PUMPING STATION FOR A PIPELINE AND METHOD FOR STARTING A COMBUSTION ENGINE IN A PUMPING STATION

Abstract

A pumping station for a pipeline, in particular an oil or gas pipeline, has a feed pump for delivering a fluid through the pipeline and a combustion engine for driving the feed pump. A hydrostatic system has a hydraulic motor for driving the combustion engine, in order to accelerate same to start-up. The hydraulic system also has a hydraulic pressure accumulator of limited volume which can be filled with a pressurized hydraulic medium to be admitted to the first hydraulic motor, thereby powering the latter. A pressure differential in the hydrostatic system prevailing over the hydraulic motor is variably adjustable, in order to accelerate the combustion engine to a predefined firing speed.

Claims

1-16. (canceled)

17. A pumping station for a pipeline, the pumping station comprising: at least one feed pump for delivering a fluid through the pipeline; at least one combustion engine configured for driving said at least the one feed pump; a hydrostatic system having a first hydraulic motor configured to drive said at least one combustion engine and to accelerate said at least one combustion engine to start-up; said hydrostatic system having a hydraulic pressure accumulator of limited volume to be filled with a pressurized hydraulic medium, which can be fed to said first hydraulic motor, to thereby power said first hydraulic motor; and wherein a pressure differential in the hydrostatic system prevailing over said first hydraulic motor is variably adjustable, in order to accelerate said combustion engine to a predefined firing speed.

18. The pumping station according to claim 17, which comprises an adjustable throttle valve in said hydrostatic system upstream or downstream of the first hydraulic motor in a flow direction of the hydraulic medium, for variable adjustment of the pressure differential prevailing over said first hydraulic motor.

19. The pumping station according to claim 17, which comprises an additional hydraulic motor in said hydrostatic system connected to receive hydraulic medium from said the pressure accumulator, and a hydraulic pump powered by said additional hydraulic motor configured to feed hydraulic medium into said first hydraulic motor.

20. The pumping station according to claim 19, which comprises an hydraulic medium reservoir containing hydraulic medium, and wherein said hydraulic pump is configured to feed the hydraulic medium from said hydraulic medium reservoir into said first hydraulic motor.

21. The pumping station according to claim 19, wherein said additional hydraulic motor is a variable-capacity motor and/or said hydraulic pump is a variable-capacity pump.

22. The pumping station according to claim 17, which comprises at least one booster pump in said hydrostatic system, for feeding hydraulic medium from a hydraulic medium reservoir into said pressure accumulator.

23. The pumping station according to claim 22, wherein said booster pump is an electric drive motor.

24. The pumping station according to claim 17, wherein said pressure accumulator is an accumulator with a gas tensioning device, and an additional pressurized gas reservoir has a gas-carrying connection to a gas side of said pressure accumulator.

25. The pumping station according to claim 19, further comprising: an additional hydraulic motor in said hydrostatic system connected to receive hydraulic medium from said the pressure accumulator, and a hydraulic pump powered by said additional hydraulic motor configured to feed hydraulic medium into said first hydraulic motor, further comprising a hydraulic medium reservoir containing hydraulic medium, and wherein said hydraulic pump is configured to feed the hydraulic medium from said hydraulic medium reservoir into said first hydraulic motor; at least one booster pump in said hydrostatic system, for feeding hydraulic medium from a hydraulic medium reservoir into said pressure accumulator; and said pressure accumulator being an accumulator with a gas tensioning device, and an additional pressurized gas reservoir having a gas-carrying connection to a gas side of said pressure accumulator.

26. The pumping station according to claim 25, which comprises a control device and at least one sensor disposed in said hydrostatic system and connected to said at least the one sensor for determining a speed of said combustion engine indirectly as a function of sensor measured values.

27. The pumping station according to claim 26, wherein said combustion engine, said at least the one feed pump and said first hydraulic motor are arranged inside an explosion safety zone, and at least one or more or all of the following devices are positioned, spatially separated, outside said explosion safety zone: said hydraulic pressure accumulator; at least the one booster pump; said hydraulic medium reservoir; an additional hydraulic motor; an adjustable throttle valve; at least one sensor; a gas reservoir; and a control device.

