Fuel supply system
AssigneeDelta Fuel Company, L.L.C.
InventorsJoel E. Dupre, Adam Vegas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A remote fuel supply system comprising a fuel transfer unit for managing the flow of fuel from a remote fuel tank and onboard auxiliary tank to an engine. The system may include an engine unit comprising an onboard auxiliary tank, a remote fuel supply unit comprising a remote fuel tank, and a fuel transfer unit. The fuel transfer unit may include a housing featuring multiple inlets for receiving fresh fuel from the fuel supply unit and unburnt fuel from the engine unit, and the housing may include multiple outlets connected to diverter valves for selectively transferring fuel to the engine unit from the fuel supply sources; namely, the fresh fuel from the fuel supply unit and/or the unburnt fuel from the engine unit.
Claims16
A fuel supply system for establishing a fuel supply into a wellsite hot-zone, the fuel supply system comprising:
- (a) an engine unit including an engine, a fuel saddle tank, and an engine pump adapted to deliver fuel to the engine;
- (b) a fuel supply unit spaced apart from the engine unit and including a fuel supply tank, a supply pump configured to transfer fuel to the fuel supply tank, and a manifold receiving fuel from the fuel supply tank;
- (c) a transfer unit, the transfer unit comprising:
- (i) a supply inlet for receiving fuel from an outlet of the manifold of the fuel supply unit;
- (ii) an engine return inlet for receiving unburnt fuel leaving the engine;
- (iii) a saddle tank outlet for transferring fuel from the transfer unit into the fuel saddle tank;
- (iv) a saddle tank inlet for receiving fuel from the fuel saddle tank;
- (v) an engine supply outlet for transferring fuel from the transfer unit to the engine;
- (vi) a first diverter valve operatively connecting the supply inlet, the engine return inlet, and the saddle tank outlet;
- (vii) a second diverter valve operatively connecting the saddle tank inlet and the engine supply outlet;
- (viii) an air eliminator positioned between the first diverter valve and the second diverter valve;
- (ix) a first conduit fluidly connecting the first diverter valve to the air eliminator;
- and (x) a second conduit fluidly connecting the air eliminator to the second diverter valve.
A fuel supply system establishing a fuel supply into a wellsite hot-zone, the fuel supply system comprising:
- (a) an engine unit including an engine, a fuel saddle tank, and an engine pump adapted to deliver fuel to the engine;
- (b) a fuel supply unit spaced apart from the engine unit and including a fuel supply tank, a supply pump configured to transfer fuel to the fuel supply tank, and a manifold receiving fuel from the fuel supply tank;
- (c) a first valve configured to selectively receive fuel from either (i) an outlet of the manifold via a first fuel line, or (ii) the fuel saddle tank, and direct fuel to the engine pump;
- (d) a second valve configured to receive return fuel from the engine and a fuel cooler, and to selectively direct return fuel back into either (i) the first fuel line, or (ii) the fuel saddle tank;
- and
- (e) wherein the first valve and the second valve are enclosed within a fuel transfer unit having sidewalls defining a volume of less than 3 ft3.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.