DK179250B1

DK179250B1 - A fuel system for a marine engine

Info

Publication number: DK179250B1
Application number: DKPA201670613A
Authority: DK
Inventors: Flemming Kildegaard Kold
Original assignee: Maersk As
Priority date: 2016-08-11
Filing date: 2016-08-11
Publication date: 2018-03-05
Also published as: DK201670613A1

Abstract

A fuel system for a large marine diesel engine. The fuel system comprises a combined service- and settling fuel tank (5). The combined service- and settling fuel tank (5) has a bottom (11) and a top (12) with a given height (Hg) between the bottom (11) and the top (12). The combined service- and settling fuel tank (5) is provided with an inlet port (44) for receiving fuel from a storage tank via a transfer conduit (57) including a transfer pump (13), the inlet port (44) being arranged near the bottom at a first height (H1) relative to the bottom (11), a separator feed port (62) arranged at a second height (H2) near the bottom (11), a separator return port (61) arranged at a third height (H3) relative to the bottom (11), the third height (H3) being closer to the top (12) than to the bottom (11), a separator conduit (70) extending from the separator feed port (62) to the separator return port (61), the separator conduit (70) comprising a separator pump (71) and a separator (72), and a first suction port (43) connected to a feed conduit (52) for feeding fuel from the combined service- and settling tank (5) to a marine diesel engine, the first suction port (43) being provided at a fourth height (H4) relative to sad bottom (11), the fourth height being in between the second height (H2) and the third height (H3).

Description

<¹θ> DANMARK (10)

<¹²> PATENTSKRIFT

Patent- og

Varemærkestyrelsen (51) Int.CI.: F02M 37/22 (2006.01) B 01 D 21/00 (2006.01) B 60 K 15/03 (2006.01)

B 63 B 17/00 (2006.01) (21) Ansøgningsnummer: PA2016 70613 (22) Indleveringsdato: 2016-08-11 (24) Løbedag: 2016-08-11 (41) Aim. tilgængelig: 2018-02-13 (45) Patentets meddelelse bkg. den: 2018-03-05 (73) Patenthaver: Maersk A/S, Esplanaden 50,1263 København K, Danmark (72) Opfinder: Flemming Kildegaard Kold, Nældebjerg Alle 24, 2670 Greve, Danmark (74) Fuldmægtig: NORDIC PATENT SERVICE A/S, Bredgade 30,1260 København K, Danmark (54) Benævnelse: A FUEL SYSTEM FOR A MARINE ENGINE (56) Fremdragne publikationer:

US 4772401 A JP 2009-241903 A US 2016/0040638 A1 EP 0150120 A2 US 2013/0306028 A1 EP 2644878 A1 JP 08189444 A US 2001/0008820 A1 (57) Sammendrag:

Fortsættes ...

A FUEL SYSTEM FOR A MARINE ENGINE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fuel system for a marine engine a large ocean going cargo ship or freighter, and to a large ocean going cargo ship or freighter with such a fuel system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION two-stroke combustion

Large ocean going cargo ships are almost exclusively powered by large multi-cylinder internal combustion engines running on heavy fuel oil, i.e.

turbocharged compression ignited internal engines. Due to its low cost, most cargo vessels are mostly operated by bunker fuel also known as Heavy Fuel Oil HFO) . However, Heavy Fuel Oil has a relatively high content of sulfur and other impurities, due to heavy fuel oil being a residual oil from the distillation process in refineries. The sulfur cannot be removed but impurities, especially particles above a given size need to be removed from the heavy fuel oil before it is supplied to the marine engine, to avoid that the fuel injection system and/or the engine could be damaged.

Therefore, known fuel systems for supplying fuel to marine diesels of large marine vessel such as large ocean going cargo ships have to include storage tanks, a settling tank that is replenished with marine fuel from the storage tanks and the service tank that is replenished with fuel from the settling tank. A separator is associated with the settling tank for separating any impurities from the marine fuel before transferring the marine fuel to the service tank. Pumps ensure the

02600-DK-P transfer of marine fuel to and from the perspective tanks.

US4772401 discloses a fuel system for a marine engine, the fuel system comprising a service fuel tank and a settling fuel tank/gravity separator, the fuel being transferred from the service fuel tank to the settling fuel tank/gravity separator via feed line. The fuel, after being treated in the settling fuel tank/gravity separator, is then returned to the service fuel tank via return line.

