Automated control and accounting of fuel on a drilling rig: what it is and how it works

All components of a drilling rig can consume as much as several hundred or thousands of liters of fuel per day. Fuel consumption depends on the type of work being done, the functions of the equipment that are most involved, and the ambient temperature.

How do you know how much fuel you're actually using at any given time? After all, if the fuel consumption is only accounted for according to regulations, it is actually uncontrollable. Workers can attribute a liter of spent fuel. Also, some of the equipment may waste fuel by running idle.

How automated fuel control and accounting works on a drilling rig

Receipt of fuel at the fuel and lubricant warehouse at the rig is controlled by a level sensor and other devices that record the volume of fuel with the smallest possible error. They determine such parameters:

• How much fuel in kilograms or liters.
• The density of the substance.
• How much water is present in the tank under the fuel.
• How good the fuel is.

Flow meters are installed on the fuel outlets of the tanks. They can withstand the effects of a corrosive environment. If the flow meter is tampered with, it will be detected. A magnet or compressed air cannot affect its readings.

The flow meter transmits data to the monitoring terminal for each hour. This device calculates how much fuel has been spent and how long the fuel consumer has been working. The data from the flow meter is fed in real time to the drilling rig's control unit via the local wi-fi network. The data are then sent to the technical service via satellite communication.

When multiple fuel lines are used, you can accurately track and record how much fuel is used at the rig and how much is used to fuel other equipment and machinery.

There are two ways to set up fuel monitoring and accounting on the rig:

• Install fuel level and flow meters on each piece of equipment.
• Sensors on all equipment are fixed by CAN-bus.

The software platform of the automated control and fuel accounting system for a drilling rig can be adapted to the technical requirements at the enterprise. It is possible to reduce the amount of equipment that the metering system has to service.

What is meant by automated fuel accounting on a drilling rig

Automated control is required when accepting fuel into the storage. It is possible to check what quality and what characteristics of diesel fuel was received from the supplier and how much it really is, not according to the documents. During the fuel consumption it is determined how much each unit of equipment spends and there is a constant gps monitoring of the drilling rig.

Flow meters help to identify which equipment is idling and only wasting fuel. And if any of the employees are attributing fuel consumption, it is immediately detected. Thanks to automated control staff manipulation with fuel at the enterprise is eliminated.

Facility data shows that flow meters can reduce fuel consumption on a drilling rig by 25 percent. If the flow rate previously was 8,000 liters per day, the installation of this device can save 2,000 liters of fuel. And how much fuel consumption is reduced in a month, and in a year!