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US 12,280,810 B2Granted
Method and system for multi-fuel engine
AssigneeTransportation IP Holdings, LLC
InventorsJacob Kenneth Pedder, James Robert Mischler, Ajith Kuttanair Kumar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and systems are provided for a multi-fuel engine. In one example, a method includes operating engines of rail vehicles at a desired substitution ratio to recharge an energy storage device of a rail vehicle operating in an all-electric mode to meet a requested total power.
Claims18
A method for a vehicle system having a multi-fuel engine and a battery, wherein the vehicle system is a train comprising a plurality of vehicles, the method comprising:
- in a first mode of operation, adjusting a substitution ratio (SR) and drawing charge from the battery;
- in a second mode of operation, supplying charge to the battery to maintain tractive effort and a desired SR, wherein the battery is configured to provide an electrical power to meet at least a portion of a requested power, the portion of the requested power separate from a power of the multi-fuel engine;
- balancing power production of multi-fuel engines of the plurality of vehicles of the train in response to the requested power being equal to a threshold power, wherein balancing power production of multi-fuel engines of the plurality of vehicles further comprises operating one or more locomotives at a SR lower than the desired SR;
- and
- increasing a number of vehicles of the plurality of vehicles operating at the desired SR.
2 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a train comprising a plurality of vehicles, each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles comprising an engine and an electric motor, wherein the electric motor and the engine are coupled via a generator;
- and
- a controller with computer-readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory thereof that when executed enable the controller to:
- in response to a requested power being less than a threshold power, intrusively increase a power output of a number of vehicles such that a total power output of the plurality of vehicles increases to a value greater than the requested power;
- and
- recharge a state-of-charge (SOC) of at least one battery of the plurality of vehicles via excess power generated by the plurality of vehicles, wherein the at least one battery is configured to deliver an electrical power to the electric motor of at least one vehicle of the plurality of vehicles;
- and
- increasing the number of vehicles with the power output intrusively increased as a number of vehicles having a battery SOC less than a threshold SOC increases.
5 more elements
A method for a train comprising a plurality of vehicles, comprising:
- operating at least one of the plurality of vehicles in an all-electric mode to meet a total requested power of a consist;
- and
- operating a remaining plurality of vehicles at idle with a desired substitution ratio in response to at least one state-of-charge (SOC) of the plurality of vehicles being less than a threshold SOC.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.