The requirement for storage tanks, a settling tank and a service tank renders known fuel systems bulky and complicated.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

On the above background it is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least reduce the problems indicated above.

This object is achieved in accordance with a first aspect by providing fuel system for a large marine engine, the fuel system comprising: a combined service- and settling fuel tank, the combined service- and settling fuel tank having a bottom and a top with a given height between the bottom and the top, the combined service- and settling fuel tank being provided with: an inlet port for receiving fuel from a storage tank via a transfer conduit including a transfer pump, the inlet port being arranged near the bottom at a first height relative to the bottom, a separator feed port arranged at a second height near the bottom, a separator return port arranged at a third

02600-DK-P height relative to the bottom, the third height being closer to the top than to the bottom, a separator conduit extending from the separator feed port to the separator return port, the separator conduit comprising a separator pump and a separator, a first suction port connected to a feed conduit for feeding fuel from the combined serviceand settling tank to a marine diesel engine, the first suction port being provided at a fourth height relative to the bottom, the fourth height being in between the second height and the third height.

By providing a tank with a first suction port that is arranged higher than the inlet port for the separator circuit and lower than the outlet port of the separator circuit it becomes possible to divide the content of the tank into a settling portion below the first suction port and a service portion above the suction port. The boundary between the settling portion and the service portion is not a physical boundary but instead a virtual boundary. The virtual boundary coincides with a horizontal plane at the level of the suction port, i.e. the height of the horizontal plane of the virtual boundary is determined by the location of the first suction port. By providing a single tank with a settling portion and a service portion the provision of a separate service tank and a separate settling tank can be avoided, and thereby space can be saved and costs and complexity reduced.

According to a first possible implementation of the first aspect the fuel system further comprises a first level sensor arranged to detect presence of fuel at the third height, a second level sensor arranged to detect presence of fuel at a fifth height relative to the bottom, the

02600-DK-P fifth height being close to the top and higher than the third height. Providing level sensors renders it possible to control the overall fuel level in the combined service- and settling tank to ensure that the amount required for proper settling without mixing the fuel in the settling portion with the fuel in the service portion .

According to second possible implementation of the first aspect the fuel system further comprises a controller or circuit configured to control the operation of the transfer pump, the controller or circuit being in receipt of a first control signal from the first level sensor and in receipt of a second control signal from the second level sensor, the controller or circuit being configured to activate the transfer pump when the first signal indicates that the level of fuel in the combined service- and settling tank is below the third height and the controller or circuit being configured to deactivate the transfer pump when the second signal indicates that the level of fuel in the combined service- and settling tank is above the fifth height. By providing such a controller or circuit the process of controlling the overall level of fuel in the combined service- and settling tank can be automated.

According to a third possible implementation of the first aspect the combined service- and settling fuel tank is further provided with a second suction port connected to the feed conduit, at a sixth height relative to the bottom, the sixth height being between the second height and the fourth height, and the feed conduit is further provided with valving for selectively connecting the feed conduit to either the first suction port or to the second

02600-DK-P suction port. By providing a second suction port arranged lower than the first suction port it becomes possible to expand the size of the service portion at the expense of the settling portion. This increases the risk of contamination and is therefore only suitable for urgentor emergency situations.

According to a fourth possible implementation of the first aspect the fourth height is approximately half of the given height and/or the third height is approximately 75% of the given height, and/or the fifth height is approximately 95% of the given height and/or the sixth height is approximately 30% of the given height and/or the first height and the second height being less than 15% of given height, and/or the first height is approximately the same as the second height.

According to a fifth possible implementation of the first aspect a horizontal layer of the combined service- and settling tank below the second suction port serves as a settling portion of the combined service- and settling tank and a horizontal layer of the combined service- and settling tank above the first suction port serves as a service portion of the service- and settling tank.

According to a sixth possible implementation of the first aspect a horizontal layer of the combined service- and settling tank between the first suction port and the second suction port serves as an emergency service portion in the combined service- and settling tank.

According to a seventh possible implementation of the first aspect the settling portion of the combined service- and settling tank holds settling fuel layer and

02600-DK-P is separated by a virtual boundary from a service fuel layer held by the service portion.

