Monitoring fuel consumption

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

29 Aug 2008

The company behind the vessel-based fuel management system has announced the addition of TorqueTrak 10k to its list of sensors monitored. The move comes in response to high consumer demand to monitor engine power output and reduce fuel costs, according to a spokesperson for Nautical Control Solutions, makers of the FuelTrax system.

TorqueTrak 10K allows the user to monitor the output and calculate brake specific fuel consumption, to maximise fuel efficiency and reduce bunker consumption, a report said.
"The pressures of a competitive marketplace coupled with the rising cost of fuel are motivating fleet owners to look more closely at vessel operations across the board to identify areas that could benefit from improvement," said Anthony George, CEO of Nautical Control Solutions.
"Fuel monitoring and accounting, vessel logistics, throttle optimisation, and now live engine performance monitoring, helps an operator become more consistent so he can run his fleet in an increasingly economic fashion," George added. "Knowing how vessels are performing, based on fuel consumption, provides a competitive advantage and increases profit margins."
FuelTrax can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of fuel saving devices. It calculates brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) on a running engine that is moving a vessel.
NCS says FuelTrax can reduce a vessel's fuel consumption by 8-20% or more when used properly, depending on existing conditions.
"Tweaking maintenance routines or replacing engines might reduce fuel costs and improve performance, but you won't know if the expense was worth it without a baseline. FuelTrax provides that baseline," said George.
TorqueTrax 10k takes measurements in real-time and converts any driveshaft into a rotating sensor. It is designed for temporary test measurements such as sea trials, according to a company report.
"Adding the TorqueTrak 10K interface expands our data gathering ability and further positions FuelTrax as a complete marine fuel management system." George concluded.

Source: Sustainable Shipping