28. The pumping station according to claim 27, wherein said at least one booster pump together with its electric drive motor and said additional hydraulic motor together with the hydraulic pump are disposed outside said explosion safety zone.

29. The pumping station according to claim 27, wherein said combustion engine comprises at least one turbocharger, to which a drive is assigned in order to accelerate said turbocharger on or before a start of said combustion engine.

30. The pumping station according to claim 17, which comprises a control device and at least one sensor disposed in said hydrostatic system and connected to said at least the one sensor for determining a speed of said combustion engine indirectly as a function of sensor measured values.

31. The pumping station according to claim 17, wherein said combustion engine, said at least the one feed pump and said first hydraulic motor are arranged inside an explosion safety zone, and at least one or more or all of the following devices are positioned, spatially separated, outside said explosion safety zone: said hydraulic pressure accumulator; at least the one booster pump; said hydraulic medium reservoir; an additional hydraulic motor; an adjustable throttle valve; at least one sensor; a gas reservoir; and a control device.

32. The pumping station according to claim 31, wherein said at least one booster pump together with its electric drive motor and said additional hydraulic motor together with the hydraulic pump are disposed outside said explosion safety zone.

33. The pumping station according to claim 17, wherein said at least one combustion engine is one of a plurality of combustion engines for driving a plurality of feed pumps or other assemblies, wherein said combustion engines can be started by being drive-connected to said first hydraulic motor or can be drive-connected to a plurality of corresponding hydraulic motors, wherein all corresponding hydraulic motors can be powered by connection to a hydraulic medium-carrying connection to said hydraulic pressure accumulator or to said hydraulic pump.

34. The pumping station according to claim 33, wherein each of said plurality of combustion engines is connected to a respective one of said hydraulic motors.

35. The pumping station according to claim 17, wherein said combustion engine comprises at least one turbocharger, to which a drive is assigned in order to accelerate said turbocharger on or before a start of said combustion engine.

36. The pumping station according to claim 35, wherein said drive for said turbocharger is a hydraulic motor, which is fed with hydraulic medium from said hydraulic pressure accumulator and/or from a booster pump.

37. The pumping station according to claim 35, wherein said drive for said turbocharger is an electric motor.

38. A method for starting at least one combustion engine in a pumping station according to claim 18, the method comprising the following steps: accelerating the at least one combustion engine by at least one first hydraulic motor and subsequently firing the at least one combustion engine; adjusting a speed of the combustion engine to a predefined firing speed before firing, using the first hydraulic motor for variable adjustment of a pressure differential occurring in a hydrostatic system as hydraulic medium flows therethrough.

39. The method according to claim 38, which comprises determining a state variable in the hydrostatic system by at least one sensor and a control device, and calculating or determining therefrom an actual speed of the combustion engine.

40. The method according to claim 39, which comprises registering as the state variable at least one variable selected from the group consisting of: a hydraulic medium flow through the first hydraulic motor and/or through an additional hydraulic motor; a speed of the additional hydraulic motor and/or the hydraulic pump; the hydraulic medium flow through an adjustable throttle valve; a position of the adjustable throttle valve and/or, with the proviso that the additional hydraulic motor is a variable-capacity motor, a setting of the variable-capacity motor and/or of an actuator of the adjustable throttle valve and/or of the additional hydraulic motor connected thereto; and where the hydraulic pump is a variable-capacity pump, the position of the hydraulic pump and/or of an actuator connected thereto.

41. The method according to claim 40, which comprises accelerating the turbocharger of the combustion engine by way of the drive before firing of the combustion engine.

42. The method according to claim 38, which comprises accelerating the turbocharger of the combustion engine by way of the drive before firing of the combustion engine.

Description

[0039] The invention will be described below by way of example, referring to exemplary embodiments and the figures, of which:

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a pumping station according to the invention;

[0041] FIG. 2 shows a different way of incorporating the hydraulic motor-pump unit compared to FIG. 1.

[0042] FIG. 1 represents a pumping station for a pipeline, having a combustion engine 1, which drives feed pumps 2, 3 in a pipeline 4. Dashed lines show that further combustion engines 1 and 1 could also be provided, which drive corresponding feed pumps (not shown) or other assemblies. Instead of the first hydraulic motor 10, multiple hydraulic motors may also be provided, which interact in order to accelerate a combustion engine to a predefined firing speed.

