U.S. patent application number 14/088038 was filed with the patent office on 2015-05-28 for control system for fuel tender of locomotive.
This patent application is currently assigned to Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc.. Invention is credited to Gregory Raymond Kupiec, Dennis Melas.
Application Number | 20150149003 14/088038 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53183311 |
Filed Date | 2015-05-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150149003 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kupiec; Gregory Raymond ; et
al. |
May 28, 2015 |
CONTROL SYSTEM FOR FUEL TENDER OF LOCOMOTIVE
Abstract
A control system for a fuel tender of a locomotive includes an
input module, a sensor module, a processor unit, and at least one
actuator. The input module is configured to generate a first signal
based on one or more inputs received from an operator of the
locomotive. The sensor module is configured to generate a second
signal based on one or more operating parameters of at least one of
the locomotive and the fuel tender. The processor unit is
configured to generate a first actuation signal based on at least
one of the first signal and the second signal. The actuator is
disposed in electrical communication with the processor unit and
the fuel tender. The actuator is configured to selectively perform
at least one of enabling or disabling fuel flow from the fuel
tender to the locomotive based on the first actuation signal.
Inventors: |
Kupiec; Gregory Raymond;
(Lemont, IL) ; Melas; Dennis; (Chicago,
IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. |
LaGrange |
IL |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc.
LaGrange
IL
|
Family ID: |
53183311 |
Appl. No.: |
14/088038 |
Filed: |
November 22, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
701/19 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B61C 17/12 20130101;
B61C 17/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
701/19 |
International
Class: |
B61C 17/12 20060101
B61C017/12; B61C 17/02 20060101 B61C017/02 |
Claims
1. A control system for a fuel tender of a locomotive, the control
system comprising: an input module configured to generate a first
signal based on one or more inputs received from an operator of the
locomotive; a sensor module configured to generate a second signal
based on one or more operating parameters of at least one of the
locomotive and the fuel tender; a processor unit communicably
coupled with the input module and the sensor module, the processor
unit configured to generate a first actuation signal based on at
least one of the first signal and the second signal; and at least
one actuator disposed in electrical communication with the
processor unit and the fuel tender, the actuator configured to
selectively perform at least one of enabling or disabling fuel flow
from the fuel tender to the locomotive based on the first actuation
signal.
2. The control system of claim 1 further comprising a switching
module associated with a fuel conversion unit of the fuel tender,
the switching module configured to receive a second actuation
signal from the processor unit such that the switching module
directs the fuel conversion unit to selectively perform conversion
of fuel from a first phase to a second phase within the fuel
tender.
3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the operating parameters
of the locomotive include one or more of: a historical operating
record of the locomotive; and a current operating record of the
locomotive.
4. The control system of claim 1 further comprising a positioning
module configured to determine current geographic co-ordinates of
the locomotive, wherein the control system is further configured to
determine one or more desired operating parameters of the
locomotive for an oncoming rail based on the current geographic
co-ordinates of the locomotive.
5. The control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more operating
parameters of the locomotive include at least a throttle position
of the locomotive.
6. The control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more operating
parameters include at least one of a fluid pressure in the fuel
tender, and a detected operational fault of at least one of the
fuel tender and the locomotive.
7. The control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more inputs
received by the input module includes at least one of a throttle
position of the locomotive, and a position of a reverser of the
locomotive.
8. The control system of claim 1, wherein the locomotive includes a
plurality of locomotives, and wherein each of the plurality of the
locomotives is associated with at least one fuel tender.
9. The control system of claim 8, wherein the control system is
further configured to selectively enable or disable the fuel tender
associated with each of the plurality of locomotives.
10. The control system of claim 9, wherein the fuel tender is
selectively enabled or disabled based on at least one of a load
distribution between the plurality of locomotives, and one or more
desired operating parameters of the locomotive for an oncoming
rail.
11. A method of controlling fuel flow from a fuel tender of a
locomotive, the method comprising: generating a first signal based
on one or more inputs from an operator of the locomotive;
generating a second signal based on one or more operating
parameters of at least one of the locomotive and the fuel tender;
generating a first actuation signal based on at least one of the
first signal and the second signal; and performing at least one of
enabling and disabling fuel flow out of the fuel tender based on
the first actuation signal.
12. The method of claim 13 further comprising generating a second
actuation signal and selectively performing conversion of fuel from
a first phase to a second phase within the fuel tender based on the
second actuation signal.
13. The method of claim 13, wherein the operating parameters of the
locomotive include one or more of: a historical operating record of
the locomotive; and a current operating record of the
locomotive.
14. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving current
geographic co-ordinates of the locomotive to determine one or more
desired operating parameters of the locomotive for an oncoming
rail.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more operating
parameters of the locomotive include at least a throttle position
of the locomotive.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the operating parameters of at
least one of the locomotive and the fuel tender include one or more
of a fluid pressure in the fuel tender, and a detected operational
fault of at least one of the fuel tender and the locomotive; and
wherein the second signal is based at least in part on one or more
of the fluid pressure in the fuel tender, and the detected
operational fault of at least one of the fuel tender and the
locomotive.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more inputs received
by the input module includes at least one of a throttle position of
the locomotive, and a position of a reverser of the locomotive.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein the locomotive includes a
plurality of locomotives, and wherein each of the plurality of the
locomotives is associated with at least one fuel tender.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method further includes
selectively enabling or disabling the fuel tender associated with
each of the plurality of locomotives.