According to an eighth possible implementation of the first aspect the combined service- and settling tank comprises one or more baffle plates for restraining the fuel from sloshing around in the combined service- and settling tank.

According to a ninth possible implementation of the first aspect the combined service- and settling tank comprises a drain port in the bottom of the combined service- and settling tank.

According to a tenth possible implementation of the first aspect the separator conduit includes more than one separator and/or more than one separator pump.

According to an eleventh possible implementation of the first aspect the combined service- and settling tank comprises a single hollow interior.

According to a second aspect there is provided a marine vessel comprising a fuel system according to any one of the implementations of the first aspect and a marine diesel engine connected to the fuel system according to any one of the implementations of the first aspect.

According to a third aspect there is provided a method for supplying fuel to a large marine diesel engine, the method comprising:

supplying marine fuel from a storage tank into a combined service- and settling tank at a low first height,

02600-DK-P removing marine fuel from said combined service- and settling tank at a low second height, purifying marine fuel removed at said low second height and returning said removed marine fuel at a high third height into said combined service -and settling tank, evacuating marine fuel from said combined service- and settling tank at an intermediate fourth height arranged in between said second height and third height for supplying the evacuated marine fuel to a marine engine.

Further objects,	features, advantages	and	properties	of
the large ocean	going	cargo ship	according	to	the
invention will	become	apparent from	the	detailed
description .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	OF THE	DRAWINGS

In the following detailed portion of the present description, the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a cargo ship according to an example embodiment,

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a part of the fuel system of the cargo ship of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an alternative diagrammatic representation of the fuel system according to Fig. 2 showing the storage tank and the connection to the marine engine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

02600-DK-P

Fig. 1 shows a large ocean going cargo ship 1 according to an example embodiment of the invention in side view. In this embodiment the large ocean going cargo ship 1 is a container ship. However, the ship or freighter 1 could just as well be a general cargo vessel, a tanker, a drybulk carrier, a multipurpose vessel, a reefer ship or any other large ocean going type of cargo ship.

The large ocean going cargo ship 1 has a hull 2 and one or more engine rooms 3 provided inside the hull 2. The large ocean going cargo ship 1 is powered by one or more large marine engines 4, e.g. compression-ignited internal combustion engines 4, which can be four-stroke or twostroke self-igniting combustion engines 4, located in the one or more engine rooms 3. The large self-igniting internal combustion engine (s) 4 drive (s) the propellers (s) and there may be one or more auxiliary engines (generator sets) that provide electrical power and heat for various consumers aboard the large ocean going cargo ship 1.

The hull 2 also contains a combined service- and settling tank 5 that is part of the fuel supply system for the marine engine(s) 4. In the present example embodiment the combined service- and settling tank 5 is located inside the engine room 3. The combined service- and settling tank 5 can in other embodiments be located in the hull 2 outside the engine room 3. The hull 2 further contains at least one storage tank 10 for storing marine fuel, such as heavy fuel oil. The storage tank 10 can be located in any suitable place in the hull 2.

02600-DK-P

The large ocean going cargo ship 1 also has one or more funnels 6 and a bridge 7. Containers are shown on the deck in container bays filled with rows of containers in a plurality of tiers. Containers can also be stowed inside cargo space in the hull 2.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a part of the fuel system for supplying marine fuel to the marine engine 4 according to an example embodiment and Fig. 3 shows the fuel system including the storage tank 10 and the marine engine 4.

The fuel system includes a combined service and settling tank 5. The combined service- and settling tank 5 can have any suitable shape for a fuel tank and has a given height Hg between a bottom 11 and a top 12. The combined service- and settling tank 5 is essentially one large hollow space, with a single hollow interior suitable for receiving an amount of fuel. The interior of the combined service and settling tank 5 is virtually divided in a number of horizontal portions or layers in order to create a single tank with a virtual fuel settling layer 15, 20 and a virtual fuel service layer 25.

The combined service- and settling tank 5 receives heavy fuel oil or other suitable marine fuel from the storage tank 10 via an inlet port 44 from a transfer conduit 57 that includes a transfer pump 13. The transfer pump 13 is preferably provided with an electrical drive motor.

