Caterpillar Inc.

Electro-motive Diesel, Inc.

Other

Westport Power Inc.

Westport Fuel Systems Canada Inc.

Joshua W Steffen

Dana Ray Coldren

Cory Andrew Brown

Alan Ray Stockner

Sunil Jefferey Bean

Robert Michael Campion

Sana Mahmood

Daniel Reese Puckett

Daniel Raymond Baldwin

Adrienne M Brasche

Steven Grant

Shivangini Singh Hazari

Aaron Gamache Foege

Frank J Lombardi

Paul Joseph Desiderio

Hoisan Kim

Bryan Edward Nelson

Michael James Pollard

Gregory Scott Hasler

David Kalu Mumford

Dachuan Yu

Sudhindra Ayanji

Dianqi Fang

Gregg W Uhland

Andrew Neaville

Victor Woo

Brian Kenneth Garman

Steven Charles Taylor

Derek Puzzuoli

Nikhil M Arya

John Jay Truhan, Jr

Jordan C Haas

Wesley A Brown

David K Mumford

Disclosed are a fluid control system and method for controlling delivery of two variable pressure fluids to maintain a pressure bias between the two fluids within an end use device. The system employs an actively controlled vent valve which can be integrated into a fluid control module in preferred embodiments and is actuated to an open position to decrease fluid pressure in a first fluid supply line when a determined pressure differential reversal exceeds a predetermined threshold pressure differential reversal. The disclosed system is particularly useful in a high pressure direct injection (HPDI) multi-fueled engine system where the first fluid is a gaseous fuel and the second fluid is a liquid fuel. The fluid control system and method of controlling it provide for improved control of venting along with protecting system components from high back pressure and cross contamination of fluids.

High pressure fluid control system and method of controlling pressure bias in an end use device

A micro grid power system includes a plurality of generator sets, a photovoltaic system, an external load, and a controller. Each generator set includes an engine and a sensor to determine a temperature of exhaust gases exiting the engine. The photovoltaic system includes a plurality of photovoltaic panels for generating power. The external load is powered by the plurality of generator sets and the photovoltaic system. The controller is configured to determine the external load, and control the plurality of generator sets to maintain the temperature above a threshold temperature. The controller is further configured to determine a remaining load which is the external load subtracted by a portion of the external load powered by the plurality of generator sets, and control the photovoltaic system to power the remaining load.

Micro grid power system

A cryogenic fluid pump includes a plurality of pumping elements, each of the plurality of pumping elements having an actuator portion that is associated with and configured to selectively activate one end of a pushrod in response to a command by an electronic controller, an activation portion associated with an opposite end of the pushrod, and a pumping portion associated with the activation portion. For each of the plurality of pumping elements, the pumping portion is activated for pumping a fluid by the activation portion, which activation portion is activated by the actuator portion. The electronic controller is configured to selectively activate each of the plurality of pumping elements such that a flow of fluid from the cryogenic fluid pump results from continuous activations of the plurality of pumping elements at selected dwell times between activations of successive pumping elements.

Hydraulic drive multi-element cryogenic pump

A pump is disclosed having a manifold with an inlet, a pressure outlet, and a return outlet. The pump may also have a jacket connected to an end of the manifold to create an enclosure that is in fluid communication with the inlet of the manifold, and at least one pumping mechanism extending from the manifold into the jacket. The at least one pumping mechanism may have an inlet open to the enclosure and an outlet in communication with the pressure outlet of the manifold. The pump may further have a standpipe extending from the manifold into the enclosure. The standpipe may be in communication with the return outlet of the manifold.

Pump having inlet reservoir with vapor-layer standpipe

A manifold for a pump is configured to connect to a jacket to form a reservoir and to connect to at least one pumping mechanism disposed within the reservoir. The manifold includes a first side including a first side surface configured to face the reservoir and a second side including a second side surface. The manifold also includes a bypass passage, at least one push rod guide bore extending through the first side surface and the second side surface, and a leakage passage fluidly connecting the at least one push rod guide bore to an outlet disposed outside the first side surface. The manifold further includes a discharge passage including at least one inlet disposed in the first side surface, and the at least one inlet is configured to receive fluid pumped by the at least one pumping mechanism.

Pump manifold

A pump piston is disclosed. The pump piston may include a body having an actuating end, a pressurizing end opposite the actuating end, and an outer diameter that is greater at the pressurizing end than at the actuating end, wherein the outer diameter varies between the pressurizing end and the actuating end without increasing to form an outer diameter profile.