20. The method of claim 19 further including selectively enabling
or disabling the fuel tender associated with each of the plurality
of locomotives based on at least one of a load distribution between
the plurality of locomotives, and one or more desired operating
parameters of the locomotive for an oncoming rail.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a fuel tender of a
locomotive, and more particularly to a control system for the fuel
tender of the locomotive.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Typically, locomotives travelling on rails from one location
to another location may experience varying gradients or varying
pay-loads, and consequently varying load, and speed conditions.
Further, locomotives may include a puller locomotive alone, a
consist containing a puller locomotive, a pusher locomotive and/or
any other locomotives interspersed between cab cars or bogies of
the consist.
[0003] Locomotives operable on gas, for example, compressed natural
gas (CNG) may employ one or more fuel tenders having a supply of
liquefied natural gas (LNG) therein. One or more systems within
these fuel tenders may convert LNG to CNG and deliver CNG to the
locomotives. Previously known systems disclose regulation of fuel
from a fuel tender to a locomotive for example, WO publication
number 2013/091109 discloses an apparatus and method for supplying
gaseous fuel from a tender car to an internal combustion engine on
a locomotive. The method includes storing the gaseous fuel at a
cryogenic temperature in a cryogenic storage tank on the tender
car. The method also includes pumping the gaseous fuel to a first
pressure from the cryogenic storage tank. The method further
includes vaporizing the gaseous fuel at the first pressure; and
conveying the vaporized gaseous fuel to the internal combustion
engine; whereby a pressure of the vaporized gaseous fuel is within
a range between 310 bar and 575 bar.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0004] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a control
system for a fuel tender of a locomotive. The control system
includes an input module, a sensor module, a processor unit, and at
least one actuator. The input module is configured to generate a
first signal based on one or more inputs received from an operator
of the locomotive. The sensor module is configured to generate a
second signal based on one or more operating parameters of at least
one of the locomotive and the fuel tender. The processor unit is
communicably coupled with the input module and the sensor module,
and is configured to generate a first actuation signal based on at
least one of the first signal and the second signal. The actuator
is disposed in electrical communication with the processor unit and
the fuel tender. The actuator is configured to selectively perform
at least one of enabling or disabling fuel flow from the fuel
tender to the locomotive based on the first actuation signal.
[0005] In another aspect, the present disclosure discloses a method
of controlling fuel flow from a fuel tender of a locomotive. The
method includes generating a first signal based on one or more
inputs from an operator of the locomotive. The method further
includes generating a second signal based on one or more operating
parameters of at least one of the locomotive and the fuel tender.
The method further includes generating a first actuation signal
based on at least one of the first signal and the second signal.
The method further includes performing at least one of enabling and
disabling fuel flow out of the fuel tender based on the first
actuation signal.
[0006] Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be
apparent from the following description and the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a side view of a locomotive system showing a
schematic representation of a control system employed therein, in
accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a side view of the locomotive system showing the
schematic representation of the control system when employed in
conjunction with multiple locomotives of the locomotive system;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a side view of the locomotive system of FIG. 2 on
a rail having a gradient therein;
[0010] FIGS. 4-5 show different exemplary configurations of the
locomotive system; and
[0011] FIG. 6 is a method of controlling fuel flow from a fuel
tender of the locomotive.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] In the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that an
underlined numeral/alpha-numeral is employed to represent an
element over which the underlined numeral/alpha-numeral is
positioned. A non-underlined numeral/alpha-numeral relates to an
element identified by a line linking the non-underlined
numeral/alpha-numeral to the element. When a numeral/alpha-numeral
is non-underlined and accompanied by an associated arrow, the
non-underlined numeral/alpha-numeral is used to identify a general
element at which the arrow is pointing.
[0013] The following detailed description illustrates embodiments
of the present disclosure and ways in which it can be implemented.
Although the best mode of carrying out the present disclosure has
been disclosed, those skilled in the art would acknowledge that
other embodiments for carrying out or practicing the present
disclosure are possible without deviating from the scope of the
claims herein.
[0014] The present disclosure relates to a control system for a
fuel tender of a locomotive. FIG. 1 shows a side view of a
locomotive system 100 including a schematic representation of a
control system 102 employed therein. The locomotive system 100
includes a locomotive 104 configured to run on a rail 106. The
locomotive 104 may be, for example, a diesel locomotive configured
to run on diesel and/or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). In an
embodiment, the locomotive 104 may include an engine 108 such as,
but not limited to, a diesel engine or a gas turbine engine. The
locomotive 104 may further include a pump 110 coupled to the engine
108 such that the engine 108 may be configured to drive the pump
110.
[0015] The locomotive system 100 further includes a fuel tender 112
associated with the locomotive 104. The fuel tender 112 is
configured to store fuel therein. The fuel may be for example,
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The fuel tender 112 may further
include a fuel delivery system 114 including one or more fuel
delivery valves 116 therein. The fuel delivery system 114 may
render the fuel tender 112 in selective fluid communication with
the engine 108. The pump 110 associated with the engine 108 may be
configured to pump fuel from the fuel tender 112 for delivery to
the engine 108. A fluid coupling system 118 may be employed to
establish a fluid connection between the pump 110 and the fuel
delivery system 114. The fluid coupling system 118 may include
various components such as, but not limited to, hoses, pipes or
other apparatuses commonly known in the art to accomplish a fluid
connection between the pump 110 and the fuel delivery system
114.