The inlet port 44 is located close to the bottom 11, at a first height Hl from the bottom 11. The first height Hl is relatively close to the bottom 11 and in an one embodiment the first height Hl is less than 15% of the

02600-DK-P given height Hg and in another embodiment the first height Hl corresponds to approximately 5% to 10% of said given height Hg.

The transfer pump 13 pumps marine fuel from the bunker or storage tank 10 to the combined service- and settling tank 5. A filter 16 prevents large impurities from being transported to the combined service- and settling tank 5.

The combined service- and settling tank 5 can have any suitable shape, e.g. in accordance with the available space in the large ocean going cargo ship 1 and the combined service- and settling tank 5 has a single hollow interior suitable for holding a volume of marine fuel.

In an embodiment, baffle plates (not shown) are provided in the hollow interior for avoiding- or reducing sloshing of the fuel in the combined service- and settling tank 5.

The combined service- and settling tank 5 is provided with a separator feed port 62. The separator feed port 62 is arranged at a second height H2 relative to the bottom 11 of the service- and settling tank 5. The second height H2 is in an embodiment essentially identical to the first height Hl. However, it is understood that the first height Hl and the second height H2 can be slightly different.

A separator conduit 70 connects the separator feed port 62 to a separator return port 61. The separator conduit 70 includes at least one separator pump 73 and at least one separator 72. The separator 72 can be of any suitable type and is configured to remove impurities from the fuel before the fuel reenters the combined service- and

02600-DK-P settling tank 5 via the separator return port 61. In an embodiment a filter is provided upstream of the separator pump 73 to avoid large impurities from interfering with the operation the separator pump 73.

As shown in Fig. 3 the separator conduit 70 may be divided into several parallel strings, with each string comprising a separator pump 73 and a separator 72.

Valving is also provided in each string so that a selected string can be disconnected from the system, i.e. because of a defect of a component in the string concerned or consumption is reduced.

The separator return port 61 is arranged at a third height H3 from the bottom of the combined service- and settling tank 5. The third height H3 is closer to the top 12 than to the bottom 11. In an embodiment the third height H3 is between 60% and 85% of the given height Hg, with the third height H3 preferably being approximately 75% of the given height Hg.

A first suction port 43 is arranged in the combined service- and settling tank 5 at a fourth height H4 from the bottom 11. The fourth height H4 is in between the second height H2 and the third height H3. In an embodiment the fourth height H4 is between 30% and 70% of the given height Hg from the bottom 11, preferably, the fourth height H4 is approximately 50% of the given height Hg from the bottom 11.

The first suction port 43 is connected to a feed conduit 26 for feeding fuel from the combined service- and settling tank 5 to the marine engine 4.

02600-DK-P

The transfer conduit 57 is in an embodiment provided with a feed pump 13. In an embodiment the transfer pump 13 is coupled to a first level sensor 81 arranged on the combined service- and settling tank 5 at the height H3 from the bottom 11 and to a second level sensor 82 that is arranged on the combined service- and settling tank 5 at a fifth height H5 from the bottom 11.

The fifth height H5 is higher than the third height H3. In an embodiment the fifth height H5 being approximately 85 to 95% of said given height Hg from the bottom 11, preferably approximately 90% of said given height Hg from the bottom 11. In an embodiment the transfer pump 13 is connected to the first level sensor 81 and to the second level sensor 82 such that the transfer pump 13 is activated when a first control signal SI from said first level sensor 81 indicates that the level of the marine fuel in the combined service- and settling tank 5 is below the third height H3 and such that the transfer pump 13 is deactivated when a second control signal S2 from said second level sensor 82 indicates that the level of marine fuel in the combined service- and settling tank 5 is above the fifth height H5. A controller, processor, control unit or circuit, (not shown) is in an embodiment used to control the operation of an electric drive motor of the transfer pump 13 in response to the signals S1,S2 from the first level sensor 81 and the second level sensor 82.

In an embodiment, the combined service- and settling tank 5 is provided with a second suction port 42. The second suction port 42 is arranged at a sixth height H6. The sixth height H6 is in between the second height H2 and the fourth height H4. In an embodiment the sixth height

02600-DK-P

H6 is between approximately 25% and approximately 40% of the given height Hg from the bottom 11, preferably approximately 33% of the given height Hg from the bottom

11. The second suction port 42 is connected via a secondary feed conduit 56 to feed conduit 26.

Valving is provided to allow the feed conduit 26 to be selectively connected to either the first suction port 43 or to the second suction port 42 via the secondary feed conduit 56.

