Mining Industry Resources - Fuel Management Systems

Australian-based Mining Industry Resources (MIR) has been working with an impressive list of clients to develop improved and efficient hydrocarbon and fuel management systems.

BHP Billiton (iron ore, coal and nickel), Rio Tinto and Anglo Coal are some of the world's major players in mining today, and have all made contributions to the development path of MIR's AdaptFMS - the most advanced fuel management system in the world today.

Fuel and hydrocarbon management systems

Diesel fuel is one of the largest single operational costs to any open-cut mining operation. MIR has made it their mission to assist clients in developing 'world's best practice' fuel and hydrocarbon management strategies that are both cost-efficient and user-friendly.

MIR has been involved with fuel management systems in mining since they were first used back in the early 90s. Since then, technology has moved on and now AdaptFMS utilises the most robust and up-to-date hardware and software platforms available.

Fuel delivery / usage monitoring and site reconciliation

AdaptFMS is a web-based system that includes fully integrated fuel delivery, inventory and fuel usage modules that can provide clients with a complete audit trail from receipts to consumption. Its features include:

• Control / recording of fuel deliveries to site
• Remote storage tank level monitoring that can be viewed and managed via the web by fuel suppliers
• Light vehicle, major mobile plant fleets and fixed ancillary equipment monitoring
• Integration with site security access systems
• Various 'auto equipment ID' options - RFID, engine hour capture, etc

Fuel management systems and services

MIR provides the following fuel management services:

• The AdaptFMS fuel management system
• Mobile equipment data management - vehicle recognition and engine hour capture
• Electrical and electronic instrumentation support - fluid and product handling
• Fuel and oil facility design and construction - mechanical and electrical
• Consulting and documentation review - relating to standards compliance and system improvements
• OHS&E - management for hydrocarbons
• Fuel handling system design
• Software design - maintenance data handling and reporting
• Data integration - IT business systems
• SQL database building and integration
• Networking design and integration
• AdaptFMS 24/7 system support

Fuel management system hardware

The AdaptFMS field hardware has been developed under the toughest conditions. The developers selected field PC hardware and electrical components that have proven track records in the harshest of environments. Rugged enclosures and a heavy-duty, sealed user interface (keypad) ensure it will perform reliably in any conditions.

AdaptFMS has the following features:

• Flexibility - designed with future expansion in mind; new software updates for the field hardware can be installed remotely
• Greater capacity - each dispensing point can monitor any number of products and storage tank levels
• Communications options - supports Ethernet, RS232, WiFi 802.11 (A, B, G), radio modems, CDMA and GSM / GPRS modems
• Survivability - electronic components are designed to operate under the harshest of conditions, from -40°C to +85°C

Internet-based fuel management system software

AdaptFMS' software is a new, internet-based package that can work with all of the most commonly used databases, including SQL, Oracle and MySQL. It allows the client access to their fuel management data via the internet anytime, anywhere. It can also give your fuel supplier direct (and secure) access to the fuel storage tank data to improve their delivery scheduling. Any storage tank high or low-level alarms can be sent instantly to anyone you choose.

Being an internet-based package, MIR can offer an unrivalled level of remote client support. We can 'drill down' to each AdaptFMS field device - no matter where it is in the world - to change settings, run health checks and/or perform any tests to ensure trouble-free operation.

Customer-focused fuel management system

MIR continues to work closely with our clients to ensure that AdaptFMS evolves to remain the pre-eminent FMS and ensure it meets our clients' growing needs. Our current blue-chip client base includes BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, HWE and Anglo Coal.

We are extremely proud of our business relationships with all of these companies and attribute much of the success of AdaptFMS to their contributions to the development process.

Released at AMEX 2007, AdaptFMS is quite clearly the best system of its kind in the world today.