The company’s experience and success has been, in part, based on the integration of good lubrication process, innovative system design and commitment to quality client service.  

From managing lubrication and fuel assets to productivity improvements, maintenance of hydrocarbons on site and in transport, IRS has a solution to fit specific requirements. 

Australian Mining Review spoke to IRS Managing Director Mark Drayton about the company’s products and operations. 

Asset management 

Mr Drayton stands firmly behind the principle that an integrated approach to plant maintenance is essential for maximum reliability. 

“IRS provides a targeted range of specialised services and unique products designed to sustain operational reliability and increase financial returns through improved asset utilisation,” he said.  

“Our asset management services focus on achieving cost-effective plant and equipment reliability through the application of leading asset management practices. 

“The goal is to ensure that maintenance work is prepared and executed effectively and efficiently, and ensure that essential maintenance work is performed on time, to a plan and to a standard.”  

Mr Drayton said achieving these benchmarks had proven to deliver sustainable reliability improvement at the lowest cost over the life of the asset.
“We focus on specific elements of the maintenance business that have demonstrated to reduce costs and maximise asset reliability,” he said. 

These include: 

• Maintenance process health checks 
• Planning and scheduling optimisation 
• Maintenance work prioritisation 

• Defect elimination 
• Operation and maintenance environment reliability threat assessment 
• Shutdown management process optimisation 
• Material inventory preservation 

“We also work with our customers to assist in complex failure investigations to help clients eliminate repeat significant breakdowns of business, critical assets,” Mr Drayton said.  

“Our process assists to lead their team through data collection, analysis and solutions development around their lubricant or hydrocarbon related issues.  

“All failures tell a story and our methodical analysis process to identify the root cause and helps our customers arrive at an optimum business balanced solution.” 

Fuel and lubrication farms 

IRS is engaged often by mining companies to provide the necessary infrastructure for fuel and lubrication farms on mine sites. 

Mr Drayton said IRS provided installations for a number of major operations within Australia. 

As well, it provides a full on-site lubrication service for bulk storage systems. 

“Our specialised maintenance and management expertise have been used by the mining, power generation and related industries to enhance production, reduce costs and assist in achieving best practice since 1987,” Mr Drayton said.  

He said the design, manufacture and installation of systems extends, but are not restricted to: 

• IBC lubrication storage and dispensing 
• Oil sampling points and systems 
• Filter buggy and filtrations systems 
• Lubrication transfer and dispensing equipment systems 
• Bulk grease storage, transfer and delivery systems 

• Workshop storage, reticulation and dispensing systems 
• Bulk fuel filtration and Coalescer systems (see below) 
• Bulk oils storage, reticulation, filtrations and dispensing systems 
• Magna Drive, “eddy” current coupling drive skids and systems 
• Lube service truck design and manufacture 

• Oil and grease tanks 

“We provide everything right down to the hose reels for dispensing fluids,” Mr Drayton said. 

He said the company’s maintenance and preventative maintenance systems had proven to improve fluid cleanliness and maintain dispensing flow rates across the systems.  

“We cover many areas,” he said. 

“For example, we service tank breathers for moisture and particulate control, as well as pumping drive systems including pumps, reduction gearboxes and motors. 

“We check the integrity of tanks, pipes, flanges and joints and flexible hoses, and also test system pump operations.” 

IRS has developed its own computerised maintenance management system named LAMS, designed for the management of all project management and service tasks. 

“The proprietary system allows us to manage our customers’ maintenance practices autonomously, allowing site personnel to focus on core activities,” Mr Drayton said. 

Filtration and flushing 

The IRS team in Australia comprises of highly skilled, specialist staff with extensive experience across all industry sectors in the areas of fluid engineering, fluid cleanliness control, and fluid maintenance. 

The hydrocarbon and lubricant management systems incorporate a specialised service for turbines, lube oil systems, bulk storage facilities and hydraulic systems. 