In an embodiment the feed conduit 26 connects to a mixing

tank 30. In an embodiment	the feed pump 2 8	will	be
running at constant	speed,	feeding	marine fuel	to	the
mixing tank in a	quantity	that	corresponds	to	the
consumed quantity.	Surplus	marine	fuel will	be	re-
circulated via a	throttle	valve .	A fine filter	27
prevents impurities	to reach	the mixing tank 30.

A fuel outlet of the mixing tank 30 connects to the inlet of the fuel injection system of engine 4 by a fuel line

31. This connection includes a booster pump 33 followed by a fuel heater 34. A fuel return pipe 32 connects the fuel injection system of the marine engine 4 to a fuel return port of the mixing tank 30. A bypass line with a pressure regulation valve 37 allows fuel to be recirculated back into the mixing tank 30 and thereby to regulate the pressure in fuel line 31.

The fuel injection system of the large multi-cylinder self-igniting combustion engine 4 provides the cylinders with fuel and produces an unavoidable amount of leak oil that is collected in an engine oil drain tank 39.

02600-DK-P

In operation, the transfer pump 13 transfers marine fuel from the storage tank 10 via the transfer conduit 57 to the combined service- and settling tank 5. The marine fuel transferred from the storage tank 10 enters the combined service- and settling tank 5 via the inlet port 44 at the relatively low first height Hl. The level of marine fuel in the combined service- and settling tank 5 is kept above the third height H3 and below the fifth height H5 by the action of the transfer pump 13 in response to the signal S1,S2 from the respective first and second level sensors 81 and 82. Marine fuel from lower portion of the combined service and settling tank 5 is withdrawn via the separator feed port 62 at the relatively low second height H2. The fuel is withdrawn by the action of the separator pump 73. During normal operation of the fuel system the separator pump 73 will be continuously active and pump clean marine fuel back into the combined service- and settling tank 5 via the separator return port 61 at the relatively high third height H3.

During normal operation marine fuel for feeding to the marine engine 4 is withdrawn from the combined serviceand settling tank 5 via the first suction port 43. The amount withdrawn is determined by demand from the main engine 4 and other marine fuel consumers, if any. The feed pump 28 is constantly running during operation of the marine engine 4. The feed pump 28 is regulated with a throttle valve.

The fuel that is withdrawn via the first suction port 43 comes from the upper portion 25 of the combined serviceand settling tank 5 that contains relatively clean marine

02600-DK-P fuel that is suitable for delivery to the marine engine .

The relatively unclean marine fuel that enters via the inlet port 44 arrives in the lower portion of the combined service- and settling tank 5 indicated by reference numerals 15 and 20. The separator pump 73 withdraws relatively unclean marine fuel from the lower portion 15, 20 and returns marine fuel cleaned by the separator 72 to the upper portion 25 of the combined service and settling tank 5 via the separator return port 61.

The relative height of the inlet port 44, the relative height of the separator feed port 62, the relative height of the separator return port 61 and the relative height of the first suction port 43 divide the interior of the combined service- and settling tank 5 into a lower settling portion 15, 20 and an upper service portion 25.

The lower settling portion 15, 20 and the upper service portion 25 are separated by a virtual boundary that extends along a horizontal plane that coincides with the height H4 of the first suction port 43.

The marine fuel in the combined service- and settling tank 5 is thus virtually divided in a settling layer below the height H4 of the first suction port 43 and a virtual service layer above the height of the first suction port 43.

The marine fuel for the feed conduit 26 can for emergency reasons be withdrawn from the second suction port 42 when for some reason (like e.g. a defect) the transfer pump 13

02600-DK-P cannot keep the level of the fuel in the combined service- and settling tank 5 as desired above the third height H3. In such a situation the service portion of the combined service and settling tank 5 is represented by the upper portions 20 and 25 and the settling portion is represented by the lower portion 15, with the virtual boundary between the service portion and the settling portion being formed by a horizontal plane coinciding with the second suction port 42 at the sixth height H6.

The term comprising as used in the claims does not exclude other elements. The term a or an as used in the claims does not exclude a plurality.