[0016] Fuels such as LNG may typically require conversion to CNG in
order to be utilized by locomotives. The fuel tender 112 may
include one or more fuel conversion units 120 configured to convert
LNG into CNG. In an embodiment, the fuel conversion unit 120 may
include one or more heat exchangers 122 therein such that the heat
exchangers 122 heat up and vaporize LNG for conversion into
CNG.
[0017] In an embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, the control system 102
is associated with the locomotive 104 and the fuel tender 112. The
control system 102 is communicably coupled to the fuel delivery
system 114 and the fuel conversion unit 120. The control system 102
includes an input module 126, which is configured to generate a
first signal 128 based on one or more inputs received from an
operator of the locomotive 104. In an embodiment, the input module
126 may receive at least one of a throttle position of the
locomotive 104, and a position of a reverser (not shown) of the
locomotive 104.
[0018] The control system 102 further includes a sensor module 130,
which is configured to generate a second signal 132 based on one or
more operating parameters of at least one of the locomotive 104 and
the fuel tender 112. In an embodiment, the operating parameters may
include at least one of a historical operating record of the
locomotive 104, and a current operating record of the locomotive
104. The historical operating record and the current operating
record may be a repository of data indicating past and present
operating conditions of at least one of the locomotive 104 and the
fuel tender 112. The operating parameters may be used to co-relate
and determine performance metrics of the locomotive 104 and the
fuel tender 112. The sensor module 130 may generate the second
signal 132 based on the performance metrics of the locomotive 104
and the fuel tender 112.
[0019] In another embodiment, the operating parameters of the
locomotive 104 may include the throttle position of the locomotive
104. The sensor module 130 may include one or more sensors (not
shown) configured to sense the throttle position of the locomotive
104. Although it is disclosed herein that the throttle position of
the locomotive 104 is provided as by the operator or sensed by the
sensor module 130, it is to be noted that these methods are
exemplary in nature and hence, non-limiting of this disclosure. A
person having ordinary skill in the art will acknowledge that
various methods of receiving the throttle position are known in the
art such that the first signal 128 and/or the second signal 132 of
the present disclosure may be generated therefrom. Therefore, in an
embodiment, the operator may provide the throttle position as an
input via the input module 126 and alternatively, depending on
specific application requirements and other design criteria of the
locomotive 104, the sensor module 130 may determine the throttle
position of the locomotive 104.
[0020] The control system 102 further includes a processor unit 134
communicably coupled with the input module 126 and the sensor
module 130. The processor unit 134 is configured to receive the
first signal 128 and the second signal 132 from the input module
126 and the sensor module 130 respectively. Further, the processor
unit 134 is configured to generate a first actuation signal 136
based on at least one of the first signal 128 and the second signal
132.
[0021] The control system 102 further includes at least one
actuator 138 disposed in electrical communication with the
processor unit 134 and the fuel tender 112. The actuator 138 is
configured to selectively perform at least one of enabling or
disabling fuel flow from the fuel tender 112 to the locomotive 104
based on the first actuation signal 136. In an embodiment, enabling
or disabling the fuel tender 112 by the actuator 138 includes
switching "ON" or "OFF" one or more fuel delivery valves 116 of the
fuel delivery system 114 associated with the fuel tender 112.
[0022] In another embodiment, the control system 102 may further
include a switching module 140 associated with the fuel conversion
unit 120 of the fuel tender 112. The switching module 140 may be
configured to receive a second actuation signal 142 from the
processor unit 134. The second actuation signal 142 enables the
switching module 140 to direct the fuel conversion unit 120 to
selectively perform conversion of fuel within the fuel tender 112
from a first phase to a second phase, for example, from LNG to CNG.
In one embodiment, the second actuation signal 142 generated by the
processor unit 134 may be an "ON" signal such that the switching
module 140 switches the heat exchangers 122 of the fuel conversion
unit 120 into the "ON" mode thereby enabling fuel conversion of LNG
into CNG within the fuel tender 112. In another embodiment, the
second actuation signal 142 generated by the processor unit 134 may
be an "OFF" signal such that the switching module 140 switches the
heat exchangers 122 of the fuel conversion unit 120 into an "OFF"
mode thereby disabling fuel conversion of LNG into CNG within the
fuel tender 112. Thus, with reference to the foregoing embodiments,
enabling and disabling the fuel tender 112 by the actuator 138 may
further include switching the heat exchangers 122 of the fuel
conversion unit 120 from an "OFF" mode to an "ON" mode or from an
"ON" mode to an "OFF" mode respectively.
[0023] In an embodiment, the operating parameters of the fuel
tender 112 may include a fluid pressure in the fuel tender 112 such
that the second signal 132 may be based on such current operating
record of the locomotive 104. The current operating record,
disclosed herein, may functionally extend to record fluid pressure
in the fuel tender 112 and any fluctuations thereof. The processor
unit 134 may then monitor compliance of the second signal 132 to
the current fluid pressure. Further, the processor unit 134 may use
the current operating record to compute or predict forward fluid
pressures by way of using test data, for example, pre-calculated
tables, curves, graphs, obtained from various theoretical models,
statistical models, simulated models or any combinations
thereof.