[0043] For starting each of the corresponding combustion engines 1, 1, 1 a first hydraulic motor 10 (or 10, 10) is provided, which can be coupled to the corresponding combustion engine 1, 1, 1 via a suitable clutch 6. The clutch 6 may be actuated or activated by the pressure of the hydraulic medium, for example. The clutch 6 serves to provide a releasable mechanical connection to the combustion engine. Such clutches are also referred to as meshing drives. The hydraulic motor serves to accelerate the combustion engine 1, 1, 1 to a predefined firing speed.

[0044] The respective combustion engine 1, 1, 1 comprises a turbocharger 27, 27, 27, which is brought to a required speed before ever the combustion engine 1, 1, 1 is started, that is to say by pressurized hydraulic medium from a boost pump 15, which here is driven by an electric motor 16 and fed from a hydraulic medium reservoir 17. For this purpose, a hydraulic motor 28, 28, 28, which is driven by the pressurized hydraulic medium, is or can be connected to the respective turbocharger 27, 27, 27. A corresponding valve, in particular a directional control valve 29, 29, 29, is provided for connecting the pressurized hydraulic medium to the hydraulic motor 28, 28, 28.

[0045] The pressure admitted to the first hydraulic motor 10, 10, 10 may likewise be switched on and off by means of a valve 30, 30, 30, the necessary pressurized hydraulic medium being supplied by the hydraulic pump 20 of the motor-pump unit 18. The hydraulic pump 20 likewise delivers from the hydraulic medium reservoir 17 and is driven by an additional hydraulic motor 19, which is fed with pressurized hydraulic medium from the pressure source 11 via an adjustable throttle valve 24, which in particular is likewise embodied as a directional control valve. The pressure source 11 comprises a pressure accumulator 12, to the gas side of which a gas reservoir 13 is connected in order to boost the so-called gas spring.

[0046] The pressure accumulator 12 is filled by means of the boost pump 15, in particular via a check valve 31.

[0047] In the hydrostatic system, most of which is positioned outside the explosion zone 32 (see the dashed dividing line), at least one sensor 33 is provided, which together with a control device 34 indirectly determines the speed of the respective combustion engine 1, 1, 1. The sensor 33 serves, for example, to determine the speed of the motor-pump unit 18.

[0048] Using the motor-pump unit 18, the additional hydraulic motor 19 being embodied as a variable-capacity motor, for example, it is possible to precisely adjust the power input and hence the drive power of the first hydraulic motor 10 or the corresponding hydraulic motors 10, 10, in order that the combustion engine 1 or the corresponding combustion engines 1, 1 are only accelerated up to the precise firing speed necessary.

[0049] The embodiment according to FIG. 2 largely corresponds to that in FIG. 1, but here the motor-pump unit 18 is incorporated differently into the hydrostatic system. Corresponding reference numerals relate to corresponding components.

[0050] It is indicated in FIG. 2 that the additional hydraulic motor 19 and/or the hydraulic pump 20 could be embodied as a variable-capacity motor or variable-capacity pump. It is furthermore indicated that besides the rigid coupling, a variable-speed transmission 21 might be provided, in particular by means of a common shaft, between the additional hydraulic motor 19 and the hydraulic pump 20, together with an electrical generator or motor generator 22 and an electrical accumulator 23, in order to recover electrical energy from the hydrostatic system or reversibly return it to the system. These measures are can also be applied in the case of the embodiment according to FIG. 1.

[0051] As also in the embodiment according to FIG. 1, a clutch 6, which for example connects the output shaft 25 of the first hydraulic motor 10 to a crankshaft of the combustion engine 1 either directly or preferably by way of at least one transmission step or a meshing drive, may be provided between the combustion engine 1 and the first hydraulic motor 10.

[0052] In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, also, operating the motor-pump unit 18 reduces the pressure supplied by the hydraulic pressure source 11, so that the first hydraulic motor 10 delivers a correspondingly lower drive power to its output shaft 25. At the same time, driving the hydraulic pump 20 increases the volumetric flow through the first hydraulic motor 10, so that a sensitive control can be achieved and energy can be drawn from the hydrostatic system only to the desired limited extent.