INDIVIDUAL STUDY REPORT

FUEL EFFICIENCY AND ITS FACTORS

NAME: MOHAN (FORZA) B.LOC: VIJAYAWADA PERIOD: Q209

FUEL EFFICIENCY AND ITS FACTORS

Fuel Efficiency: Proportion of energy released by a fuel combustion process which is converted into useful work. For vehicles, it is measured in kilometers per liter (KMPL)

KMPL = Distance covered (km) Fuel Consumed (liters)

It is important to realize that many factors influencing fuel consumption and that awareness of all these at all levels of a fleet is important if really efficiencies are to be made. The cost of a fuel is ever present concern, meaning that fuel saving continue to be fundamentally important for running a transport operation. In most road transport operation fuel accounts for atleast 30% of operating costs. Below figure shows the break down of the annual operational costs of a typical large fleet containing variety of vehicles.

So it is very important to know the importance and factors affecting the fuel efficiency.

Following are the Factors Affecting Fuel Efficiency

1. Type of Load 2. Payload 3. Vehicle condition 4. Route and Traffic conditions 5. Driving Habits 6. Inflation Pressure 7. Tyres 8. Aerodynamics and Speed 9. Weather and Seasonality

1. TYPE OF LOAD Depending on the type of the load, fuel consumption varies for different types of loads. Loads like eggs, plastic, chilies are light loads and there will be a good flexibility of tyres in co-ordination with speed of the vehicle and the fuel economy will be good. But in the case of loads like cement, sand and iron which are dead loads, the flexibility of the tyres and vehicle is less and is rather like a rigid strong body pulled by power of engine which ultimately reduces the fuel efficiency.

A practical data is collected for showing the effect of dead loads on the fuel efficiency.
AP16TV 7459/TATA Load ( Tons ) 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 Avg KMPL Trip Distance 2769 1252 2624 1047 2570 765 690 3616 571 2518 952 1729 2587 952 Fuel (kmpl) 3.66 3.85 3.9 NA 3.5 3.8 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.2 3.7

S.No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Route kolar - vskp vijayawada - Chennai Ranipeta - kolkata vijayawada - Chennai Ongole - kolkata vijayawada - Hyderabad Vijayawada - renugunta nalgonda - cuttack k.samudram - kolkata hosuru - chennai vijayawada - Chennai vijaywada - chennai vijaywaada - haldia vijayawada - Chennai

Load iron rods iron rods iron rods bent rods bent rods iron rods chemical powder packs iron rods chemical powder packs chemical powder packs fertilizer packs fertilizer packs iron rods fertilizer packs

Trip period 22.12.2007 - 02.01.2008 02.01.2008 - 04.01.2008 04.01.2008 - 13.01.2008 13.01.2008 - 19.01.2008 19.01.2008 - 28.01.2008 28.01.2008 - 30.01.2008 06.02.2008 - 09.02.2008 09.02.2008 - 18.02.2008 18.02.2008 - 19.02.2008 20.02.2008 - 27.02.2008 27.02.2008 - 01.03.2008 16.03.2008 - 20.03.2008 20.03.2008 - 27.03.2008 15.04.2008 - 19.04.2008

In the above data though the route is good ( Vijayawada Kolkata) but the load carring on the vehicle is completely dead load resulting in less kmpl

2. PAYLOAD If a payload as per norms i.e registered load then fuel consumption will be less compared to overload. Depending on the quantity of the load also fuel consumption changes as there will be increase of load per axle and which thereby reduces fuel efficiency.

While keeping load which should be distributed properly on the payload bed of the vehicle for uniform distribution of the load on the bed.

3. VEHICLE CONDTION

Under Vehicle condition following are the factors influences the fuel efficiency.

1. Vehicle Axle Alignment 2. Pump system 3. Greasing of Vehicle whenever and wherever necessary intime to avoid the generation of friction and thereby decrease of loss of energy. 4. All engine related works 5. Suspension system

Above stated all the factors influence the fuel efficiency if not maintained well and need to take advantage of fuel economy by taking good maintenance tips.

4. ROUTE AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS

Road type and traffic conditions will also have a significant affect on Fuel efficiency. Slow and tortuous routes through hilly terrains will drag down the fuel efficiency of even the best vehicles.

As a rule of thumb,the more times the driver has to change gear, brake or accelerate, the worse will be the fuel efficiency.

A busy urban environment will also have an impact on fuel consumption because there is a lot of stopping and starting with the vehicle loosing its momentum.

COMPARISON OF FUEL EFFICIENCY IN HIGHWAY AND MODERATE HIGHWAY CONDITONS USING PRACTICAL DATA

As a proof a Practical data is collected to Validate the above shown and stated conditions.

Following data is for a vehicle which is flying between VIJAYAWADA ASSAM/GAUWATI where nearly 500km of Ghat section and more winding are there with moderate road conditions.