[0024] In order to measure the fluid pressure within the fuel
tender 112, the sensor module 130 may include a pressure sensor 144
disposed within or located on the fuel tender 112. The pressure
sensor 144 may be configured to measure the fluid pressure within
the fuel tender 112, for example, a pressure of LNG and CNG, and
provide the measured fluid pressure to the sensor module 130.
Thereafter, the sensor module 130 may be configured to generate the
second signal 132 based at least in part on the fluid pressure in
the fuel tender 112.
[0025] In another embodiment, the operating parameters of the
locomotive 104 and the fuel tender 112 may include a detected
operational fault of at least one of the fuel tender 112 and the
locomotive 104. The current operating record of the locomotive 104
and/or the fuel tender 112 may record the operational faults and
include the detected operational faults in a repository thereof
such that the processor unit 134 may periodically assess compliance
of the second signal 132 on a basis of the detected operational
faults. Therefore, the second signal 132 may be based on the
detected operational fault of the fuel tender 112 and/or the
locomotive 104.
[0026] In order to detect operational faults with the fuel tender
112 and the locomotive 104, the sensor module 130 may further
include one or more detectors 146a, 146b (two detectors shown in
FIG. 1) located on the locomotive 104 and the fuel tender 112. It
is to be noted that a number of detectors disclosed herein, is
merely exemplary in nature and hence, non-limiting of this
disclosure. Any number of detectors may be employed depending on
specific requirements of an application associated with locomotives
104. For ease and convenience in differentiating between the
detectors 146a, 146b disclosed herein, the two detectors 146a, 146b
will be hereinafter referred to as a first detector 146a, and a
second detector 146b, wherein the first detector 146a is associated
with the locomotive 104 and the second detector 146b is associated
with the fuel tender 112 respectively.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the first detector 146a may be disposed
in connection with one or more components of the locomotive 104
such as the engine 108 and/or the pump 110. Thus, the first
detector 146a may be configured to detect an operational fault with
the engine 108 and/or the pump 110. Similarly, the second detector
146b may be disposed in connection with the pressure sensor 144,
the fuel delivery system 114, and/or the fuel conversion unit 120
of the fuel tender 112 such that the second detector 146b may be
configured to detect an operational fault with the pressure sensor
144, the fuel delivery system 114, and/or the fuel conversion unit
120 of the fuel tender 112. Thus, with reference to the foregoing
embodiments, the second signal 132 may be generated based on the
detected operational fault of one or more of the engine 108, the
pump 110, the pressure sensor 144, the fuel delivery system 114,
and the fuel conversion unit 120 by the first and second detectors
146a, 146b.
[0028] In an embodiment, the control system 102 may further include
a positioning module 148 disposed in communication with the
processor unit 134. The positioning module 148 may be, for example,
a Global Positioning System (GPS). The positioning module 148 may
be configured to determine current geographic co-ordinates of the
locomotive 104 and provide them to the processor unit 134. The
processor unit 134 of the control system 102 may determine one or
more desired operating parameters of the locomotive 104 for an
oncoming rail (not shown) based on the current geographic
co-ordinates of the locomotive 104.
[0029] Referring to FIG. 2, the locomotive system 100 may include
multiple locomotives 104, wherein each of the locomotives 104 is
associated with at least one fuel tender 112. For the purposes of
clarity and understanding, reference numerals 202a, 202b, and 202c
are used to denote locomotives 104 at different locations in a
consist 204 of the locomotive system 100. With reference to a
direction of travel "A" of the locomotive system 100, the
locomotive 202a therein may be construed as a puller locomotive or
a leader locomotive while the locomotive 202b and the locomotive
202c may be construed as an intermediary locomotive, and a pusher
locomotive respectively. With reference to the preceding
embodiment, it may be evident to a person having ordinary skill in
the art that the locomotive 202a, the locomotive 202b, and the
locomotive 202c may co-operatively drive the consist 204 in the
direction of travel "A".
[0030] Similarly, reference numerals 208a, 208b, and 208c are used
to denote or represent fuel tenders 112 associated with the
respective locomotives 202a, 202b, and 202c. In an embodiment, the
locomotive system 100 may further include one or more railcars, for
example cab-cars or cargo containers, interspersed along the
consist 204. For the purpose of differentiation and ease in
understanding the present disclosure, the railcars 210 are
individually designated as 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d, 210e, 210f, and
210g. Although seven railcars 210 are illustrated in FIG. 2, it is
to be noted that a number of railcars 210 in the consist 204 may
differ from one locomotive system 100 to another. Further, with
reference to the direction of travel "A", four railcars 210a, 210b,
210c, and 210d are shown trailing locomotive 202a while three
railcars 210e, 210f, and 210g are shown trailing locomotive 202b
and leading locomotive 202c. Although four railcars 210a, 210b,
210c, and 210d are shown disposed between locomotive 202a and
locomotive 202b, and three railcars 210e, 210f, and 210g are shown
disposed between locomotive 202b and locomotive 202c, any number of
railcars may be disposed between adjacent pairs of locomotives 202a
and 202b, or 202b and 202c. Hence, it is to be noted that an
arrangement of railcars 210 within the consist 204 is merely
exemplary in nature and hence, non-limiting of this disclosure.