“IRS owns and maintains a range of oil and fluid filtration systems which we mobilise and perform oil transfer, polishing or flushing nationally,” Mr Drayton said.
“Our systems can filter fluids ranging in viscosity from 3cSt to 1500cSt at speeds of up to 200lpm.
“Our techniques allow us to provide ISO4406 certification on site while we are performing the work, ensuring oil cleanliness targets are achieved during the process.” 

Bulk fuel filtration  

Bulk fuel cleanliness has become a priority reliability issue for operational mobile and fixed assets.  

Excessive water and dirt can reduce the lubrication properties of the fuel, which may cause injector seizure and catastrophic engine failures.  

With the further introduction of High Pressure Common Rails (HPCR), fuel cleanliness is absolute to reduce adverse effects of contaminated fuel. 

Mr Drayton said that removing free water in fuel significantly reduces or eliminates the growth of Hormoconis Resinae, commonly known as the “diesel fuel bug”. 

“These micro-organisms comprise of fungi, yeasts and bacteria which live mostly in the diesel / water interface inside the diesel tank,” he said.  

“They can produce large biomass of mycelia (fungal matting) in a short period of time and block filters and injectors. 

“IRS provides complete management of bulk fuel facilities that include new facility design, upgrade design, project management, fuel management programs, installation, product supply and complete integrated logistical support. Our systems are design to comply with Australian Standards AS 1940. 

“Our solutions have been driven by a growing market need for clean fuel, which, among other benefits, will help to improve overall engine performance, reduce engine operational costs and increase asset availability and production.” 

Mr Drayton said that IRS had partnered with global market leading suppliers to ensure that its hydrocarbon management solutions meet current best practices at affordable economic cost.  

“We supply standard products and design for common application and have an internal engineering design capability, where we can work to design a solution to meet any customer specific requirements,” he said. 

Grease is the word 

Contamination in grease and lubrication oils can have a harmful effect on the operating effectiveness of machinery. 

By maintaining reasonable fluid cleanliness, end-users can dramatically increase the life of critical wear components on rotational equipment, minimising downtime and maximising profitability. 

Mr Drayton said IRS supplied effective and durable high-pressure grease filters, which employ Wedge wire filter media to deliver positive protection against contamination, leading to predictable reliability for hydraulic systems and components. 

“Our solutions have been developed as a result of observing many issues which arise from grease contamination, such as unnecessary downtime for equipment and machinery, the blockage of the grease system, and premature failure in pumps, injectors, gears, bearings, etc.” 

IRS incorporated many innovative elements in the design of its high pressure gear filters. 

These include: 

• Reducing time to change filter 

• Large filter surface area 
• Compact and versatile design 
• Tough stainless steel filter element to extend life span 
• Zinc plated hard wearing filter housing exterior for harsh environments 
• Three sizes of filter housing 

 Oil filter trolley 

Mr Drayton said off-line filtration of the lubricant during equipment operation is the preferred method in removal of solid contaminants from most operating systems and or compartments.  

This technique is preferred over draining and replenishment, as no downtime is experienced while the equipment remains operational, significantly reducing lubricant purchases and waste removal. 

“Our filter systems comply with AS1940 in order to meet OH&S and environmental requirements under Federal law, and we tailor design modules to meet the individual needs or our broad customer base,” Mr Drayton said. 

“Our filter trolley solutions have been developed as a result years of working with industry and observing some the issues with conventional methods for the operator in dispensing fluids.  

“Our trolleys have a mobile bypass filtration for hydraulic and lubricating systems, an efficient pumping system, along with a narrow unit profile for easier access to confined spaces. 

“There are also high performance contamination absorption, a robust feed pump.” 

The design of the trolley, while adhering to standards, is also flexible, which allows for customisation to colour and fluid requirements. 

The drip tray can be adjusted to a stationary or reclined position, while filters are easy to change and service. 

