Articles

Fuel Security hacks 101: A guide to saving fuel and protecting your business from fuel theft

Fuel, a Great Expense

The bottom-line: fuel is expensive.

Fuel likely represents one of the highest operational costs to your business. With prices currently hitting an eight-year record due to rising demand, the US dollar, COVID-19 lockdowns and international conflicts, there’s no wonder you’ve landed on our website. After all, we are the fluid management experts delivering leading fuel management solutions worldwide.

Welcome to Banlaw.

Whether you work in mining, rail, logistics, construction, agriculture or another industry where liquid fuels are needed just to get the job done; fuel security needs to be non-negotiable in your business.

Human error, unapproved fuel usage, wastage and fuel theft could be hurting your business more than you realise. These factors can become enormously costly without effective controls in place during the delivery, storage, dispensing and consumption phases. Keep reading to uncover some of the most valuable fuel-saving hacks, courtesy of Banlaw.

Taking Control of your Fluids

So what exactly is fuel security… and who should care? Fuel security is when tailored measures are put in place to safeguard fluids used throughout a business’s daily operations. In short, it’s ways to save money on fuel. But who should care? Maybe you’re a business owner with a fleet of vehicles on the road or a mining operations manager trying to maximise production. The other side of the profitability equation relates to fuel costs. If fuel is a high-value asset in your business, then you need to treat it as such. Effective fuel security controls can deliver exceptional ROI in a very short amount of time.

Here at Banlaw, we see the successful results and the importance of deploying adequate fuel security measures.

Here’s a look at what they could do for your business:

Significantly reduce fuel wastage through the delivery, storage, dispense, and consumption phases (from buy-to-burn)
Help prevent fuel misuse and enhance fleet productivity because only the correct amount of the correct fuel is dispensed into approved machines
Minimise the chance of environmental situations and employee risk due to spills, leaks and potentially fires
Decrease the occurrence of fuel theft and encourage positive behaviour from employees, contractors, and others who are approved to operate machinery and access fuels
Lay a reliable data foundation from which to identify ongoing business savings and improvements

Delivery Hack

Did you know that diesel expands when it warms up? Does it surprise you that when fuel is pumped from a tanker to your onsite storage tanks it picks up some air bubbles? Also, not all flow meters measure reliably, and people can often just make mistakes as well. These kinds of totally understandable variations often add up to between 2% and 6% of total fuel spend (and this can be higher in some countries!). Do you think your business should be paying for this? Because it is! If you’re receiving a single tanker of fuel per week, then a 2% variation due to these kinds of factors can add up to over $50k per year.

Introducing inwards metering. An effective inwards metering process ensures that you are getting what you pay for. It helps you know exactly how much fluid you are receiving at the point the supplier unloads your fuel and before it’s placed into your bulk storage tanks.

Inwards metering means that you pay only for what you receive, but more importantly it provides the facts you need to reconcile what you consume at a machine level back to what you purchase.

Reliable and accurate data on what fuels have been delivered to site allows your fuel management system to analyse everything that happens downstream, identifying leaks, vehicles that require maintenance, and behavioural issues.

Storage Hack

The processes related to managing large amounts of flammable liquids can pose numerous problems for a business and, if not done right, lead to extreme financial burden if issues do occur. The good news – Banlaw’s technology can give you full confidence when it comes to fuel storage.

Automatic Tank Gauging

Automatic tank gauging technologies for bulk storage tanks provide real-time visibility of how much fuel is in each tank. It ensures stock is moved or delivered on time so that you never run out of fuel where it’s needed. Furthermore, knowing exactly how much fuel you have onsite means you can analyse the reliability of your supply, and then purchase the amount you really need instead of stockpiling. This single factor can often free up enough money for an entire fuel management system upgrade!

Overfill Protection Systems

Tank overfills and refuelling errors are a thing of the past when you have Banlaw tank overfill prevention technologies installed. Whether you’ve got a large fuel storage facility, several self-bunded diesel tanks, service trucks taking fuel to the fleet, or you need to protect your mobile assets… tank overfill protection is literally a fuel life-saver.

Effective tank overfill protection limits the chance of spills, sprays, and leaks, protecting your people and equipment from fires and other risks. Appropriate tank overfill protection can also increase your fuelling efficiency, with no ‘throttling’ of flow rates. The technology ensures that tanks are rapidly filled to the optimum level every time, no more, no less, no pressure (in the tank). This contributes to a cleaner, safer, more efficient workplace whilst minimising the risk of fuel waste and unscheduled maintenance.

