumulator.

6. The fuel system of claim 5, further including at least one heat exchanger configured to vaporize the liquefied gaseous fuel from the pump.

7. The fuel system of claim 6, wherein the at least one pump and at least one heat exchanger are both located onboard the tender car.

8. The fuel system of claim 1, wherein the accumulator is located on the daughter locomotive in a position corresponding to a cabin on the lead locomotive.

9. The fuel system of claim 1, wherein fuel from the tank is pumped through the daughter locomotive to the lead locomotive.

10. A method of fueling a consist, comprising:

pumping fuel from a tank located on a tender car of the consist to an accumulator on a daughter locomotive within the consist, the tank configured to be fluidly connected to the accumulator via at least one conduit, the accumulator being configured to hold a supply of pressurized gaseous fuel at a predetermined pressure; and

distributing the fuel from the accumulator to a first engine in a lead locomotive of the consist when pressure of fluid within the at least one conduit drops below the predetermined pressure of the pressurized gaseous fuel in the accumulator.

11. The method of claim 10, further including distributing the fuel from the accumulator to a second engine on the daughter locomotive.

12. The method of claim 11, further including moving at least one control valve configured to regulate fuel flow between the tank and the accumulator and between the accumulator and the first and second engines.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the fuel in the tank is a liquefied gaseous fuel.

14. The method of claim 13, further including vaporizing the liquefied gaseous fuel before directing the fuel to the accumulator.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pumping and the vaporizing occur onboard the tender car.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the accumulator is located on the daughter locomotive in position corresponding to a cabin on the lead locomotive.

17. A consist, comprising:

a lead locomotive having at least a first engine configured to power the consist;

a daughter locomotive coupled to the lead locomotive and having at least a second engine configured to power the consist;

a tender car coupled to the daughter locomotive;

a tank located on the tender car and configured to hold a supply of liquefied gaseous fuel;

an accumulator located on the daughter locomotive and configured to hold a supply of pressurized gaseous fuel at a predetermined pressure;

a pump located on the tender car and configured to pump fuel from the tank;

a heat exchanger located on the tender car and configured to vaporize the fuel; and

at least one conduit fluidly connecting the tank to the accumulator and the accumulator to the at least a first and at least a second engines on the lead locomotive and on the daughter locomotive, wherein the accumulator is configured to supply pressurized gaseous fuel to the at least a first and at least a second engines when pressure of fluid within the at least one conduit drops below the predetermined pressure of the pressurized gaseous fuel in the accumulator.

18. The consist of claim 17, further including at least one control valve configured to regulate fuel flow between the tank and the accumulator and between the accumulator and the at least a first and second engines.

19. The consist of claim 18, wherein the first and second engines are substantially identical.

20. The consist of claim 17, wherein the accumulator is one of a membrane/spring-biased or bladder type of accumulator.