 Reeling in the problems 

As dispensing infrastructure is established further away from traditional workshops and service areas, the dispensing equipment may not be installed adequately or maintained to an appropriate standard. 

IRS has for many years been assisting operators in the area to dispense fluids in a safe and manageable environment, whilst complying with Australian Standards AS1940. 

“Some common problems are damaged hoses from misuse and damaged dispensing nozzles, hose reel failure and uncontrolled movement whilst retracting, difficulty of use and safety issues with pulling out the hose from the reels,” Mr Drayton said. 

IRS-designed equipment is made to assist operators to maintain safe housekeeping and increase hose and nozzle life. 

They include a breakaway valve for control of minor spills as well as features which increase fluid flow and ease of use, such as greaseable rollers and swivels, breakaway couplings, heavy duty construction, and swaged counterweight cable ends. 

QDS service pods 

The increasing demand from underground mining for fluid cleanliness, filtering, storage and dispensing has led IRS to produce a range of QDS pods to address this growing demand. 

The IRS-manufactured QDS pods are designed to increase fluid cleanliness levels, prevent overfill and moisture ingress to storage systems and are suitable for underground conditions. 

Some of its features include a 1700L spill retention bund, a non-metallic air service unit (filter, regulator and lubricator), a pressure bleed-down valve with filter clogging indicators, and  storage for two grades of oil, totalling 1200l, and 900 l of waste oil. 

The hose assemblies are built to crimped hydraulic assemblies and the delivery hoses are fitted with ¾” BSP nipples. 

Remote service area dispensers 

IRS has also catered to the increasing demand for Industry to provide solutions for the storage and dispensing of fuelling, lubricants, coolants and grease in remote areas. 

“Equipment in these areas are subject to many problems,” Mr Drayton said. 

“They can include non-compliance with Australian Standards, inadequate fluid cleanliness and filtration, air cleanliness and ingress issues to storage systems, and harsh weather and environmental conditions.” 

IRS incorporates many clever features in its designs, such as compliance with Australian standards, tank air cleanliness, tank overfill protection, dispensing options (counter-weighted tower or hose reels), and flush face dry break couplers on fill and dispensing. 

 Service bay dispensers 

Increased demands on Industry to improve manual handling, oil/fluid cleanliness and reduce service time intervals has seen a progressive shift from dispensing from packaged product to dispensing from bulk containers via a fixed dispensing network throughout workshop facilities. 

“Industry standards indicate that every time you transfer fluids from one compartment to the next you increase the dirt content by one code/level,” Mr Drayton said.  

“Progressive operators are now decreasing the number of transfers by pumping fluids direct from bulk containers into the engine and gearbox compartments.” 

IRS-designed dispensers comply to Australian standards, reduce fluid spillage from transferring from drums, while eliminating the need for storage of drums in workshops. 

“There is reduced residual fluids left in drums, leading to improved fluid cleanliness and housekeeping, and reducing manual handling injuries,” Mr Drayton said. 

IRS designs its storage systems to suit customers’ specific needs. 

They can include: 

• IBC, single or double stacked systems 
• 500, 1000 and 2000 litre SWF tanks 
• 1000, 2000 and 10,000 litre doubled skin self-bunded tanks 

IRS can also maintain a number of hose reels in a restricted foot print, standardise hose reels and hose sizing and provide batch meters for precise measurement of volumes. 

Lubrication methodology 

Mr Drayton concludes by pointing out that between 80–90% of all condition monitoring reports identify lack of lubrication as the primary root cause of a defect.  

“Our goal has been to ensure that all rotating and sliding elements are adequately lubricated, which in turn allows maintenance practitioners to focus on the root cause of defects in addition to identifying the symptoms,” Mr Drayton said. 

“While industry has begun to grasp and benefit from better lubrication practices, we believe that in order to fully understand the potential of plant reliability we need to “get the basics right”. 

“By starting at the beginning, we establish the foundation from which reliability centred maintenance system can begin to develop. 