[0031] With reference to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the fuel
tenders 208a, 208b, and 208c are selectively enabled or disabled
based on a load distribution along the consist 204 of the
locomotive system 100, for example, considering that the rail 106
is horizontal, the locomotives 202a, 202b, and 202c running over
the horizontal rail 106 may experience different conditions of load
based on the overall load distribution along the consist 204, for
example, it may be assumed that each railcar has a laded or unladed
weight X. Therefore, a total weight of railcars 210a, 210b, 210c,
and 210d between locomotive 202a and 202b maybe 4.times. and a
total weight of railcars 210e, 210f, and 210g between locomotive
202b and 202c maybe 3.times., wherein weight 4.times. may be
greater than weight 3.times.. Therefore, a load distribution along
the consist 204 of the locomotive system 100 is uneven. However, as
disclosed earlier herein, an arrangement of railcars 210 within the
consist 204 is merely exemplary in nature, and hence, the load
distribution along the consist 204 may change according to the
arrangement of railcars 210 within the consist 204.
[0032] With continued reference to FIG. 2, it may be seen that the
control system 102 of the present disclosure is communicably
coupled to the fluid delivery systems 114 and the fuel conversion
units 120 of the each fuel tender 208a, 208b, and 208c. Therefore,
the control system 102 may be configured to determine which fuel
tenders 208a, 208b, and 208c are to be enabled and disabled
depending on the overall load distribution along the consist 204.
Thereafter, the control system 102 may be configured to switch "ON"
and switch "OFF" the fuel delivery systems 114 and/or the fuel
conversion units 120 of the determined fuel tenders 208a, 208b, and
208c. For example, in the specific illustration of the locomotive
system 100 of FIG. 2, the control system 102 may enable the fuel
tenders 208a, 208b while simultaneously disabling the fuel tender
208c based on the uneven load distribution along the consist 204.
However, other combinations of fuel tenders 208a, 208b, and 208c
may be selected for enablement and disablement depending on the
load distribution along the consist 204 thereof. Therefore, a
single control system 102 located at the locomotive 202a may be
configured to selectively enable or disable the fuel tenders 208a,
208b, and 208c associated with each of the locomotives 202a, 202b,
and 202c. Alternatively, each locomotive 202a, 202b, and 202c and
the associated fuel tender 208a, 208b, and 208c may be provided
with the control system 102, wherein the individual control systems
102 may be networked using suitable communication links or cables.
The individual control systems 102 may be configured to
co-operatively communicate with each other and synchronously
perform the functions of selectively enabling and disabling the
individual fuel tenders 208a, 208b, and 208c.
[0033] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fuel tenders
208a, 208b, and 208c may be selectively enabled or disabled based
on one or more desired operating parameters of the locomotive for
the oncoming rail. The positioning module 148, for example, the GPS
module may provide the processor unit 134 with the second signal
132 indicative of the current geographic co-ordinates of the
locomotives 202a, 202b, or 202c. In one embodiment, the control
system 102 may further include a memory unit (not shown) configured
to store geographical data such as, but not limited to, maps,
terrain data, gradient of the rail 106 at various locations in the
direction of onward travel A. The processor unit 134 may be
configured to look up the memory unit based on the current
geographic co-ordinates and retrieve information pertaining to the
oncoming rail. Thereafter, the processor unit 134 may generate the
first and/or second actuation signals 136, 142 based on the current
geographic co-ordinates such that each of the fuel tenders 208a,
208b, and 208c is selectively enabled or disabled based on the
desired operating parameters of the locomotive 104 for the oncoming
rail. Therefore, it may be possible to achieve desired operating
parameters such as, but not limited to, power, or speed at each of
the locomotives 202a, 202b, and 202c for the oncoming rail.
[0034] The control system 102 of the present disclosure may be
configured to enable or disable each fuel tender 208a, 208b, and
208c of the locomotive system 100 individually. Further, the
control system 102, disclosed herein, may be further configured to
switch "ON" and switch "OFF" the fuel delivery system 114 and the
fuel conversion unit 120 of each fuel tender 208a, 208b, and 208c
individually. Therefore, control of the fuel delivery system 114
and the fuel conversion unit 120 of each fuel tender 208a, 208b,
and 208c may be executed independent of each other.
[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, the rail 106 may have a gradient
therein, for example, an upwardly sloping section 212, and a
downwardly sloping section 214 disposed thereafter. Further, the
upwardly sloping section 212, and the downwardly sloping section
214 together define a pinnacle 216 therebetween. With reference to
the direction of travel "A", the locomotive 202a traverses the
upwardly sloping section 212 before the locomotives 202b and 202c.
Therefore, the locomotive 202a is shown in a position after the
pinnacle 216. At this position, the locomotive 202a experiences
free rolling motion due to its weight and the weight 4.times. of
the railcars 210a, 210b, 210c, and 210d. However, the locomotives
202b and 202c may experience a need for power from their respective
engines 108 due to the weight of the locomotives 202b and 202c and
also the weight 3.times. of the railcars 210e, 210f, and 210g.