Although the present invention has been described in detail for purpose of illustration, it is understood that such detail is solely for that purpose, and variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

02600-DK-P

Claims

patent claims

Fuel system for a large ship engine, characterized in that it comprises:

a combined operation and sedimentation fuel tank (5), wherein the combined operation and sedimentation fuel tank (5) contains a bottom (11) and a top (12) with a given height (Hg) between the bottom (11) and the top (12), wherein the combined operating and sedimentation fuel tank (5) is provided with:

a suction port (44) for receiving fuel from a storage vessel via a conveyor line (57) including a transport pump (13), said suction port (44) located near the bottom at a first height (H1) relative to the bottom ( 11), a separator supply opening (62) located at a second height (H2) near the bottom (11), a separator return opening (61) located at a third height (H3) relative to the bottom (11) wherein the third height (H3) is closer to the top (12) than to the bottom (11), a separator tube (70) extending from the separator supply opening (62) to the separator return opening (61), which (61), separator pipeline (70 includes a separator pump (73) and a separator (72), and a first inlet port (43) connected to a feed line (26) for supplying fuel from the combined operation and sedimentation fuel tank (5) to a ship diesel engine , which first suction opening (43) e r is provided at a fourth height (H4) relative to the bottom (11), which fourth height is between the second height (H2) and the third height (H3).

2. I I Claims Nos:

because they relate to parts of the patent application that do not comply with the prescribed requirements to such an extent that no meaningful search can be performed, specifically:

The fuel system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first level sensor (81) arranged to detect the presence of fuel at the third elevation (H3), a second level sensor (82) arranged to detect the presence of fuel at a fifth elevation (H5) (11), which fifth height (H5) is closer to the top (12) and is higher than the third high (H3).

The fuel system of claim 2, further comprising a control unit or circuit designed to control the operation of the transport pump (13), which control unit or circuit is received by a first control signal (SI) from the first level sensor (81) and is a receiver of a second control signal (S2) from the second level sensor (82), which control unit or circuit is designed to actuate the transport pump (13) when the first signal (SI) indicates that the level in the combined operation and sedimentation fuel tank ( 5) is lower than the third altitude (H3) and the controller or circuit is designed to deactivate the transport pump (13) when the second signal (S2) indicates that the level of fuel in the combined operation and sedimentation fuel tank (5) is higher than the fifth elevation (H5).

A fuel system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the combined operating and sedimentation fuel tank (5) is additionally provided with a second intake port (42) connected to the feed line (26) at a sixth height (H6 ) relative to the bottom (11), which sixth height (H6) is between the second height (H2) and the fourth height (H4), and the supply line (26) is further provided with valves for connecting the supply line (26) by choice ) either with the first suction opening (43) or with the second suction opening (42).

A fuel system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fourth height (H4) represents about half of the given height (Hg) and / or the third height (H3) constitutes about 75% of the given height (Hg), and / or the fifth elevation (H5) constitute about 95% of the given elevation (Hg), and or the sixth elevation constitutes about 30% of the given elevation (Hg), and / or the first elevation (Hl ) and the second height (H2) constitute less than 15% of the given height (Hg), and / or the first height (H1) is approximately the same as the second height (H2).

Fuel system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a horizontal layer of the combined operation and sedimentation fuel tank (5) below the second suction opening (42) serves as a sedimentation part (15, 20) of the combined operation and sedimentation fuel tank horizontal layer of the sedimentation fuel inlet port (43) serve and the sedimentation tank.

(5) and by which a combined operating and (5) above the first as an operating part in operation

Fuel system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a horizontal layer of the combined operating and sedimentation fuel tank (5) between the first suction opening (43) and the second suction opening (42) serves as a spare part (20). in the combined operation and sedimentation tank.

The fuel system of claim 6, wherein the sedimentation portion (15, 20) of the combined operating and sedimentation fuel tank (5) contains the sedimentation fuel layer and is separated by a virtual boundary from an operating fuel layer (25) contained in the operating portion (25).

A marine vessel (1) comprising a fuel system according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and a ship diesel engine (4) connected to the fuel system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

The marine vessel of claim 9, wherein the feed line (26) comprises a feed pump (28) and wherein the feed line (26) is connected to the ship diesel engine.

