Gas engine assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9732704-B2
Application number	US-201514663619-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2015
Priority date	Mar 20, 2014
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

Gas engine arrangement having a gas engine, a gas rail, via which a first gas in the form of fuel gas can be supplied to at least one gas metering device of the gas engine, and a gas control section, which is designed to supply fuel gas to the gas rail via a supply path on the outflow side. A purge line is passed into the gas rail. The gas engine arrangement is designed to selectively supply fuel gas or a second gas to the purge line, and the gas engine arrangement is designed to displace gas from the gas rail and to discharge it via the supply path when the fuel gas or second gas is supplied to the purge line.

First claim

We claim:

1. A gas engine arrangement, comprising:
a gas engine
a gas rail, via which a first gas is supplied to at least one gas metering device of the gas engine;
a gas control section comprising a supply path to the gas rail, a master gas shutoff valve, and a blow off valve;
a 3/3-way valve; and
a purge line passed into the gas rail, wherein the 3/3-way valve is operative to selectively supply the first gas or a second gas to the purge line, and
gas from the gas rail is redirected back through the supply path and discharged from the blow off valve when the the first gas or the second gas is supplied to the purge line.

2. The gas engine arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
the purge line branches into the supply path;
the purge line is passed into the gas rail via the supply path; or
the supply path is embodied with a single surrounding wall and/or is embodied with a single surrounding wall at a location of an inward-leading branch of the purge line.

3. The gas engine arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the gas engine arrangement is configured to discharge, via the gas control section, gas displaced from the gas rail and discharged via the supply path.

4. The gas engine arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the second gas is an inert gas.

5. The gas engine arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising a valve device by which the first or second gas is supplied selectively to the purge line.

6. The gas engine arrangement according to Claim 5 , wherein the valve device has a first position in which fuel gas is supplied to the purge line, a second position in which the second gas is supplied to the purge line, and a third position corresponding to a blocking position.

7. The gas engine arrangement according to claim 6 , further comprising a shutoff device on an inflow side of the gas control section; and
a fuel gas branch leading to the valve device branches off upstream of the shutoff device, the shutoff device being switched into a blocking position for selective displacement of gas by fuel gas and to supply fuel gas to the purge line via the fuel as branch and the valve device.

8. The gas engine arrangement according to claim 7 , further comprising a controller that switches the valve device into the blocking position after displacement of gas by the fuel gas and then opens the shutoff device.

9. The gas engine arrangement according to claim 7 , further comprising a controller that switches the shutoff device into the blocking position and switches the valve device into the second position to supply the second gas to the purge line, and to supply the second gas to the purge line via the valve device.

10. The gas engine arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the gas control section has an outflow device, via which displaced gas discharged via the supply path is released or discharged into a tank.

11. The gas engine arrangement according to claim 10 , wherein at least one of: the shutoff device is shut off when deenergized; the valve device switches into the second position when deenergized; or the outflow device opens when deenergized.

12. The gas engine arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller that switches a communicating connection from a gas supply for the second gas via the purge line, the rail and the supply path in event of an interruption in a power supply or a shutdown.

13. The gas engine arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising a gas sensor system for control of the gas supply to the gas rail via the purge line.

14. A method for controlling a gas engine with a gas engine arrangement according to Claim 1 , comprising the steps of
interrupting a fuel gas supply to the gas rail from the gas control section in order to adopt a predetermined gas engine state in the course of an engine shutdown in a first step; and
supplying the second gas to the purge line and displacing fuel gas from the gas rail and discharging the fuel gas via the supply path in a second step.

15. The method according to claim 14 , including ending the second step as soon as the gas rail has been completely filled with the second gas.

16. A method for controlling a gas engine with a gas engine arrangement according to claim 1 , comprising the steps of:
in order to start the gas engine, supplying fuel gas to the purge line via the fuel gas branch so that gas is displaced from the gas rail; and
after displacement of the gas by means of the fuel gas, supplying fuel gas to the gas rail via the gas control section and the supply path.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein after complete filling of the gas rail with fuel gas via the fuel gas branch, the fuel gas supply to the purge line via the fuel gas branch is ended.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the gas arrangement includes a valve device for selectively supplying the first gas or the second gas to the purge line, the method further including switching the valve device to a blocking position after complete filling of the gas rail with fuel gas via the fuel gas branch.

Assignees

• Mtu Friedrichshafen Gmbh

Inventors

• Prunnbauer Jan
• Matthies Jörg

Classifications

• F02N19/00

  Starting aids for combustion engines, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• F02M21/0293

  Safety devices; Fail-safe measures · CPC title

• F02D19/025

  Failure diagnosis or prevention; Safety measures; Testing · CPC title

• F02M21/0227 Primary

  Means to treat or clean gaseous fuels or fuel systems, e.g. removal of tar, cracking, reforming or enriching · CPC title

• F02D41/0027

  the fuel being gaseous (non-electrical control F02D19/02) · CPC title