“We work from the position that any equipment failure is unacceptable, and plant owners must take every step to ensure that components do not fail prematurely due to lack of lubricant or lubrication related issues.” 

To ensure maximum equipment life, IRS has adopted some fundamental philosophies to ensure this is achieved, such as the “Six R’s of Lubrication”:  

• Right Product 
• Right Timing 
• Right Place 
• Right Amount 
• Right Equipment 
• Right Attitude 

“Attitude is the human element of the equation, and without the right attitude, the first five points may not be relevant,” Mr Drayton said. 

More information:
Integrated Reliability Solutions
Email: admin@lubrication.com.au
Website: www.lubrication.com.au
Phone: (02) 4903 8900  

The post Fuel farm specialists appeared first on The Australian Mining Review.

EQUIPMENT Placement’s patented CareTaker ALRS design has been developed specifically to address the ongoing issues associated with fluid sampling methods, and to remove safety hazards for operators and service personnel.

Equipment Placement co-founder and director Brian Bondi told the Australian Mining Review that there has been many variants of the project since its conception, but that it was product developer Jason Bondi who took the theory behind the objectives and transformed the product into the CareTaker ALRS.

And now, after more than one year of field testing, the CareTaker ALRS has hit commercial production and is hitting every target the Equipment Placement team set.

The concept was designed by Fluid Transfer Technology, which is a JV company specifically registered for the research and development of new innovative products to suit the ongoing demand in the mining industry for increased automation and higher standards of safety.

Fluid Transfer Technology has three equal partners, Brian Bondi, John Bondi and Luke McInnes, all of whom had some level of input into the concept and functionality of the product.

Product development was handed over to John’s son, Jason, who developed the ALRS into a commercially acceptable product.

How it works

The CareTaker ALRS has a sample control unit placed inside the operating station for safe initiation of a live oil sample, and a remote sample station placed in a convenient location that can be accessed when the machine is isolated.

Sampling is carried out using three simple steps.

Firstly, the unit is purged with fresh fluid, then a measured amount of fluid is collected in the sample chamber, before the sample chamber discharges the sample into the sample bottle.

The bottle is then sealed so that there can be no interference with the sample between testing and the lab, and this is one striking point of difference as it is just one more instance where human interference can no longer damage the integrity of oil samples.

Equipment Placement product developer Jason Bondi said that the unit could be mounted anywhere on the machine and plumbed into the fluid that needs sampling.

“To sample engine oil, we take a feed from a pressure line and a return line to the engine’s crankcase.  The controller is located inside the operator’s station, inside the machine and out of harm’s way,” he said.

“We like to think that, to the best of our knowledge, there is nothing comparable on the market.

“There may be products that offer a similar type scenario, but in our opinion they would not provide the same accuracy and the same result

“There are other products, but they still require manual handling to sample the oil.”

“There’s not another system where you can sit in the cabin and take samples.”

Not all samples are the same

Brian Bondi said that there were two major reasons for developing the product.

“Firstly, there is a lack of consistency when taking a manual oil sample which results in a lack of confidence in the actual sample being an accurate representation of the relevant compartment,” he said.

“Lack of consistency would then bring other factors into play such as the environment, atmospheric conditions or poor sampling techniques, meaning maintenance departments would get the samples but could never be confident of the results.

“You could take 500 samples per week on a site and it wouldn’t be uncommon for 200-300 of those actually being deemed compromised and therefore disregarded.”

This means sampling is a highly expensive and inefficient process.

Poor samples and bad sampling techniques were the first problem, but the second problem was equally important – taking live samples.

Live sampling is widely acknowledged as the best method for oil sampling, however due to safety risks, most mining companies steer well clear of the method to the detriment of sample quality.

Mr Bondi said that most non-live testing regimes ensure no workers can get within the footprint of an operating machine to carry out testing.

“Our system is remote or semi-remote depending on the needs of the client and it can be configured in any number of ways to suit clients’ needs,” he said.