Banlaw’s offerings with tank overfill protection include our FlowLogix fuel infrastructure and facility projects, and our FillSafe off-the-shelf products for smaller tanks and machines. All of our tank overfill protection systems can be scoped to ensure the following fuel security benefits:

Reliable tank overfill protection – no wasted fuel, no underfills, no overfills, and no guessing or checking to ensure the tank is filled to the appropriate level
No pressure build-up in the tank – avoiding tank rupture and fatigue, along with the potential for human and environmental catastrophes and fuel loss
Secondary (backup) overfill protection system
- FillSafe Power and FillSafe Zero have a ‘pressurised tank’ backup shut-off system when deployed with Banlaw (or similar) Dry Break fuelling nozzles, receivers and vents
- Our FlowLogix projects for fuel storage infrastructure can also be deployed with SIL (Safety Integrity System) bulk storage overfill protection systems, for an additional layer of safety

What's the best tank overfill protection solution for my business?

Fuel Management Systems

Quickly and efficiently identifying where fluid leakage or misuse is occurring on your worksite could mean the difference between an enormous, ongoing, invisible unplanned expense, and stopping the problem in its tracks. ResTrack RMS, Banlaw’s fuel management system software coordinates and tracks all fluid access, storage, and movements.

There’s no doubt ResTrack delivers powerful insights. It swiftly reconciles your fuel delivered to what’s in your storage tanks, and to each dispensing transaction. The automated reporting helps you pinpoint areas of variance, identifying leaks from equipment degradation, machines that need service, operators that need training, and any instances of fuel theft. Many Banlaw customers report fluid reconciliation rates of 99.5% or higher!

Dispensing Hack

Because fuel is such a valuable commodity, it will always be susceptible to fuel theft. Onsite fuel storage tanks might each hold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fluid. It’s likely to be an expensive mistake if these fluids are left accessible for anyone to use. One of the most effective ways to implement fuel security in your business is through user and equipment identification technologies. In short, No ID, No fuel.

Dry Break Auto ID is Banlaw’s proprietary solution for secure high-flow diesel refuelling. When correctly coupled, our Dry Break Auto ID refuelling hardware passes a machine ID signal from the receiver, through the inside of the nozzle, and then wirelessly to a local fuel management controller within range. The system simply will not dispense if the operator and vehicle are not authorised to access that fluid, from this location, at this time. Banlaw’s Splash Fill Auto ID system similarly ensures approved access for machines that must be filled via the fuel tank filler neck. Banlaw Auto ID refuelling and fluid transfer technologies ensure that only the correct amount, of the correct fluid, is dispensed into the correct machine.

User and equipment identification means absolute fuel security during dispensing and an efficient automated process for your business:

Improved reconciliation tracks fuel delivered through to the machine it was dispensed into, with 100% validation to the fuel-consuming asset
Approved operators and machines automatically get access to the correct amount of the correct fluid via seamless processes and unobtrusive connected-technologies
Standardised reporting and system alarms focus admin users on business and behavioural improvement opportunities
Better tracking of fuel moves between the supplier, onsite storage tanks, and consuming assets means every drop gets delivered where and when you need it, without waste

Consumption Hack

In many countries, a primary vector of fuel theft is the removal of diesel directly from the fuel tank of heavy equipment. These trucks, diggers, loaders, etc., carry thousands of litres of diesel, and often it can easily be drained back out of the fuel tank fill point. Want to know how to safeguard your fuel? Banlaw’s check valve receiver is the world’s toughest and safest physical fuel security device of this type. Our check valve receiver is a problem-solving hardware control that allows fuel to flow in only one direction. AKA. Once it goes in, it stays in, and you can’t drain diesel back out of the tank.

Our check valve receiver is the perfect combination of fuel security and functionality. Not only does it prevent fuel theft from the tank fill point, but the innovative design also allows the receiver to be replaced without draining the tank. This reduces maintenance costs down the track because only the worn part is replaced, and it also saves time by avoiding the need to drain a fuel tank during machine service.

By ensuring diesel stays inside the fuel tank of your plant and mobile equipment, you can be confident that every gallon or litre is being used to the benefit of your business.

Conclusion

Fuel is a precious asset – don’t waste it. Effective fuel security measures are the key to reducing your operational expenses related to industrial fluids. A combination of physical controls, approved access for users and machines, leak prevention products, and connected technologies to automate the process can put you in control and save your business a fortune.

Talk to Banlaw today about deploying pragmatic solutions to fuel security based on the pain points your business is experiencing. Our processes, products, and integrated solutions rapidly pay for themselves.

Articles

Fuel Security hacks 101: A guide to saving fuel and protecting your business from fuel theft

Fuel, a Great Expense

Taking Control of your Fluids

Delivery Hack