Therefore, the control system 102 may selectively disable the fuel
tender 208a i.e. switch "OFF" the fuel delivery system 114 and/or
the fuel conversion unit 120 associated with the fuel tender 208a
and enable the fuel tenders 208b, and 208c i.e. switch "ON" the
fuel delivery systems 114 and/or the fuel conversion units 120
associated with the fuel tenders 208b and 208c.
[0036] Although load distribution along the consist 204 and
gradients in the rail 106 are disclosed herein as factors affecting
the selective enabling or disabling of the fuel tenders 208a, 208b,
and 208c, it is to be noted that the selectively enabling or
disabling of the fuel tenders 208a, 208b, and 208c may be based on
various other factors and operating conditions of the locomotive
system 100. Hence, load distribution along the consist 204 and
gradients in the rail 106 must be construed as illustrative
embodiments of the present disclosure and taken in an explanatory
sense rather than limitations to the present disclosure.
[0037] FIGS. 4-5 show different exemplary configurations of the
locomotive system 400, 500. In the exemplary configuration of FIG.
4, a single fuel tender 408 is shown disposed between a pair of
locomotives 402a, 402b. The fuel tender 408 may be configured to
supply fuel to the pair of locomotives 402a, 402b. The fuel tender
408 may include separate fuel delivery systems 414a, 414b therein,
corresponding to the locomotives 402a, 402b. A single control
system 404 may be located on one of the locomotives 402a, 402b and
coupled to the fuel tender 408. Alternatively, two control systems
404a, 404b may be employed on the locomotives 402a, 402b, wherein
control system 404a is associated with locomotive 402a, while
control system 404b is associated with locomotive 402b.
[0038] Additionally, with regards to accomplishing fuel conversion,
it may be contemplated to include separate fuel conversion units
406a, 406b in the fuel tender 408 such that the separate fuel
conversion units 406a, 406b correspond to the individual
locomotives 402a, 402b. Accordingly, each fuel conversion unit
406a, 406b may be configured to convert a phase of the fuel
depending on specific requirements of the corresponding locomotives
402a, 402b.
[0039] In the exemplary configuration of FIG. 5, the locomotive
system 500 may employ four locomotives 502a, 502b, 502c, 502d.
Further, the locomotive system 500 may further include a pair of
fuel tenders 508a, 508b. The fuel tender 508a may be configured to
supply fuel to the locomotives 502a, 502b while the fuel tender
508b may be configured to supply fuel to the locomotives 502c,
502d. One may observe that the locomotive system 500 may be
construed as an arrangement of multiple locomotive systems 400 of
FIG. 4 i.e. multiple locomotives systems 400 may be daisy-chained
to each other to form the locomotive system 500. In this case, it
may be possible to employ a single control system 504 located on
any one of the locomotives 502a, 502b, 502c, 502d or alternatively
multiple control systems 504a, 504b, 504c, 504d corresponding to
the locomotives 502a, 502b, 502c, 502d. Therefore, one having
ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various numbers,
configurations, permutations and/or combinations of arrangement may
be possible when employing the control system, the fuel delivery
system, and the fuel conversion unit of the present disclosure such
that the fuel tenders are configured to individually and/or
collectively cater to the fuel requirements of the locomotives.
[0040] It is to be noted that the terms "first signal" and "second
signal", as disclosed herein, are used merely to aid the reader's
understanding of the present disclosure. Although the first signal
128 and the second signal 132 represent a single operator input or
a single operating parameter at a given instant of time, it is
further contemplated that the first signal 128 and the second
signal 132 may collectively represent a group of operator inputs
and a group of operating parameters. Therefore, a scope of the
terms "first signal" and "second signal" should not be construed as
being limited to any specific number of operator inputs or
operating parameters at a given instant of time. Rather, the scope
of the terms "first signal" and "second signal" may extend to
include several unique pieces of information to assist the control
system in performing the functions as laid out in the present
disclosure.
[0041] It may be further noted that numerous commercially available
microprocessors can be configured to perform the functions of the
control system 102 disclosed herein. It may be appreciated that the
control system 102 could readily be embodied in a general machine
microprocessor capable of controlling numerous processing and
actuation functions. The control system 102 may include Random
Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), secondary storage
devices, and other components for running an application. Various
other circuits may be associated with the control system 102 such
as power supply circuitry, signal conditioning circuitry, solenoid
driver circuitry, and other types of circuitry. Various routines,
algorithms, and/or programs can be programmed within the control
system 102 for execution thereof.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0042] FIG. 6 shows a method 600 of controlling fuel flow from the
fuel tender 112 of the locomotive 104. At step 602, the control
system 102 generates the first signal 128 based on the one or more
inputs from the operator of the locomotive 104. In an embodiment,
the control system 102 may receive at least one of the throttle
position, and the position of the reverser associated with the
locomotive 104.
[0043] At step 604, the control system 102 generates the second
signal 132 based on the one or more operating parameters of at
least one of the locomotive 104 and the fuel tender 112. In an
embodiment, the operating parameters of the locomotive 104 may
include one or more of the historical operating record, and the
current operating record of the locomotive 104. In another
embodiment, the operating parameters of the locomotive 104 may
include the throttle position of the locomotive 104.
