It goes without saying that every piece of equipment that is powered by an internal combustion engine needs a means of fuel to keep it running as long and efficiently as possible. ICEs are used in automobiles, motorcycles, racing vehicles, ATVs, utility vehicles, compressors, generator sets, etc. to name just a few, and the problems that have always existed are how to contain the fuel, knowing how much is left and what is the best way to store it for the benefit and safety of the user.
Fuel containers are usually made of steel or plastic because these materials have been used traditionally and are relatively inexpensive, but many modern racing fuels contain some very aggressive additives, so these tanks must be made of carbon fiber or reinforced with Kevlar . Truck and lorry fuel tanks are often rectangular in shape, which allows a swing arm type fuel level sender to be easily installed because there are few baffles or stiffening struts to prevent the sender from floating arm. This transmitter outputs an ohm value usually to a gauge, but suffers from inherent faults resulting from fuel sloshing causing the float arm to constantly clean the resistance track and therefore reducing the life of the transmitter.
Modern vehicle designs require the designer to be more and more inventive in adapting the profile of the tank so as not to affect the increasingly complicated aesthetics of the vehicle. The rocker arm sender is not suitable for this type of tank, therefore it allows the use of solid state electronic sensors and senders that can be programmed to the tank profile and provide accurate fuel level readings. In addition, sophisticated electronic engine management systems now require voltage or PWM (Pulse Width Modulated) inputs that are not available on the swing arm transmitter. Consequently, the capacitance level transmitter is an ideal product to meet all of today’s technical demands because there are no moving parts to wear out; capacitance technology is reliable and well-proven; sender outputs match all ECU analog and digital inputs; it can be programmed to compensate for irregular tank shapes and to smooth out irregularities caused by fuel sloshing and has many other features.
In recent years, the cost of fuel has increased to the point that its theft is now a major factor in the methods used to secure the tank. One frequently used means is to place the fuel filler neck behind a lockable panel and a second way is to install an anti-siphon device. In addition, the designer may specify the installation of a capacitance fuel level transmitter that can send the level to a remote monitoring telemetry system so that periodic fuel level readings can be recorded and, in the event that a Sudden drop in level, this could indicate fuel theft and the cause. of the loss is promptly investigated. Furthermore, in a vehicle application, fuel consumption can be accurately measured and provide information that shows whether it is being driven economically and properly.
Although the fuel supply process is considered a poor relative compared to emission legislation, for example, this article demonstrates that industrial equipment customers pay more attention to this aspect of product design, which will result in new developments of fuel level transmitters with a growing number of new and challenging applications.