S.No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Route Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam Vijayawada - Assam

Load eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs

Load Trip ( Tons) Distance 16.5 3804 16.5 5656 16.5 430 16.5 5013 16.5 4984 16.5 5927 16.5 4762 16.5 1919 16.5 5625 16.5 5722 16.5 5717 16.5 6044 16.5 5515 16.5 4814 16.5 5653 16.5 6063 16.5 5784 16.5 3514 16.5 3622 16.5 5657 16.5 5463 16.5 5709 16.5 5691 16.5 5554 16.5 5822 16.5 5382 16.5 5663 16.5 6244 16.5 5703 16.5 5443 16.5 5903 16.5 5642 AVERAGE KMPL

Fuel (kmpl) 4.08 3.95 3.7 4.29 4.3 3.96 4.22 3.98 3.82 3.58 3.97 3.53 4.16 4 3.75 3.75 3.72 4.34 4.42 3.55 3.68 3.42 3.52 3.51 3.49 3.56 3.42 4 3.82 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.8

Trip period 11.02.2008 - 23.02.2008 27.02.2008 - 12.03.2008 12.03.2008 - 15.03.2008 16.03.2008 - 29.03.2008 01.04.2008 - 13.04.2008 20.04.2008 - 08.05.2008 11.05.2008 - 22.05.2008 25.05.2008 - 31.05.2008 02.06.2008 - 19.06.2008 21.06.2008 - 09.07.2008 14.07.2008 - 29.07.2008 31.07.2008 - 26.08.2008 31.08.2008 - 15.09.2008 19.09.2008 - 30.09.2008 04.10.2008 - 23.10.2008 24.10.2008 - 18.11.2008 22.11.2008 - 13.12.2008 16.12.2008 - 25.12.2008 27.12.2008 - 05.01.2009 12.01.2009 - 28.01.2009 03.02.2009 - 15.02.2009 02.03.2009 - 12.03.2009 14.03.2009 - 28.03.2009 31.03.2009 - 15.04.2009 17.04.2009 - 02.05.2009 02.05.2009 - 20.05.2009 23.05.2009 - 09.06.2009 15.06.2009 - 07.07.2009 10.07.2009 - 24.07.2009 27.07.2009 - 12.08.2009 18.08.2009 - 04.09.2009 06.09.2009 - 21.09.2009

Following practical data is pertaining to load carrying between Vijayawada Kolkata and most of the trips are with egg loads and remaining loads are also light loads. So by comparing the above data with the below data..

S.No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Route Vijayawada - Kantayi Tadepalligudem - Kolkata Vijayawada - Chennai Vijayawada - Kolkata Vijayawada - Kolkata Vijayawada - salem Vijayawada - Haldia Vijayawada -Chennai Vijayawada - Kolkata Vijayawada - Chennai Vijayawada - Kolkata vijayawada - Hyderabad anaparti - Kolkata Vijayawada - Chennai Kurnool - Kolkata Vijaywada - Haldia Vijaywada - Pondicherry Tadepalligudem - Kolkata Vizag - Kurnool Kurnool - Kolkata Vijayawada - Kolkata Kakinada - Kurnool Kurnool - Kolkata Vijayawada - Chennai Vijayawada - Kolkata

Load eggs onion eggs eggs eggs steel eggs eggs brake shoes poultry feed seeds eggs poultry feed eggs eggs plastic onion super eggs eggs eggs eggs eggs poultry feed

Load ( Tons ) 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5

Trip Distance 2534 2564 969 2593 2696 1448 2684 1019 2641 1160 2742 698 2623 1225 2622 2289 1334 2720 786 2512 2722 876 2571 1276

Fuel (kmpl) 4.2 4.95 5.29 5.45 3.81 4.18 4.56 4.6 4.2 4.1 4.19 3.92 4.27 3.9 0 4.07 4.1 4.5 3.1 4.5 4.35 3.44 4.49 3.83 3.96 4.1

Trip period 26.02.2009 - 04.03.2009 04.03.2009 - 12.03.2009 12.03.2009 - 14.03.2009 14.03.2009 - 20.03.2009 01.04.2009 - 11.04.2009 11.04.2009 - 16.04.2009 16.04.2009 - 24.04.2009 24.04.2009 - 29.04.2009 29.04.2009 - 08.05.2009 22.05.2009 - 25.05.2009 25.05.2009 - 03.06.2009 03.06.2009 - 06.06.2009 06.06.2009 - 13.06.2009 13.06.2009 - 16.06.2009 06.07.2009 - 14.07.2009 19.07.2009 - 28.07.2009 28.07.2009 - 30.07.2009 01.08.2009 - 09.08.2009 09.08.2009 - 11.08.2009 11.08.2009 - 17.08.2009 18.08.2009 - 26.08.2009 06.09.2009 - 08.09.2009 08.09.2009 - 13.09.2009 13.09.2009 - 16.09.2009 17.09.2009 - 26.09.2009

16.5 2690 AVERAGE KMPL

VIJAYAWADA KOLKATA route is very good highway compared to VIJAYAWADA ASSAM route. Fuel efficiency difference is very lucid by comparing Avg.KMPL. (3.8 to 4.1)

5.DRIVING HABBITS Frequent Braking and raising accelerator and sudden braking causes the fuel to come down.

