Australasian Mining Review
Issue link: http://ebook.aprs.com.au/i/37922
231 Mines must unify their fuel supply from “buy” to “burn” As the pioneers of Unifi ed Fuel Management, Banlaw employs a unique end-to-end fuel management process called Fuel-Pro3. With integrated fuel management hardware, end-to-end fuel asset management, consulting and training, Unifi ed Fuel Management delivers productivity, reconciliation and cost reduction like no competing solution. Its products and systems are now used in 29 countries. Visit www.banlaw.com or see Banlaw representatives at the AIMEX convention. 1. Get the measure Banlaw FuelTrackTM – Precise monitoring, reconciliation and centralised reporting of fuel use. 2. Beat contamination Banlaw LubeCentral™ Makes oil and fl uid transfer a clean, effi cient and safe operation. 3. Tank level monitoring Banlaw FillSafe™ Fully electronic and automatic system with flow rates of up to 1000 litres per minute with zero tank pressure and zero overfill. 4. Fuel dispensing Banlaw RefuellingSystems At rates of up to 1000 litres per minute. Drybreak refuelling nozzles, receivers, vents, caps, breakaway valves and check valve receivers. 5. Facility management Programmed Maintenance Services Audit and Consulting Services Diesel Meter Calibration Services F uel is one of the major costs for mining operations, accounting for up to 40% of the total cost of equipment operation. Particularly in an environment of rising fuel prices, mine managers can enjoy signifi cant effi ciency savings by taking a unifi ed fuel management approach from “buy” right through to “burn”. Here are fi ve areas that are critical for effective unifi ed fuel management that will save mines money and improve productivity in the long term. 1. Get the measure of your fuel use You can’t manage what you can’t measure. To make sure that a mine is getting what it pays for it is essential to have inward fl ow metering. This gives managers a baseline measure of what comes into the site. On site fuel measurement is now an easy and powerful process for controlling costs. Many mining companies are wasting signifi cant money because they cannot measure fuel wastage or fuel shrinkage. Precise monitoring, reconciliation and centralised reporting is possible for all hydrocarbons dispensed by vehicle, tank and distribution points including mobile service trucks as well as fuel farms. The benefi ts of such systems extend far beyond fuel security. They assist with environmental compliance, stock reconciliation, maintenance scheduling, cost analysis, the calculation of burn rates, fuel ordering and the correct claiming of tax credits. 2. Filtration prevents contamination Reducing contamination is key to enhancing the life of capital equipment - another major cost input for mines. Fuel quality is also critical in optimising the effi cient operation of that equipment. Clean air and fuel can improve fuel economy in equipment by between fi ve and eight per cent. Having a clean fuel supply to begin with is important but a mine site generates plenty of water and dust particles that can quickly contaminate fuel supplies. A leading mining company recently carried out a global study of its fl eets and determined that it had between 200 and 300 tonnes of dirt in its equipment fuel tanks. Data suggests that up to 70% of lubricated equipment failure is attributable to contamination. Water and particle contamination signifi cantly reduces the longevity of the major mechanical components in the engine. It also increases fuel injector degradation. Proper injector operation is, of course, vital for optimum combustion, economy, emissions, and lubrication. While cutting costs and corners in fi ltration is a false economy the solution is not always buying more equipment or upgrading to more expensive synthetic base lubricants. The solution often lies in establishing contamination control measures. There have also been signifi cant improvements in oil transfer fi ttings in recent years to ensure a cleaner, more reliable connection. Very low cost solutions like ensuring tank vents have robust and serviceable seals as well as making sure dust caps are on when couplings aren’t in use can all help to make fuel inputs cleaner. Another issue affecting mines is new emission control standards that will continue to be strengthened as governments and industry respond to climate change. OEMs are already introducing more stringent fuel cleanliness requirements. Unfortunately, this means that in many mines we are seeing modern mining vehicle engines not able to perform as they are designed using current grade fuel. A common mistake is to simply buy a fi lter but if it is not the right one for the job it can lead to other costly issues such as reduced fuel fl ow. I have seen fuel-fl ow rates drop by 50% because a mine has inserted a fi lter into a fuel line to meet OEM specifi cations. Filtration must be designed to reduce contamination and maintain fl ow rates. New fi ltered tank vents are coming on to the market offering substantially fi ner tank fi ltration while ever the tank is breathing. Rates of 10 micron absolute can now be achieved as opposed to current rates of 30 micron nominal fi ltration. These fi ne fi ltered vents also have the added advantage of a separate exhaust path which doesn’t allow the fi lter elements to be damaged or compromised by overfi lling. 3. Tank level monitoring An often overlooked aspect of unifi ed fuel management is fuel tank level monitoring. Monitoring is essential for water detection which, as discussed above, is a real issue in terms of contamination of fuel stocks. With proper fuel tank monitoring in place mines can also look at effi ciencies gained through fuel companies managing site fuel stocks. With web based monitoring it is easy to ensure that tanks don’t get below 75 per cent full. Monitoring also provides opportunities for consignment stock and the charging of third parties working on the mine site for fuel used. There are simple systems that can be installed on tanks to ensure zero overfi ll, zero tank pressure and zero spillage during the refuelling process. Mines no longer need to have the unsafe and costly practice [Refuelling Management Systems] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ issue 2.2