Pump piston having variable diameter

A cryogenic pump for pumping liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a cryogenic tank storing LNG includes a drive assembly and a pump assembly disposed along a pump axis. The drive assembly includes a spool housing having a plurality of spool valves arranged around the pump axis, a tappet housing having a plurality of tappet bores with slidable tappets arranged around the pump axis, and spring housing including a plurality of movably disposed pushrods urged upward by a plurality of associated pushrod springs. Hydraulic fluid received by a hydraulic fluid inlet in the drive assembly is directed by the spool valves to the tappet bores to move the tappets downward against the pushrods. To collect the hydraulic fluid, the lowermost spring housing also includes a collection cavity formed therein that can return the hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic fluid outlet.

Cryogenic pump for liquefied natural gas

A bearing arrangement for a wobble plate piston pump includes first, second, third, and fourth bearing assemblies. The first and second bearing assemblies support the drive shaft portion for rotation within the housing about the central longitudinal axis, while the third and fourth bearing assemblies support the load plate for rotation relative to the offset shaft portion of the shaft. The second bearing assembly is distally disposed from the first, the third disposed distally to second, and the fourth disposed distally to third. The fourth bearing assembly is the most distally disposed bearing assembly along the shaft.

Bearing arrangement for cryogenic pump

A method for controlling a stroke velocity in a pump includes using a sensor to detect a start of a pump stroke and an end of the pump stroke. A stroke time is calculated, the stroke time being a time period between the start of the pump stroke and the end of the pump stroke. The stroke velocity is calculated based on a stroke length and the stroke time. The stroke velocity is compared to a reference stroke velocity. A hydraulic supply pressure to the pump is increased if the calculated stroke velocity is less than the reference stroke velocity, and the hydraulic supply pressure is decreased if the calculated stroke velocity is more than the reference stroke velocity.

End of stroke detection for plunger velocity correction

A pump system includes a pump and a storage volume in fluid communication with a discharge port of the pump. The pump includes a housing defining a pump bore and a pump piston disposed in sliding engagement with the pump bore, the pump piston being in selective fluid communication with the discharge port of the pump. A method for operating the pump system includes determining a time to drain an amount of a first fluid from the storage volume, and retracting the pump piston within the pump bore at a target retraction rate based at least partly on the time to drain the first fluid from the storage volume.

Variable retraction rate pump and method for operating same

A pump has a pump body and at least first and second pumping elements, each pumping element including a piston defining a head-end and a rod-end. The pump receives a pressurized fluid at an inlet, and returns fluid through a drain outlet. A hydraulic distributor operates to fluidly connect the head end of an extending piston to the pressurized fluid, and the rod end of the extending piston to the drain outlet. The hydraulic distributor further connects the rod-end of a retracting piston to the drain outlet, and the rod-end of one or more retracting pistons to the drain or to a return pressure, which is lower than an extending pressure.

Hydraulic distributor for pump

A barrel assembly for a pumping mechanism includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a plunger bore configured to receive a plunger for sliding within the plunger bore. The barrel assembly also includes at least one inlet passage including at least one inlet extending through the first end and fluidly connected to the plunger bore to communicate fluid from the at least one inlet passage to the plunger bore. The barrel assembly further includes an outlet passage fluidly connected to the plunger bore and configured to receive fluid from the plunger bore, the plunger bore and the outlet passage forming separate openings in the second end of the barrel assembly.

Barrel assembly for a fluid pump having separate plunger bore and outlet passage

A pump system is disclosed for use with a fuel system of an engine. The pump system may have a first pump with a first end, a second end, a reservoir located at the second end, and at least one pump mechanism configured to receive fluid from the reservoir. The pump system may also have a second pump mounted to the first pump at the second end and having at least one pump mechanism configured to discharge fluid into the reservoir of the first pump. The pump system may further have a mechanical input operatively connected to the at least one pump mechanism of each of the first and second pumps.

Fuel system having serially arranged in-tank pumps

A pump is disclosed. The pump may include at least one pumping mechanism. The at least one pumping mechanism may include a barrel formed of a substrate having a bore and a plunger formed of a substrate and slidably disposed within the bore in the barrel. The pump may further include a coating disposed on the plunger. The coating may include a main layer containing a tribological material and a sacrificial break-in layer disposed on the main layer, the break-in layer containing a tribological material.

Pump with plunger having tribological coating

A pump for cryogenic liquids including plurality of temperature managed pumping mechanisms. Each pumping mechanism including a barrel having a first end and a second end, and at least one bore extending through the barrel from the first end to the second end. The pump barrel including a stabilizer positioned on the first end and at least partially defining a space in fluid communication with the at least one bore to provide cooling to the barrel.

Growing community of inventors

El Paso, IL, United States of America

Joshua W Steffen