6. INFLATION PRESSURE IN TYRES

We've seen that casing shape and stress distribution are critical to both fuel economy and retreadability. That's one reason correct inflation pressure is so important with any tire, but especially with fuel-efficient ones. It is not the tire, but the air inside it that supports the load. And it is the air inside the casing that keeps that casing the right shape. So, proper inflation pressure for a given tire size and load is critical to maintaining proper stress distribution in the tire. This in turn, reduces flexing and heat build-up that can waste fuel and shorten casing life. It is the flexing of tire sidewalls that generates much of this heat. Proper inflation optimizes the amount of flexing, balancing heat generation with the ability to absorb road shocks. Even with special rubber compounds that minimize heat build-up in sidewalls, correct inflation is vital. These factors explain one of the reasons wide base tires can be more fuel-efficient. Since a single wide base tire replaces a dual assembly, there are half as many sidewalls flexing and generating heat during each tire revolution. Less heat means less fuel consumed.

7. TYRES Since rolling resistance is only a part of the fuel consumption picture, a percentage change in rolling resistance does not result in an equal percentage change in fuel usage. For example, if tire rolling resistance accounted for about one quarter to one third of truck fuel consumption, then an improvement of 5 percent in rolling resistance would only produce about a 1.3- to 1.7-percent improvement (1/4 x 5% = 1.3% and 1/3 x 5% = 1.7%) in fuel economy.

What makes this even more complicated is that the share of fuel consumption attributable to the rolling resistance of tires can change. Once, tire rolling resistance accounted for about 15-20 percent of total fuel consumption. As truck designs became more aerodynamic, it represented 25-35 percent of fuel used. With continuing improvements in aerodynamics, the importance of tires increases. It's not that tires are getting worse. What's really happening is that engines and aerodynamics are getting so much better that tires became a bigger piece of the pie. Interestingly, faster highway speeds may be reversing this trend. At speeds of 70-75 mph, tire rolling resistance accounts for a lower percentage of fuel consumption.

Tread depth has a significant effect on tire fuel economy. Bridgestone tests show that as a tread wears, the fuel efficiency of a tire usually increases. As tread wear progresses, the fuel efficiency of most tires improves. So, one of the easiest ways to make a fuel-efficient tire is to cut down on original tread depth. Another way of looking at it is to say that during the last half of its useful tread life, just about every tire is fuel-efficient.

8. AERODYNAMICS AND SPEED

A vehicles aerodynamics and its traveling speed have an extremely large effect on how much fuel is consumed. The force created by the aerodynamic drag of a vehicle goes up exponentially with the speed of the vehicle. Tire rolling resistance increases with speed, but tires are a proportionally smaller percentage of the total drag on a vehicle as the speed increases.

9. WEATHER AND SEASONALITY Weather and seasonality are also other factors influencing fuel consumption. This need to be considered when comparing data gathered during different weather conditions. Seasonality affects performance, with the best consumption figures in summer and the worst in winter. Cooler temperatures and the shorter days in winter can result in the greater use of auxiliary equipment and drivers leaving the engine idling to keep their cab warm when parked. Where there is a change from summer grade diesel fuel to winter grade it can be expected to contribute to a difference in consumption in the order of 3%.This is due to the difference in specific gravity between winter and summer fuels

SUMMARY
Following are the important things to be observed inorder to get better fuel efficiency and thereby reducing operational cost as 30% of the fleet cost is used to spent for fuel only. 1. There are two conditions to be considered a. Controllable conditions b. Uncontrollable conditions Uncontrollable conditions 1. 2. 3. 4. Weather and seasonability Design of trucks for a given vehicle load to be carried as it is transport requirement Road and traffic conditions

Above conditions are uncontrollable and we have to bear all the effects given by above conditions. We need to accommodate these things and try to adopt most economical ways to achieve good fuel efficiency. Controllable conditions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Speed Tyres Payload Vehicle maintenance inflation pressure Driving habits

By properly educating the drivers and cleaners we can make the usage of speed useful to our business and at the same time proper training can ensure good driving habits. Registered load is safe and profitable for transportation. This also increases security of the driver and increased tyre life and at the same time good fuel efficiency. Vehicle maintenance is a very important parameter In which axle misalignments, correct servicing, in time greasing are the concerns Maintaining proper inflation pressure in the tyres, maintenance of tyres and following SIL principle gives optimum tyre life and good fuel efficiency.

AWARE OF AWARENESS AND OPTIMISE BUSINESS PROFITABILITY