“Safety is paramount on the mine site, and mining companies will look at safety first. Sampling will always come second.”

Why take live samples?

Live samples are simply better because they are more accurate, and they give a more accurate representation of the oil when it is in operation, meaning the analyst knows that the sample is representative of the component.

When a live sample is taken from a point in the engine, any contaminants detrimental to the component are suspended in the oil and therefore suspended in the sample.

Whereas when a sample is taken from a machine that has been turned off and allowed to settle, the oil has cooled down and some of the particles that would be detected in the live sample would no longer be suspended and therefor ‘non-representative’.

Mr Bondi said that the other reason is that oil samples must be taken from the same spot every time to ensure consistency.

“Common practice is to remove a cap from a reservoir or a dipstick from a dipstick tube and insert a plastic tube connected to a vacuum pump to extract a sample,” he said.

“The problem with this process is that it is near impossible to take the sample from the same point each time especially given that it will be done by multiple personnel therefore giving inconsistencies straight away.”

“Invariably this will lead to inaccurate samples, as the tube will take oil samples from the top, sometimes from further down, sometimes you run the tube along the edge of the component and pick up debris, and this is yet another issue with sampling techniques that needs to be addressed.”

What’s next?

The ALRS CareTaker has been going from strength to strength since its commercial launch in September.

The sales and marketing of the product will initially be through Equipment Placement Sales and Services, with the view to expanding distribution networks from 2020 onwards.

Interest has been shown offshore with EPSS receiving its first order from a South American Komatsu dealer.

While the company is vigilant for any teething problems that might arise, it is also looking to the future and to the full automation of the system.

Jason Bondi said that his focus was on developing the system for fully autonomous trucks which would not need any human interference at any stage.

“Right now, we’re working on different control methods,” he said.

“At the moment it’s a simple control method with a push button inside the cab, but we’re working on having a HMI feedback interface screen that will automate the process further and remotely operate the system.

“Those sorts of developments will become more prominent”.

“As more and more autonomous trucks enter the mining industry, the autonomous trucks will have an autonomous live sampling unit and the sampling will be automated to the point where the oil sample can be initiated from a remote location.

“We’re aiming for this to be ready mid-2020.”

More information:
Phone: (08) 9479 4988
Email: bbondi@equipmentplacement.com.au
Website: www.equipmentplacement.com.au

The post Automated live remote sampling appeared first on The Australian Mining Review.

EVOL LNG has been supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fuel remote mines in WA since 2008.

Its trucked LNG offering has become the preferred choice for remote mines that are located within 1000km of its Kwinana LNG plant, yet don’t have the power demand or mine life to underpin construction of a gas pipeline or powerlines.

LNG offers significant cost savings and emission benefits compared to diesel, and is less capital intensive and less contractually onerous than lengthy gas pipelines or powerlines.

Diesel-fuelled mining operations have been fully exposed to the volatile international oil price (rising from US$27/bbl in 2016 to US$86/bbl in 2018) and the Australian dollar exchange rate, making energy and mining costs extremely difficult to forecast.

In contrast, LNG contracts are typically escalated with CPI, which has risen just 2.5pc over the same period, and with the diesel price above 75 cents per litre (after rebate), LNG-fuelled mine sites are saving up to 30pc on their fuel costs.

If greenhouse gas emission regulations are introduced, this would be another factor to strengthen the case for LNG, which has 25pc lower carbon emissions compared to diesel. LNG can also be neatly paired with renewables in hybrid power stations to deliver even better environmental performance.

EVOL LNG’s longest-standing customer, Darlot gold mine, has benefited from fuel savings of more than $24m compared to diesel over the past 10 years.

Other existing LNG powered mines in the Goldfields and Mid West include Carosue Dam, Daisy-Milano, Mt Marion, Deflector and Dalgaranga.

As a locally produced fuel, compared to imported diesel, the use of LNG in the mining sector is reducing operating costs, cutting emissions, creating jobs and supporting the local economy.