[0044] In an embodiment, the operating parameters of the locomotive
104 and the fuel tender 112 may include a fluid pressure in the
fuel tender 112 such that the second signal 132 generated by the
sensor module 130 may be based at least in part on the fluid
pressure in the fuel tender 112. The control system 102 may enable
or disable the fuel tender 112 based on the fluid pressure measured
by the pressure sensor 144. For example, if the measured fluid
pressure of LNG and CNG in the fuel tender 112 exceeds a maximum
rated pressure of the fuel tender 112, the control system 102 may
generate the first and second actuation signals 136, 142 configured
for switching "OFF" the fuel delivery system 114 and/or the fuel
conversion unit 120. In another example, when the measured fluid
pressure of LNG and CNG in the fuel tender 112 exceeds a maximum
rated pressure of the fuel tender 112, the control system 102 may
generate the first actuation signal 136 for switching "ON" the fuel
delivery system 114 while also generating the second actuation
signal 142 for switching "OFF" the fuel conversion unit 120. As
disclosed earlier herein, the fuel conversion unit 120 and the fuel
delivery system 114 disclosed herein may be independently
controlled by the control system 102 via the first actuation signal
136 and the second actuation signal 142.
[0045] In an embodiment, the control system 102 may be configured
to generate the second signal 132 indicative of the operational
fault of the locomotive 104 or of the fuel tender 112. For example,
if the engine 108, the pump 110, or any component thereof fails to
operate in a state other than that is intended, the detector 146a
associated with the engine 108 or the pump 110 may generate the
second signal 132 based on the detected operational fault.
Thereafter, the control system 102 may enable or disable the fuel
tender 112 i.e. switch "OFF" or "ON" the fuel delivery system 114
and the fuel conversion unit 120. In another embodiment, the
control system 102 may be configured to receive the current
geographic co-ordinates of the locomotive 104 and determine one or
more desired operating parameters of the locomotive 104 for the
oncoming rail based on the current geographic co-ordinates of the
locomotive 104. Further, the control system 102 may enable or
disable the fuel tender 112 i.e. switch "OFF" or "ON" the fuel
delivery system 114 and the fuel conversion unit 120 based on the
desired operating parameters of the locomotive 104 for the oncoming
rail.
[0046] At step 606, the control system 102 may be configured to
generate the first actuation signal 136 based on at least one of
the first signal 128 and the second signal 132. The processor unit
134 receives the first signal 128 from the operator and the second
signal 132 from the sensor module 130 and/or the positioning module
148 such that the processor unit 134 is configured to generate the
first actuation signal 136 based on at least one of the first
signal 128 and the second signal 132.
[0047] At step 608, the method 400 further includes performing one
or more of enabling and disabling fuel flow out of the fuel tender
112 based on the first actuation signal 136. The actuator 138 of
the control system 102 is configured to receive the first actuation
signal 136 from the processor unit 134 and selectively switch "ON"
or switch "OFF" the fuel delivery system 114 of the fuel tender
112. In an embodiment, the actuator 138 may be additionally
configured to receive the second actuation signal 142 from the
processor unit 134 and may configure the fuel conversion unit 120
to perform conversion of fuel within the fuel tender 112 from the
first phase to the second phase based on the second actuation
signal 142, for example, the fuel conversion unit 120 may be
configured to covert LNG to CNG. Therefore, the fuel conversion
unit 120 may be selectively switched "ON" or switched "OFF" by the
processor unit 134 and the actuator 138 of the control system
102.
[0048] Although the present disclosure discloses one actuator 138
for switching of the fuel delivery system 114 and fuel conversion
unit 120 into the "ON" or "OFF" state, it is to be noted that a
number of actuators 138 used is merely exemplary in nature and
hence, non-limiting of this disclosure. Any number of actuators 138
may be communicably connected to the processor unit 134 and may be
configured to receive the first and/or the second actuation signals
136, 142 therefrom such that the actuators 138 are configured to
switch "ON" or switch "OFF" the fuel delivery system 114 and the
fuel conversion unit 120.
[0049] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method 400
disclosed herein may be applicable to multiple locomotives 202a,
202b, and 202c wherein the locomotive 202a, 202b, and 202c are
associated with the respective fuel tenders 208a, 208b, and 208c.
With reference to the preceding embodiment, the method further
includes selectively enabling or disabling the fuel tender 208a,
208b, and 208c associated with each locomotive 202a, 202b, and
202c. The method further includes selectively enabling or disabling
the fuel tender 208a, 208b, and 208c associated with each
locomotive 202a, 202b, and 202c based on at least one of the load
distribution between the locomotives 202a, 202b, and 202c, and one
or more desired operating parameters of the locomotives 202a, 202b,
and 202c for the oncoming rail.
[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, an oncoming rail may demand that
the locomotive system 100 of FIG. 3 operate at an overall throttle
speed "2". However, the control system 102 of the present
disclosure may take into account many factors such as the
historical and/or current operating record of the locomotive 104,
and detected operational faults of the locomotive 104 and the fuel
tender 112, if any, and may thereafter determine the desired
operating parameters of each locomotive 104 in the locomotive
system 100, for example, the control system 102 may determine that
each of the locomotives 202a and 202c should operate at a throttle
position "3" while the locomotive 202b should operate at a throttle
position "0". Therefore, for the horizontally oriented rail 106 of
FIG. 2 and the known load distribution along the consist 204 of the
locomotive system 100; the overall throttle speed "2" may be
achieved from an average of the throttle positions "3", "0", and
"3" at the respective locomotives 202a, 202b, and 202c.
