Fuel monitoring on heavy equipment usually starts with installing a fuel level sensor in the tank. But this approach does not suit every machine. This case looks at how a road construction company set up fuel consumption monitoring on its road rollers, where a fuel level sensor turned out to be impossible to use, and what data on equipment and operator performance it gained as a result.
Why a Road Roller’s Fuel Consumption Is Hard to Monitor
A road construction company was looking for a way to monitor fuel consumption on its equipment automatically, primarily on its road rollers. The main difficulty was that consumption depended heavily on working conditions.
Consumption from 10 to 200 Liters per Hour
Depending on the vibration level and the slope of the site, a roller’s fuel consumption ranged from 10 to 200 liters per hour. With such a wide range, it is impossible to tell whether fuel is being used normally without knowing what mode the machine was in and under what conditions it was working. The customer needed not just to see a consumption figure, but to understand what drives it.
Monitoring Operators
The second part of the request concerned operators. The company wanted to make sure the equipment was being used correctly and to see how operator performance affected fuel consumption.
Project Goals
The integrator was given three goals:
- monitor fuel consumption in real time;
- save fuel;
- monitor how operators work with the equipment.
Why a Fuel Level Sensor Was Not an Option
In the early stages of the project, the integrator’s specialists assessed whether a fuel level sensor could be installed and concluded that it was impractical for rollers. There were two reasons.
Curved Fuel Tank
The roller’s fuel tank has a curved shape. A level sensor measures how high the fuel is in the tank, and with a tank of complex geometry it is difficult to get an accurate volume from that data.
Operation at Steep Angles
A roller may work on sites with a steep slope. When the machine tilts, the fuel shifts in the tank, and level sensor readings no longer reflect the actual volume.
Switchable Vibration Unit
Another factor is the vibration unit. A vibratory roller can work with or without it: the unit is switched on and off depending on the client’s requirements. With the vibration unit engaged, fuel consumption increases, so the monitoring system needs to capture changes in consumption across different operating modes.
The Solution: An Inline Flow Meter and a GPS Tracker
Instead of a level sensor, the specialists chose an inline dual-chamber differential flow meter. It measures fuel directly in the fuel system rather than in the tank, so the tank shape and the machine’s tilt do not affect the measurements. The flow meter transmits data via the CAN protocol.
Parameters the System Monitors
The monitoring system tracks:
- engine temperature;
- instantaneous fuel consumption;
- total fuel consumption;
- engine hours.
How the Data Reaches the Report
A GPS tracking device installed on the roller collects the parameters recorded by the flow meter: temperature, fuel volume, fuel consumption, and other readings. The device then sends them to the monitoring software, which generates a report for real-time fuel monitoring.
Solution Components
- inline dual-chamber differential flow meter with CAN output;
- GPS tracker;
- monitoring software with a fuel report.
Results
The key advantage of the solution is that data on the volume of fuel consumed and on engine hours in different modes reaches the report in real time.
A Complete Picture of Equipment Operation
The customer receives a complete, detailed report on how the rollers are operated. It can be used to assess the technical condition of the machines and how operators work with them.
Identifying Conditions That Cause Overconsumption
The data helps the company’s staff identify the conditions under which fuel consumption rises and avoid them in their work. This is how the fuel-saving goal is achieved: the company sees where overconsumption occurs and can act on it.
Conclusions
This case shows that a fuel level sensor is not a universal solution. For equipment with a complex tank shape that works on slopes and in different modes, it is more reliable to measure consumption directly in the fuel system. Combining an inline flow meter with CAN output, a GPS tracker, and reporting software gives a company real-time consumption monitoring, transparency into operator performance, and an understanding of which conditions lead to overconsumption.
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