It’s a win-win for WA and the environment.

More information:
Phone: +61 (08) 9312 9382
Email: lnginfo@evollng.com.au
Website: www.evollng.com.au

The post In for the long haul appeared first on The Australian Mining Review.

Fuelfix specialises in providing premium solutions for fuel storage and management through innovative products and services.

National manager marketing and corporate strategy, Henry Westbrook, described the recent work on an in-pit refueller project for one of Australia’s largest mining companies as one example of Fuelfix’s problem solving capabilities and delivery of an innovative solutions.

“We worked out that if we positioned the fuel tank in the actual mining pit rather than have all the trucks having to travel to a fuel farm, it would save both time and money for the customer” Mr Westbrook said.

“But to make it work we actually had to build a big enough fuel tank and improve flow rates from the pumping equipment so we negotiated with the Department of Mines to allow us to build the T200, a 200,000 litre self-bunded fuel tank which was twice the size of the largest one available up to then.

“Once we had approval, we designed and built in-house, a pumping skid that could deliver the fuel at 1000 litres a minute to ensure the minimum down time for trucks when refuelling in the pit.”

“To be compatible with the customer’s data collection and clean fuel goals we also included fuel filtration and fuel management into the package so that no compromise was made in these areas even though the facility was in the pit.” Mr Westbrook said.

The project was a critical part of a series of initiatives developed through collaboration between the customer and Fuelfix to reduce fuel spend, improve burn efficiency and enable maximum uptime of all trucks for their main task, hauling ore.

“There are real cost saving and mining optimisation benefits from having your fuel in the right place, stored in the right way and kept clean so you burn less of it.” Mr Westbrook said.

Pump development

It took three years from concept to development for the project to now being rolled out across multiple sites, which included the development of a faster, more efficient pump for the T200 tank.

“Traditional high flow refuelling generally operated anywhere in the bandwidth or 250-500 litres per minute and that was perfectly acceptable for a long time, but as sites started cracking down and cutting costs a few years ago, the time it took to refuel trucks was basically taking away from time they could be hauling iron ore, “Mr Westbrook said.

“So, the quicker you can refuel them, the quicker they can get back out there and keep working.

“We had to significantly increase the flow rates, which requires quite a bit of engineering because you have to adjust the sizes of the pipes coming out of the tanks, the amount of power the pumps drive and of course all of that has to be safe and reliable so they don’t break down and cause a spill.

“To get up to 1000l a minute was a significant achievement and we’re quite proud of that.”

The in-pit refueller set the customer ahead of the pack in terms of fuel efficiency.

“Once one site demonstrated that it could achieve significant advantages by refuelling in the pit, everyone else was pretty quick to follow,” Mr Westbrook said.

Beyond cost savings, Mr Westbrook said that there is a push across the industry to improve how efficiently fuel is used.

“I think a big part of that, when you are burning so much diesel, is to burn it as responsibly as possible and absolutely maximise your fuel purchasing and burn,” he said.

“Having the fuel in the right spot in the pit you can go a long way towards doing that.

“That’s why we feel the in-pit refueller is beneficial to any mining company that’s looking to reduce their fuel spend.”

More information:

Phone: 1300 734 764
Email: info@fuelfix.com.au

Website: www.fuelfix.com.au

The post Collaboration fuels innovation appeared first on The Australian Mining Review.

Added to this is a presence in the Pilbara, Gascoyne, Kimberley, Wheatbelt, South West WA, Perth and Goldfields.

Dunning’s also has a strong involvement with the supply of fuels to agriculture and aviation. It is little wonder then that this third-generation business has a significant involvement in the mining industry, featuring some tailor-made fuel solutions.

Transportable fuel tanks

The first major facet of the company’s mine site solution is a range of self-bunded fuel tanks.

Gone are the days when fuel tanks were round and cumbersome, had only a single skin and required a manual wall to be built around them for containment.

