System for determining piston damage based on carbon deposit growth

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9957887-B2
Application number	US-201615223869-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2016
Priority date	Jul 29, 2016
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A machine may comprise a piston; a memory; and an electronic control module. The electronic control module may be configured to determine a temperature of a bowl rim of the piston; calculate a temperature of an oil gallery of the piston based on the temperature of the bowl rim; determine a carbon deposit growth rate of the piston based on the temperature of the oil gallery; determine an amount of time between a current time and the time when the previous carbon deposit growth was calculated; calculate a current carbon deposit growth on the piston; and take a remedial action based on the current carbon deposit growth. The current carbon deposit growth may be calculated based on: a previous carbon deposit growth on the piston, an amount of time between a current time and a time when the previous carbon deposit growth was calculated, and the carbon deposit growth rate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control system for monitoring carbon deposit growth on a piston of an engine, the control system comprising:
a memory configured to store carbon deposit growth information; and
an electronic control module configured to:
obtain, from the carbon deposit growth information stored in the memory, information identifying a previous carbon deposit growth on the piston;
obtain, from the carbon deposit growth information stored in the memory, information identifying a time when the previous carbon deposit growth was calculated;
determine a temperature of a bowl rim of the piston;
calculate a temperature of an oil gallery of the piston based on the temperature of the bowl rim;
determine a carbon deposit growth rate of the piston based on the temperature of the oil gallery;
determine an amount of time between a current time and the time when the previous carbon deposit growth was calculated;
calculate a current carbon deposit growth on the piston based on the previous carbon deposit growth, the amount of time, and the carbon deposit growth rate; and
take a remedial action based on the current carbon deposit growth.

2. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic control module is further configured to determine whether the current carbon deposit growth exceeds a carbon deposit growth threshold, and
wherein, when the current carbon deposit growth exceeds the carbon deposit growth threshold, the piston is to start experiencing damage.

3. The control system of claim 2 , wherein the electronic control module is configured to take the remedial action when the current carbon deposit growth exceeds the carbon deposit growth threshold.

4. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic control module is configured to calculate the temperature of the oil gallery of the piston based on the temperature of the bowl rim and a temperature offset.

5. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the current carbon deposit growth is a carbon thickness or a current carbon layer thickness on at least one of a crown of the piston or an undercrown of the piston.

6. The control system of claim 1 , further comprising a display,
wherein, when taking the remedial action, the electronic control module is configured to cause information to be displayed via the display, and
wherein the information, displayed to the user, includes:
information indicating that the current carbon deposit growth has exceeded the carbon deposit growth threshold and that the piston is to be damaged or is to fail if the piston continues to be used.

7. The control system of claim 1 , wherein, when taking the remedial action, the electronic control module is configured to cause information to be displayed to a user,
wherein the information, displayed to the user, includes at least one of:
information indicating that the engine is to be shut down or derated to prevent additional carbon growth deposit,
information indicating that the engine 100 is to be serviced, or
information indicating that the piston is to be serviced of replaced.

8. The control system of claim 1 , wherein, when taking the remedial action, the electronic control module is configured to modify the operation of the engine.

9. The control system of claim 1 , wherein, when taking the remedial action, wherein, when modifying the operation of the engine, the electronic control module is configured to at least one of:
cause the engine to decelerate, or
cause the engine to shut down.

10. A method for monitoring carbon deposit growth on a piston of an engine, the method comprising:
obtaining, by an electronic control module and from carbon deposit growth information stored in a memory, information identifying a previous carbon deposit growth on the piston;
obtaining, by the electronic control module and from the carbon deposit growth information stored in the memory, information identifying a time when the previous carbon deposit growth was calculated;
determining, by the electronic control module, a temperature of a bowl rim of the piston;
calculating, by the electronic control module, a temperature of an oil gallery of the piston based on the temperature of the bowl rim;
determining, by the electronic control module, a carbon deposit growth rate of the piston based on the temperature of the oil gallery;
determining, by the electronic control module, an amount of time between a current time and the time when the previous carbon deposit growth was calculated;
calculating, by the electronic control module, a current carbon deposit growth the piston based on the previous carbon deposit growth, the amount of time, and the carbon deposit growth rate; and
taking, by the electronic control module, a remedial action based on the current carbon deposit growth.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising determine whether the current carbon deposit growth exceeds a carbon deposit growth threshold,
wherein, when the current carbon deposit growth exceeds the carbon deposit growth threshold, the piston is to start experiencing damage.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising taking the remedial action when the current carbon deposit growth exceeds the carbon deposit growth threshold.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising calculating the temperature of the oil gallery of the piston based on the temperature of the bowl rim and a temperature offset.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the current carbon deposit growth is a carbon thickness or a current carbon layer thickness on at least one of a crown of the piston or an undercrown of the piston.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein taking the remedial action includes causing information to be displayed to a user,
wherein the information, displayed to the user, includes:
information indicating that the current carbon deposit growth has exceeded the carbon deposit growth threshold and that the piston is to be damaged or is to fail if the piston continues to be used.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein taking the remedial action includes causing information to be displayed to a user,
wherein the information, displayed to the user, includes at least one of:
information indicating that the engine is to be shut down or derated to prevent additional carbon growth deposit,
information indicating that the engine is to be serviced, or
information indicating that the piston is to be serviced of replaced.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein taking the remedial action includes modifying the operation of the engine, and
wherein modifying the operation of the engine includes at least one of:
causing the engine to decelerate, or
causing the engine to shut down.

18. A machine comprising:
a piston;
a memory configured to store carbon deposit growth information,
the carbon deposit growth information including information identifying a previous carbon deposit growth on the piston; and

an electronic control module configured to:
determine a temperature of a bowl rim of the piston;
calculate a temperature of an oil gallery of the piston based on the temperature of the bowl rim;
determine a carbon deposit growth rate of the piston based on the temperature of the oil gallery;
determine an amount of time between a current time and the time when the previous carbon deposit growth was calculated;
calculate a current carbon deposit growth on the piston based on:
the previous carbon deposit growth,
an amount of time between a current time and a time when the previous carbon deposit growth was calculated, and

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Roe Austin P
• Thompson Scott A
• Petrou Anthony T
• Campagna Michael J

Classifications

• F02D35/02 Primary

  on interior conditions · CPC title

• F02D2200/021

  Engine temperature · CPC title

• F02B77/083

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

• F02F3/22

  the fluid being liquid · CPC title

• G07C5/006

  Indicating maintenance · CPC title