RFID and wireless technology ease fuel monitoring
Most quarry managers will know how much they spend on gas oil per month but, when questioned further, some will admit that they do not actually know where it is going.
Quarries by their nature are often remote, hostile environments, which have not always lent themselves to the accurate stock management of gas oil. However, due to advancements in tank gauging and communications technology, it is now possible to monitor storage tanks anywhere in the world via a PC. The information fed back gives accurate tank volumes, quantities delivered, leakages, theft and other management information. Tank gauging is not limited to fuel only, as the fitting of various probes will allow the monitoring of virtually any type of liquid.
Once the fuel has been delivered to site and stored, the next problem is tracking where it is going.The monitoring of how much fuel is delivered to each piece of plant is often at best carried out using pencil and paper, or at worst not at all. Over the years many companies have tried to install conventional fuel-monitoring systems used by the road haulage industry in quarries but often with disastrous results.These systems are not suited to the harsh environment or the way refuelling is carried out within a quarry. Times are changing, however, and the technology is now available to accurately collect litres/h figures for plant machinery.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and wireless have been the buzzwords in the logistics industry for a number years.This technology is now entering the UK fuelling market but has been used elsewhere for the past 15 years or so. According to Liquid Management Solutions, sole distributors of the technology, the problem is that fuel monitoring in the UK has been stagnant for a number of years.This, they say, is very surprising considering the price of fuel, but things are about to change.
‘RFID and wireless systems are very simple, secure and robust, suiting the quarry environment,’ said Scott Sheldon, general sales manager of Liquid Management Solutions.‘A typical system will only refuel a vehicle or piece of plant it recognizes, collecting data such as distance travelled or hours run during the refuelling operation.The only manual intervention required is to put the nozzle in the tank and squeeze the trigger.The other advantage to this system is that it cuts out unauthorized fuel transactions, otherwise known as theft.’
The combination of a good tank gauging and fuel-monitoring system will give quarry managers the tools they need to manage on-site fuel and generate cost savings that will be transmitted to the bottom line. Liquid Management Solutions say they are currently working closely with one of the UK’s largest quarry operators to provide them with a secure storage and refuelling solution.
Liquid Management Solutions, Wolverhampton Science Park, Creative Industries Centre, Glaisher Drive, Wolverhampton WV10 9TG; tel (0845) 450 7373; fax: (0870) 446 0054
Quarries by their nature are often remote, hostile environments, which have not always lent themselves to the accurate stock management of gas oil. However, due to advancements in tank gauging and communications technology, it is now possible to monitor storage tanks anywhere in the world via a PC. The information fed back gives accurate tank volumes, quantities delivered, leakages, theft and other management information. Tank gauging is not limited to fuel only, as the fitting of various probes will allow the monitoring of virtually any type of liquid.
Once the fuel has been delivered to site and stored, the next problem is tracking where it is going.The monitoring of how much fuel is delivered to each piece of plant is often at best carried out using pencil and paper, or at worst not at all. Over the years many companies have tried to install conventional fuel-monitoring systems used by the road haulage industry in quarries but often with disastrous results.These systems are not suited to the harsh environment or the way refuelling is carried out within a quarry. Times are changing, however, and the technology is now available to accurately collect litres/h figures for plant machinery.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and wireless have been the buzzwords in the logistics industry for a number years.This technology is now entering the UK fuelling market but has been used elsewhere for the past 15 years or so. According to Liquid Management Solutions, sole distributors of the technology, the problem is that fuel monitoring in the UK has been stagnant for a number of years.This, they say, is very surprising considering the price of fuel, but things are about to change.
‘RFID and wireless systems are very simple, secure and robust, suiting the quarry environment,’ said Scott Sheldon, general sales manager of Liquid Management Solutions.‘A typical system will only refuel a vehicle or piece of plant it recognizes, collecting data such as distance travelled or hours run during the refuelling operation.The only manual intervention required is to put the nozzle in the tank and squeeze the trigger.The other advantage to this system is that it cuts out unauthorized fuel transactions, otherwise known as theft.’
The combination of a good tank gauging and fuel-monitoring system will give quarry managers the tools they need to manage on-site fuel and generate cost savings that will be transmitted to the bottom line. Liquid Management Solutions say they are currently working closely with one of the UK’s largest quarry operators to provide them with a secure storage and refuelling solution.
Liquid Management Solutions, Wolverhampton Science Park, Creative Industries Centre, Glaisher Drive, Wolverhampton WV10 9TG; tel (0845) 450 7373; fax: (0870) 446 0054