Dunning’s tanks are double-walled – built with a 6mm inner skin and a 6mm outer skin to meet Australian Standards.

The tanks have integral pump bays, so that all dispensing equipment is located in front of the tank for ease of setup on site.

Another huge bonus is that the tanks are rectangular and have ISO container lifting points attached. This allows them to be transported on a skid trailer or moved with a sidelifter.

These features reduce the cost of both transport and setup on site.

Transport costs are reduced because all mid-range sized tanks (between 10,000l and 68,000l) are 2.438m wide and can be moved on a truck without the need for an escort.

Once at site, they can be unloaded and set up without the need for a crane, further reducing the cost of installation.

Because of this flexibility and low relocation cost, Dunning’s tanks are very popular with exploration companies – especially as they transition from the exploration phase to the development phase and fuel demand rises sharply.  Their modular system allows a master tank to be installed first, with an integral pump, and then more tanks can be added later as extra storage is required.  Conversely, they can also be removed as operations scale down and move to another location.  Dunning’s has constructed a number of fuel farms for its customers in this way.

All plumbing and auxiliary tank ports are fitted to the tanks prior to delivery to make hook-up easier, quicker and more cost-effective when they reach site.

There is also the option to hire tanks on a monthly basis and that includes a further option to amortise the cost of the tank into the price of the fuel, effectively giving a cost per litre solution for both the tank and the fuel.

Often companies are required to hire a tank of a minimum volume but that is not the case with Dunnings.

In fact, because it provides regular deliveries to so many areas, clients are able to use smaller tanks and further reduce their hire costs.

Again, this is a one-stop solution because Dunnings supplies the tank, the wholesale fuel and the cartage – eliminating the need to work with three separate vendors in some instances.

Fuel management solutions

Dunnings also has a number of fuel management solutions for mining sites that allow the measurement, transaction reporting and automatic re-ordering of fuel to keep the whole site in continuous operation.

The system records all fuel transactions and stores them on the onsite FMS, the data from which can also be transmitted via a 3G or 4G network to an online web application for management offsite.  Features such as PINs, fob keys and electronic card systems can be integrated to provide accurate tracking of fuel usage by individual employees or vehicles (or both).

Management, procurement and maintenance personnel can all log into the online application to read fuel gauges, monitor fuel levels, track and log fuel dispensing and initiate and check deliveries.

It is also possible to fully automate the system so that Dunnings can manage stock levels and arrange deliveries to seamlessly top up tanks as needed.

This is a cost-effective and efficient way to maintain required fuel and lubricant levels to all plant and equipment on site and this degree of management also delivers significantly lower onsite costs.

Dunnings provides a one-stop fuel solution that includes wholesale fuel sales, fuel delivery, fuel storage and fuel management hardware and software – all with 55-years’ experience thrown in for free.

More information:

Dunning’s Fuel.

0407 199 681

www.dunningsfuel.com.au

The post Special delivery appeared first on The Australian Mining Review.

• Produce significant cost savings.
• Increase accountability.
• Improve efficiency.
• Return cash in the form of fuel tax credits.

However, this can only be achieved when a comprehensive, mine-specific fuel management system is implemented.

AMR spoke with Sean Birrell from Australian Company, FluidIntel, about their AdaptFMS fuel management system.

Evolution

In conjunction with large mining companies around the world, and through extensive field testing, AdaptFMS evolved over more than a decade to create solutions and workflows, delivering a true multi-site application.

The extensive R&D period enabled FluidIntel to design and build everything from their printed circuit breitling bentley b a25363 001 46mm mens silver tone stainless steel boards (PCBs) to firmware and ultimately the web application for cloud-based deployment.

AdaptFMS now has the capability to meet any client requirement.

New developments include more comprehensive analytics and artificial intelligence to enable machine learning. It is an end-to-end solution that allows customers’ requirements to be met through one integrated system.

Holistic system

The management of fuel involves far more than just keeping diesel up to loaders and haul trucks.

