iFuelActive - Smart diesel fuel solutions for the low carbon transition.

燃料会随着时间的推移而受到污染，污染主要是由于水、细菌和/或颗粒沉降到油箱底部，然后被标准燃料管道抽取。柴油中的水是污染的主要原因，导致泵和喷射器故障\[帕克，2018\]。这也是最难对付的，没有通用的解决方案来预防，因为水会沉淀到油箱底部\[Axi International，2019\]。燃油污染会导致发动机损坏，机器停机和生产率降低，特别是在建筑业（目前是英国生产率最低的行业）和农业等行业。业内和现有客户（沃尔沃、小松、GroundHog）的研究表明，对燃料箱内燃料的监测和污染水平的识别需求尚未得到满足。目前，解决这一问题的唯一方法是手动检查直列式滤清器，并定期进行油箱清洗，这需要昂贵而笨重的工具。Fuel Active Ltd（FAL）在燃油污染市场取得了成功，开发了浮动燃油抽取管，以确保将最清洁的燃油输送到发动机，降低喷油器损坏和发动机故障的风险。这一拟议项目的重点是开发 **iFuelActive**，这是一种智能燃料提取装置，使用罐内传感器和遥测技术远程监测燃料质量（液位、含水量、温度、流速、颗粒），并向设备用户报告任何问题。报告将通过控制单元完成，该控制单元将数据发送给设备所有者和用户，然后他们可以将预防性维护纳入其计划，同时更准确地监控资产的燃料水平。这种数据驱动的决策将确保减少停机时间和车队内的有效燃料管理。由于供应更清洁的燃料可以使柴油发动机更有效地运行，废气的有害排放减少，这有助于这些能源密集型市场减少碳排放，并帮助英国实现到2050年净零排放的目标。

Fuel becomes contaminated over time and contamination is mainly a result of either water, bacteria and/or particulates settling to the bottom of the tank and then being extracted by standard fuel pipes. Water in diesel fuel is the leading cause of contamination, causing pump and injector failures \[Parker, 2018\]. It is also the toughest to combat, with no universal solution for prevention as water precipitates to the bottom of the tank \[Axi International, 2019\].Fuel contamination can lead to engine damage, machine downtime and reduced productivity, particularly in sectors such as construction (currently the least productive sector in the UK) and agriculture. Research in the industry and from existing clients (Volvo, Komatsu, GroundHog) indicates that there is an unmet need for monitoring fuel within fuel tanks and the identification of contamination levels. Currently, the only method to address this is to manually check the inline filters and conduct regular fuel tank cleaning which requires expensive, bulky tools.Fuel Active Ltd (FAL) are building on proven success in the fuel contamination market, having developed a floating fuel extraction pipe to ensure that the cleanest fuel is delivered to the engine, mitigating the risk of injector damage and engine failure. This proposed project is focused on developing **iFuelActive**, a smart fuel extraction unit which uses in-tank sensors and telemetry to remotely monitor fuel quality (levels; water content; temperature; flow rate, particulates) and report on any issues to equipment users. The reporting will be done via a control unit which sends data to equipment owners and users who can then incorporate preventative maintenance into their scheduling, whilst more accurately monitoring fuel levels across assets. This data-driven decision making will ensure reduced downtime and efficient fuel management within fleets. As the supply of cleaner fuel allows diesel engines to operate more efficiently, harmful emissions from exhaust gases are reduced, which helps these energy-intensive markets reduce carbon emissions, and assist the UK in achieving its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050\.