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SEARCH REPORT - PATENT Application No. PA 2016 70613 1. 1 1 Certain claims were found unsearchable (See Box No. I). 2. 1 1 Unity of invention is lacking prior to search (See Box No. II). A. CLASSIFICATION OF SUBJECT MATTER F02M 37/22 (2006.01); B01D 21/00 (2006.01); B60K 15/03 (2006.01); B63B 17/00 (2006.01) According to International Patent Classification (IPC) or to both national classification and IPC B. FIELDS SEARCHED Minimum documentation searched (classification system followed by classification symbols) IPC & CPC & FICLA: F02M, B63B, B60K, B0ID Documentation searched other than minimum documentation to the extent that such documents are included in the fields searched DK, NO, SE, FI: IPC classes as above. Electronic database consulted during the search (name of database and, where practicable, search terms used) EPODOC, WPI, FULL TEXT: ENGLISH C. DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED TO BE RELEVANT Category * Citation of document, with indication, where appropriate, of the relevant passages Relevant to claim no. A US 4772401 A (RAWLINS) September 20, 1988. See abstract, fig. 3, claim 1, col. 1, lin. 7 - 14, and col. 4, lin. 51, two col. 5, lin. 11th 1-10 A JP 2009-241903 A (MITSUI SHIPBUILDING ENG) October 22, 2009. See abstract and figs. 1-9. [& Espacenet English abstract] 1-10 A US 2016/0040638 Al (OGAWA) February 11, 2016. 1-10 See abstract, section [0022], and fig. First Further documents are listed in the continuation of Box C. * Special categories of cited documents: P Document published prior to the filing date but later than the A Document defining the general state of the art which is not priority date claimed. considered to be of particular relevance. T Document not in conflict with the application but cited to D Document cited in the application. An Earlier application or patent but published on or after the filing date. understand the principle or theory underlying the invention. X Document of particular relevance; the claimed invention cannot be considered novel or cannot be considered to involve an inventive step when the document is taken alone. Y Document of particular relevance; the claimed invention cannot be considered to involve an inventive step when the document is combined with one or more other such documents, such L Document which may throw doubt on priority claim (s) or which is cited to establish the publication date of another citation or other special reason (as specified). O Document referring to an oral disclosure, use, exhibition or other betyder. combination being obvious to a person skilled in the art. Document member of the same patent family. Danish Patent and Trademark Office Date of completion of the search report Helgeshøj Allé 81 DK-2630 Taastrun February 14, 2017 Denmark Authorized officer Telephone No. +45 4350 8000 Facsimile No. +45 4350 8001 Basel Hayatleh Telephone No. +45 4350 8366

Search Report

SEARCH REPORT - PATENT Application No. PA 2016 70613 C (Continuation). DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED TO BE RELEVANT Category * Citation of document, with indication, where appropriate, of the relevant passages Relevant to claim no. A EP 0150120 A2 (DAVCO MANUFACTURING CORPORATION) 31 July 1985. See abstract, p. 12, last section, to p. 13, first section, and figs. 1-7. 1-10 A US 2013/0306028 A1 (MONSALLIER et al.) November 21, 2013. See abstract, sec. And FIG. First 1-10 A EP 2644878 A1 (CATERPILLAR MOTORS GMBH & CO) 02 October 2013. See abstract, sec. [0007], [0017], [0019], claims 13 and 14, and fig. First 1-10 A JPH 08189444 A (UNISIA JECS CORP) July 23, 1996. See abstract and fig. 4. [& Espacenet English abstract] 1-10 A US 2001/0008820 Al (MATSUDA) July 19, 2001. See abstract and fig. 6th 1-10

Search Report

SEARCH REPORT - PATENT Application No. PA 2016 70613 Box No. In Observations where certain claims were found unsearchable

This search report has not been established in respect of certain claims for the following reasons:! □ Claims Nos:

because they relate to subject matter not required to be searched, namely:

3. I I Claims Nos .: because of other matters.

Box No. II Observations where unify of invention is lacking prior to searching

The Danish Patent and Trademark Office found multiple inventions in this patent application, as follows:

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SEARCH REPORT - PATENT Application No. PA 2016 70613 SUPPLEMENTAL BOX Continuation of Box [.]

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