|
|
|
|
|
03/02/2010
(Read full story here or download PDF)
 Email to a friend
 Comment on this article
|
Contrary to received wisdom around fuel-saving interventions in general, and magnetic devices in particular, Carmarthenshire County Council is reporting remarkable success on a wide range of vehicle types.
 This is worth exploring carefully, given the widely held scepticism around products that purport to improve fuel economy, beyond those provided by vehicle manufacturers themselves and the failure to date of independent trials to show any statistically significant improvement.
Carmarthenshire's trials, managed by fleet manager Andy Elkin, involved the Magno-Flo device and ran for a full six months, from January to June last year on no fewer than 26 vehicles. Elkin cites Vauxhall Astravans, Citroen Berlingo and Mercedes Sprinter 511 vans, Ford Transit 350 tippers and 280 panel vans, Vauxhall Vivaro panel vans, Dennis Eagle and Volvo refuse collection trucks and Mercedes Axor wagons.
Looking first at the methodology, Elkin says the trail used accurate mpg data direct from the council's own Triscan fuel management system (averaging to allow for driver issues such as inaccurate odometer readings and failure to fill vehicles to capacity), compared against its monthly reports on vehicle and driver performance, which go back several years. He accepts that similar vehicles could and did produce differing fuel performances – due to factors such as weather conditions, type of route, terrain, standard of driving and loads carried – but insists that the trials targeted vehicles used on the same routes and operated by the same driver.
"All vehicles selected for the trials were fitted with the Magno-Flo without the knowledge of the driver," explains Elkin. "In the case of one vehicle, a Dennis Eagle 26 tonne twin compaction refuse vehicle, we ran it with the unit fitted for six weeks, took it off for another five weeks and then refitted it for a second time. After the first six weeks, it showed a 12.2% improvement. That went back down hill when we took the product off, and then rose to 10.24% improvement when we put it back again."
Interestingly, he also states that engine operation was also tested during the trials, with oil tests conducted by the specialist, Motion. "Three 57 and 58 plate Dennis Eagles were tested for total per cent insolubles, and we found carbon build-up with the Magno-Flo fitted was half that of the vehicles without the unit – which to me confirms the claim that these magnetic fuel devices help make the engine burn the fuel better."
Elkin concedes that the trials showed that the system doesn't work on everything: "Astras and Berlingos were not brilliant at only just over 0.5% over six months." He believes that one of the causes of indifferent improvement could be the pressure through the pump, which "knocks out any effect the magnets can have on realigning the fuel hydrocarbon molecules". He also says that positioning on the fuel system caused performance to vary from vehicle to vehicle.
However, there is no denying his results on other vehicles – in particular Transit 350 tippers and the Dennis Eagles. For the former, the trials showed at 10.01% fuel improvement, saving a projected 103.5 litres per annum – meaning a payback time of nine months on the unit's £65 for sub 7.5 tonners. For the higher mileage Dennis Eagles, the figures were 10.32%, saving 1,485 litres and yielding a payback of just three and a half months against the unit's £355 cost for truck of more than 7.5 tones gvw.
|
|
| |
Author
Brian Tinham
|
| |
| |
|
| |
This material is protected by SOE copyright 2012.
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.
|
| |
|
|
| |
|