Seafish, the UK authority on seafood, has tested a range of complete fuel monitoring systems at the Camborne School of Mines (University of Exeter) test cell facility.
The study looked at precision ‘out of the box’ for a range of fuel flow meters. The study also considered how best to fit the devices and their cost to fishermen. Four complete systems were reviewed: the Floscan C/M 65000, The Oval MIII Flowmate, the AIC 4008 and the P.H. Fuel consumption meter.
All of the systems come with a wheelhouse display unit as part of the package. The units can all display and record the fuel flow rate and display total fuel flow. By monitoring flow rates on the displays, skippers can adjust the revolutions of their engines and the propeller pitch to find the optimal fuel consumption level and the most economic speed.
Seafish’s study reveals that small adjustments to engine settings can result in significant reductions in fuel consumption of around 10-20% with little or no change in speed over the ground.
Whilst the Seafish tests do not represent an endorsement of any particular engine, they produced the following results:
In tests for the smaller to medium class of engines (up to 750Hp), with no requirement for temperature compensation, the Oval MIII system supplied by Incenta Controls at a total cost of £755 provided the most cost effective solution. The fitting of this system proved to be straight forward with fitting instructions supplied by the manufacturer.
On the basis of the tests skippers of vessels with larger engines (>750Hp) or a requirement for temperature compensation are advised to investigate temperature compensated units in order to achieve a good level of accuracy. The AIC 4008 fuel meter combined with the B3033 signal processor (total cost £1,500) provided an accurate indication of engine fuel consumption and would suit vessels with a fuel usage of up to 200l/hr.
The tests showed that larger vessels with engine demands above this 200l/hr level should consider the Flowpet (total cost £2,640) supplied by Incenta or the bespoke P.H. Flowmeter system. The P.H Flowmeter although the most expensive system on test (total cost €5,000-€8,000) is the only one that is built specifically for each vessel and supplied fully fitted. Both these meters can cope with changes in fuel temperature.
“We have summarised the findings in a Seafish fact sheet. By following these guidelines, interested skippers will be able to ensure they purchase the right flow meter to meet their needs. Skippers should also be aware that it is difficult to calibrate a meter accurately onboard. Meters should be calibrated before they are installed and we recommend that meters requiring calibration onboard are avoided if possible,” said Richard ‘Gus’ Caslake, Project Manager at Seafish Research and Development.
