Heating value estimation
AssigneeWäRtsilä Finland Oy
InventorKimmo Lehtinen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Exemplary embodiments include a method for analysis of fuel supplied to a combustion engine during operation of the engine. The method can include obtaining respective indications of a temperature of the fuel supplied to the engine and a density of the fuel supplied to the engine; deriving a temperature-adjusted fuel density based on the indicated density of fuel in dependence of relationship between the indicated temperature of the fuel and a predefined reference temperature; and deriving, based at least on the temperature-adjusted fuel density, a heating value that is descriptive of the amount of heat released during combustion of a predefined amount of the fuel.
Claims25
An apparatus for analyzing fuel supplied to a combustion engine during operation of the engine, the apparatus comprising:
- a fuel flow measurement assembly for measuring respective indications of a temperature of fuel supplied to an engine and a density of fuel supplied to said engine;
- and
- a control entity configured for deriving one or more parameters that are descriptive of observed fuel quality based at least on said temperature of the fuel and said density of the fuel, the control entity being configured to:
- derive a temperature-adjusted fuel density based on the indicated density of fuel in dependence of relationship between the indicated temperature of the fuel and a predefined reference temperature that is applicable for deriving a lower heating value, LHV, that is descriptive of the amount of heat released during combustion of a predefined amount of said fuel;
- and
- derive the LHV as a net specific energy using a second-order function of the temperature-adjusted fuel density;
- wherein the control entity is configured to carry out at least one of the following:
- estimate a specific fuel consumption, SFOC value based at least in part on the LHV;
- estimate quality of the fuel supplied to the engine based at least in part on the LHV;
- adjust operation of the engine and/or adjust a fuel supply to the engine based at least in part on the LHV;
- and/or
- display an indication of the derived LHV via a user interface coupled to the control entity to enable adjusting operation of the engine and/or adjusting the fuel supply to the engine based at least in part on the LHV.
A method for analysis of fuel supplied to a combustion engine during operation of the engine, the method comprising:
- obtaining respective indications of a temperature of the fuel supplied to said engine and a density of the fuel supplied to said engine;
- deriving a temperature-adjusted fuel density based on the indicated density of fuel in dependence of relationship between the indicated temperature of the fuel and a predefined reference temperature that is applicable for deriving a lower heating value, LHV, that is descriptive of an amount of heat released during combustion of a predefined amount of said fuel;
- and
- deriving the LHV as a net specific energy using a second-order function of the temperature-adjusted fuel density;
- estimating a specific fuel oil consumption, SFOC value based at least in part on the LHV;
- estimating quality of the fuel supplied to the engine based at least in part on the LHV;
- adjusting operation of the engine and/or adjusting the fuel supply to the engine based at least in part on the LHV;
- and/or
- displaying an indication of the derived LHV via a user interface coupled to the control entity to enable adjusting operation of the engine and/or adjusting the fuel supply to the engine based at least in part on the LHV.
A computer program comprising computer readable program code configured on a non-tangible storage medium for causing one or more computing apparatuses to perform steps of:
- obtaining respective indications of a temperature of fuel supplied to said engine and a density of fuel supplied to said engine;
- deriving a temperature-adjusted fuel density based on the indicated density of fuel in dependence of relationship between the indicated temperature of the fuel and a predefined reference temperature that is applicable for deriving a lower heating value, LHV, that is descriptive of an amount of heat released during combustion of a predefined amount of said fuel;
- and
- deriving the LHV as a net specific energy using a second-order function of the temperature-adjusted fuel density, the one or more computing apparatuses being arranged to receive respective indications of a temperature of the fuel supplied to said engine and a density of the fuel supplied to said engine;
- estimating a specific fuel oil consumption, SFOC value based at least in part on the LHV;
- estimating quality of the fuel supplied to the engine based at least in part on the LHV;
- adjusting operation of the engine and/or adjusting the fuel supply to the engine based at least in part on the LHV;
- and/or
- displaying an indication of the derived LHV via a user interface coupled to the control entity to enable adjusting operation of the engine and/or adjusting the fuel supply to the engine based at least in part on the LHV.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.