# US 10,480,445 B2 · Gas engine drive system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,480,445 B2 - Document ID: US10480445B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/775,113 - Filed: 2016-10-06 - Published: 2018-12-27 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-10 - Assignees: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Yosuke Nonaka; Tomoaki Kizuka; Satoru Fukao; Shigeharu Fujihara; Towa Hirayama; Hiroyoshi Ishii - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480445B2 ## CPC - F02D 41/30: Controlling fuel injection {(F02D41/182, F02D41/24 take precedence)} - F02B 37/00: Engines characterised by provision of pumps driven at least for part of the time by exhaust - F02D 19/02: peculiar to engines working with gaseous fuels - F02D 29/06: peculiar to engines driving electric generators - F02D 41/0007: {for control of turbo-charged or super-charged engines (control of the pumps per se F02B37/12)} - F02D 41/0027: {the fuel being gaseous (non-electrical control F02D19/02)} - F02M 21/02: for gaseous fuels - F02D 2200/0406: Intake manifold pressure - F02D 2200/0602: Fuel pressure - F02D 2200/0611: Fuel type, fuel composition or fuel quality - F02D 2200/1002: Output torque - F02D 2250/18: Control of the engine output torque - Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies - Y02T 10/30: Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels - F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W) - F02B: INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL (gas-turbine plants F02C; hot-gas or combustion-product positive-displacement engine plants F02G) - F02M: SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A gas engine drive system includes: a gas engine; a turbocharger including a compressor and a turbine connected to the gas engine; a fuel injection valve provided on the gas engine; a fuel supply line leading a fuel gas to the fuel injection valve, the fuel supply line having a pressure regulating valve; a first pressure meter detecting an intake air pressure; a second pressure meter detecting a fuel supply pressure being a pressure at a pressure regulating valve downstream side; and a controller controlling the pressure regulating valve such that a pressure difference between the fuel supply pressure and the intake air pressure is a target value. The controller changes the target value from a first to a second setting value higher than the first when a load on the gas engine increases rapidly or when a calorific value of the fuel gas is less than a threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A gas engine drive system comprising: a gas engine; a turbocharger including a compressor and a turbine that are connected to the gas engine; a fuel injection valve provided on the gas engine; a fuel supply line that leads a fuel gas to the fuel injection valve, the fuel supply line being provided with a pressure regulating valve; a first pressure meter that detects an intake air pressure that is a pressure of intake air fed from the compressor to the gas engine; a second pressure meter that detects a fuel supply pressure that is a pressure at a downstream side of the pressure regulating valve; and a controller that controls the pressure regulating valve such that a pressure difference between the fuel supply pressure detected by the second pressure meter and the intake air pressure detected by the first pressure meter is a target value, wherein the controller changes the target value from a first setting value to a second setting value higher than the first setting value when a calorific value of the fuel gas is less than a threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The gas engine drive system according to claim 1, wherein when the calorific value of the fuel gas is less than the threshold, the controller determines the second setting value such that the less the calorific value of the fuel gas, the greater the second setting value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The gas engine drive system according to claim 1, further comprising a calorific value meter that detects the calorific value of the fuel gas. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The gas engine drive system according to claim 1, further comprising: a power generator that is driven by the gas engine; and a power meter that detects electric power generated by the power generator, wherein the controller calculates the calorific value of the fuel gas based on the electric power detected by the power meter and a fuel injection amount from the fuel injection valve, and changes the target value from the first setting value to the second setting value when the calculated calorific value is equal to or less than the threshold. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The gas engine drive system according to claim 1, further comprising a torque meter that detects an output torque of the gas engine, wherein the controller calculates the calorific value of the fuel gas based on the output torque of the gas engine, which is detected by the torque meter, and a fuel injection amount from the fuel injection valve, and changes the target value from the first setting value to the second setting value when the calculated calorific value is equal to or less than the threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The gas engine drive system according to claim 2, further comprising a calorific value meter that detects the calorific value of the fuel gas. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The gas engine drive system according to claim 2, further comprising: a power generator that is driven by the gas engine; and a power meter that detects electric power generated by the power generator, wherein the controller calculates the calorific value of the fuel gas based on the electric power detected by the power meter and a fuel injection amount from the fuel injection valve, and changes the target value from the first setting value to the second setting value when the calculated calorific value is equal to or less than the threshold. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The gas engine drive system according to claim 2, further comprising a torque meter that detects an output torque of the gas engine, wherein the controller calculates the calorific value of the fuel gas based on the output torque of the gas engine, which is detected by the torque meter, and a fuel injection amount from the fuel injection valve, and changes the target value from the first setting value to the second setting value when the calculated calorific value is equal to or less than the threshold. ### Claim 9 A gas engine drive system comprising: a gas engine; a turbocharger including a compressor and a turbine that are connected to the gas engine; a fuel injection valve provided on the gas engine; a fuel supply line that leads a fuel gas to the fuel injection valve, the fuel supply line being provided with a pressure regulating valve; a first pressure meter that detects an intake air pressure that is a pressure of intake air fed from the compressor to the gas engine; a second pressure meter that detects a fuel supply pressure that is a pressure at a downstream side of the pressure regulating valve; and a controller that controls the pressure regulating valve such that a pressure difference between the fuel supply pressure detected by the second pressure meter and the intake air pressure detected by the first pressure meter is a target value, wherein the controller changes the target value from a first setting value to a second setting value higher than the first setting value when the controller determines by any one of (i) a first determination method, (ii) a second determination method, and (iii) a third determination method that a load on the gas engine increases rapidly, the first determination method includes: calculating a speed of increase in a necessary fuel injection amount; and determining that the load on the gas engine increases rapidly if the speed of increase in the necessary fuel injection amount is higher than a threshold, and determining that the load on the gas engine does not increase rapidly if the speed of increase in the necessary fuel injection amount is lower than the threshold, the second determination method includes: calculating a deviation between an actual rotational speed and a target rotational speed; and determining that the load on the gas engine increases rapidly if the deviation between the actual rotational speed and the target rotational speed is greater than a threshold, and determining that the load on the gas engine does not increase rapidly if the deviation between the actual rotational speed and the target rotational speed is less than the threshold, and the third determination method includes: detecting an output torque of the gas engine by a torque meter and calculating a speed of increase in the output torque; and determining that the load on the gas engine increases rapidly if the speed of increase in the output torque is higher than a threshold, and determining that the load on the gas engine does not increase rapidly if the speed of increase in the output torque is lower than the threshold. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The gas engine drive system according to claim 9, wherein when a predetermined time elapses after the rapid increase in the load on the gas engine, and the controller has changed the target value from the first setting value to the second setting value, the controller changes the target value from the second setting value back to the first setting value.