It can involve global bulk purchasing, contracts set up by a procurement team, an operations team that keeps fuel delivered to the right locations, storage and warehousing, fuel usage monitoring and can also include coolants and lubricants.

Add operations in different legal jurisdictions and the level of complexity ratchets up again.

With such an interlaced system of physical and financial transactions, the need for a fully reconciled fuel supply chain is instantly apparent.

This reconciliation must be carried out in real time and give the ability to drill down to the very last fuel-consuming asset.

Such careful monitoring gives the company an insight into fuel management across the whole enterprise and can deliver value from many areas. That value aggregates across the entire company.

Cash returns

One area where the adopters of AdaptFMS are seeing real cash value is the automation of vendor-managed delivery.

In many cases, the ordering, delivery and payment of fuel supplies is handled manually, with all the human errors and time delays inherent in such a system.

AdaptFMS has the ability to initiate automatic orders with vendors, based on real-time telemetry supplying information from fuel level sensors in storage tanks on site.

Once ordered, the ERP system can be triggered to make an early payment for the fuel, which in turn triggers an early payment rebate to the mining company from the fuel supplier.

Large operations enjoy multi-million-dollar rebates from this timely system.

Extensions of this process automation include minimised risk of fuel misappropriation through real-time monitoring of levels and dispensing volumes.

Even checking the volume of fuel actually delivered can be done in real-time, to ensure the company is receiving all the fuel they have paid for.

Other value-added analytics available through AdaptFMS include measuring fuel flow rates, monitoring and recording the frequency of refueling each machine and the volume dispensed to each machine.

Compliance

It is the bane of many a manager’s existence, but compliance is a fact of life in mining.

As big fuel consumers, you are required to report on your consumption for a number of governing bodies.

AdaptFMS can accurately create tax credit claims and remove the risk of non-compliance in this area.

It leads Adapt users to fuel management best practice, which also translates to reporting for NGER and environmental compliance.

System architecture

AdaptFMS functions at three integrated levels of operation.

The bottom, layer is instrumentation and authentication.

This is the network of level gauges, flow meters, pump controls valve actuators and temperature sensors that measure and monitor actual fuel delivery.

Additionally, RFID tags, which are linked to both machines and personnel, ensure fuel and lubricants are accessed securely and transactions are accurately allocated to the correct equipment item without manual intervention.

Next is the middle layer, referred to as Adapt MAC or manage, authenticate and control.

This is the human-to-machine interface which operates via ruggedized touch-screen controllers.

The workflows on these controllers apply business logic to field operations by stating which vehicles are allowed which fuel or lubricant products and in what volume, for example.

This layer forms a bridge between the data gathered directly from the instrumentation and the data pushed to the AdaptFMS software.

The top layer is dubbed AdaptIQ and is the data presentation and web interface software for AdaptFMS, where all transaction and tank levels can be viewed on a cloud-based enterprise web application.

From here, the information can be pushed into a company’s ERP system or exchanged with other systems.

Currently the AdaptFMS system monitors transactions that account for over four billion litres of fuel per year with companies located across the globe.

Resource management

Large mine sites are very conscious of their hydrocarbon usage and the consistency and accuracy of hydrocarbon reporting has become increasingly important.

It is critical, therefore, that fuel resources are managed efficiently and controlled responsibly.

The data generated by the AdaptFMS system is crucial to this process and can identify unseen risks and reveal untapped value for an enterprise.

Accurate and timely data provides a holistic view of the entire fuel supply chain and that leads to improved governance reporting – and improved internal reporting as well.

This makes it easier for larger operations to become better corporate citizens, which often translates into more positive investor relations for publicly listed companies.

The accurate management of fuel can be a complex business.

But it can also deliver substantial gains in efficiency, improved corporate governance, reduced risk of non-compliance and significant cash returns over life-of-mine.

More information:

FluidIntel.

(02) 8075 222

www.fluidintel.com

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