[0051] With reference to the foregoing embodiments, it may be
further contemplated that the control system 102 is programmed with
various decision-making logics such as algorithms of priorities,
hierarchies such that the control system 102 generates the first
and second actuation signals 136, 142 with pre-set time-delays to
different parameters disclosed herein. For example, it may be
envisioned that an operational fault in the locomotive 104 or the
fuel tender 112 may be cause for concern and hence, the control
system 102 may be pre-programmed to give priority i.e. offer
minimal or no time-delay while generating the actuation signals
136, 142 upon detection of an operational fault. However, the
control system 102 may offer a pre-set time delay while generating
the actuation signals 136, 142 in response to the current
geographic location from the positioning module 148.
[0052] Further, the control system 102 may be additionally
programmed with decision making in conflict of signals such as when
one or more parameters are represented through the first and second
signals 128, 132, for example, detection of an operational fault
and an anticipated rail condition. In such scenarios, the control
system 102 may give priority i.e. offer minimal or no time-delay
while generating the actuation signals 136, 142 based upon
detection of the operational fault as compared to generating the
actuation signals 136, 142 based upon the anticipated rail
condition. Therefore, a person having ordinary skill in the art
will acknowledge that the control system 102 may be configured to
execute various types and combinations of algorithms, programs, and
logics to execute responses appropriately desired for the
contemplated situations. Therefore, any suitable algorithm,
program, and logic may be used to execute the steps and methods
disclosed herein without deviating from the scope of this
disclosure.
[0053] The control system 102 of the present disclosure may improve
fuel utilization in the locomotive system 100. When fuel supply is
selectively needed by one or more locomotives 202a, 202b, and 202c,
the control system 102 may determine the desired operating
parameters of the locomotive system 100 such that the fuel from the
respective fuel tenders 208a, 208b, and 208c is appropriately
distributed to the selected locomotives 202a, 202b, and 202c based
on the pre-set programs, logic, and parameters of the processor
unit 134. Therefore, the control system 102 of the present
disclosure may improve fuel utilization by the locomotive system
100.
[0054] The control system 102 of the present disclosure may prolong
a service life of various components located within the fuel tender
112. For example, the control system 102 may switch "OFF" the fuel
delivery system 114 and the fuel conversion unit 120 of the fuel
tender 112 when fuel supply is not needed by the locomotive 104
based on the oncoming railroad, or if the second signal 132 is
based on the detected operational fault of the locomotive 104 or
the fuel tender 112.
[0055] Previously known systems typically accomplished conversion
of fuel within the fuel tender 112 from the first phase to the
second phase, for example, LNG to CNG. Thereafter, the fuel tender
112 would store CNG and any un-converted LNG therein. However, as
the conversion process may involve heating LNG to vaporize into
CNG, the fluid pressure within the tank may increase. In the event
that the locomotive 104 would not need any converted fuel for an
oncoming rail i.e. CNG, and/or if fluid pressure in the fuel tender
112 exceeded the maximum rated pressure of the fuel tender 112, the
converted fuel i.e. CNG would be vented out of the fuel tender 112
and into the atmosphere. This may lead to waste of effort in
converting the fuel from one phase to another while also entailing
wastage of the vented fuel. Further, fuel vented into the
atmosphere may cause pollution and may pose other environmental
concerns.
[0056] With implementation of the control system 102 disclosed
herein, the locomotive system 100 may be able to offset effort and
costs associated with conversion and supply of fuel into the
locomotive 104. The control system 102 may switch the fuel delivery
systems 114 and the fuel conversion units 120 of the fuel tenders
208a, 208b, and 208c "ON" or "OFF" based on the first actuation
signal 136 and the second actuation signal 142. The first actuation
signal 136 and the second actuation signal 142 may be based on
various factors such as, but not limited to, oncoming rail
conditions, operational faults of the locomotives 202a, 202b, and
202c or fuel tenders 208a, 208b, and 208c, and historical and/or
current operating record of the locomotives 202a, 202b, and 202c.
Further, the fuel delivery system 114 and the fuel conversion unit
120 of each fuel tender 208a, 208b, and 208c may be switched "ON"
and "OFF" independently of each other i.e. the fuel delivery system
114 may be switched "ON" while the fuel conversion unit 120 may be
switched "OFF".
[0057] The control system 102 may be configured to prevent wastage
of fuel occurring with use of previously known systems. Therefore,
use of the control system 102 disclosed herein may prevent
pollution and other environmental concerns associated with venting
of CNG into the atmosphere. Further, implementation of the control
system 102 disclosed herein may improve an overall efficiency and
performance of the locomotive system 100 thus improving
profitability and reducing exorbitant costs associated with
operation of the fuel tenders 112.
[0058] While aspects of the present disclosure have been
particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments
above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that
various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the
modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without
departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such
embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the
present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any
equivalents thereof.
* * * * *