Systems, methods and apparatuses for wet stack residue mitigation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021131371-A1
Application number	US-202117147584-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 13, 2021
Priority date	Oct 14, 2019
Publication date	May 6, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An intelligent electronic device (IED) may monitor wet stack residue buildup of a diesel engine. Once the wet stack residue accumulates to a certain amount, the IED may perform a mitigation procedure. Additionally, tracking wet stack residue buildup may allow an IED to attempt to prevent or reduce accumulation of the wet stack residue. The IED may track an operating power level of the diesel engine to estimate the rate of residue buildup.

First claim

1 . A method to mitigate wet stack residue, the method comprising:
monitoring a plurality of diesel engines for residue buildup; identifying a diesel engine from the plurality of diesel engines with an amount of residue that exceeds a residue threshold; altering a power output of the diesel engine or a load associated with the diesel engine to increase an operating power level of the diesel engine; estimating that residue of the diesel engine has been reduced below the residue threshold based on an amount of time at an increased operating power level; and reducing the power output of the diesel engine or the load associated with the diesel engine to lower the operating power level.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein altering the load comprises placing a second diesel engine in parallel with the diesel engine, and operating the second diesel engine at zero fuel.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing a dispatch program that periodically sets one or more diesel engines of the plurality of diesel engines to a high operating power level to mitigate wet stack residue accumulation.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein altering the power output or the load comprises changing dispatch instructions to the plurality of diesel engines to cause the diesel engine to increase the operating power level.

5 . A system to prevent wet stack residue buildup, the system comprising:
a communications interface to communicate with one or more diesel engines; a power sensor to detect output power of the one or more diesel engines; and a processor in communication with the power sensor, the processor to:
monitor the output power of the one or more diesel engines as detected by the power sensor;
monitor power demand of loads coupled to the one or more diesel engines; and
minimize the time that each diesel engine spends operating below a target power level by controlling at least one of the output power of the one or more diesel engines and the power demand of the loads.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the target power level is set at 30% of a capacity for each of the one or more generators.

7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the target power level is set based on a fuel control type and environmental factors.

8 . The system of claim 5 , further comprising smart distribution nodes in communication with the processor, each of the distribution nodes comprising a distribution port that selectively couples loads to the one or more diesel engines via a port breaker, the smart distribution nodes to:
report, to the processor, information regarding a load attached to the distribution port before coupling the load to the one or more diesel engines, and wherein the processor is further to:
receive a request from a first smart distribution node to start an attached load, the request including a report with information regarding the attached load,
determine if a reserve margin of the one or more diesel engines is sufficient for the attached load,
if the reserve margin is insufficient, provide a delay instruction to the first smart distribution node, and
if the reserve margin is sufficient, provide dispatch instructions, based on the report from the first smart distribution node, to the one or more diesel engines to maintain the one or more diesel engines operating above the target threshold when the first smart distribution node closes an associated port breaker.

9 . The system of claim 5 , further comprising a load sensor to measure a system load, and
wherein to minimize time that each diesel engine spends operating below the target power level, the processor sends updated dispatch instructions to the one or more diesel engines based on measurements from the load sensors.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the updated dispatch instructions provide for temporary overload of the one or more diesel engines during a load start-up period.

11 . The system of claim 5 , wherein to minimize the time that each diesel engine spends operating below the target power level, the processor provides dispatch instructions to the one or more diesel engines giving permission to exceed their steady-state rating during startup of an additional diesel engine.

12 . The system of claim 5 , wherein to minimize the time that each diesel engine spends operating below the target power level, the processor is to:
maintain a load prioritization index that indicates a priority for the loads; suspend operation of a lower priority load when there is insufficient reserve margin to start a higher priority load; start and synchronize an additional diesel engine; and resume operation of the lower priority load when the additional diesel engine is started.

Assignees

• Schweitzer Engineering Lab Inc

Inventors

• Blood Ellery A
• Manson Scott M

Classifications

• F02D29/06 Primary

  peculiar to engines driving electric generators · CPC title

• Y02T10/40

  Engine management systems · CPC title

• F02D2200/10

  Parameters related to the engine output, e.g. engine torque or engine speed · CPC title

• F02B77/083

  relating to maintenance, e.g. diagnostic device (relating to lubrication F01M11/10) · CPC title

• F01N2900/0422

  measuring the elapsed time · CPC title