Fuel monitoring on a railway snowplow
Customer:
Machinery:
Task:
Solution:- DUT-E CAN fuel level sensors
- DFM D CAN fuel flow meters
- MasterCAN CAN2RS data converters
Result:Fuel monitoring on a railway snowplow
Customer:
manufacturer of railroad snow removal machinery*
Machinery:
railway auger-rotor snowplows
Task:
onboard monitoring of fuel consumption and engine status
Solution:
- DUT-E CAN fuel level sensors
- DFM D CAN fuel flow meters
- MasterCAN CAN2RS data converters
Result:
accurate parameter measurement and display on the standard dashboard in the operator’s cabin
The Customer
Multi-profile engineering company specializing in railway machinery manufacturing, ventilation system equipment, and industrial machinery production.
A key business focus is the development and manufacturing of locomotives and special rolling stock for railways and metro systems.
10 business areas
100+ employees
1,000regular clients
The Machinery
Auger-rotor snowplow in the production facility
1 operator’s cabin, 2 diesel generator unit
Auger-rotor snowplow for railway applications. Designed for efficient removal of large volumes of snow from railway tracks. The auger gathers snow, while the rotor ejects it to a significant distance.
Both components are powered by a hydraulic station, which is in turn powered by a dedicated diesel generator.
Diesel generator power: 100 kW. Fuel tank capacity: 200 liters.
The Task
Operator monitors the diesel generator using a panel installed in the cabin. The panel receives key electrical parameters of the generator via the RS-485 (Modbus RTU) interface – line voltages, phase currents, frequency, and power consumption.
Fuel and engine data are critically important for generator operation monitoring. However, these parameters cannot be displayed on operator’s panel when using only standard equipment and sensors.
The operator needs to monitor the following parameters on the panel:
- engine status – RPM, coolant temperature, oil pressure,
battery voltage; - fuel – instant consumption, remaining fuel level in tank.
Generator operation data is shown on operator’s panel
The Solution
Technoton supplied the following equipment for collecting and processing fuel consumption, fuel level and engine operating data:
- DUT-E CAN fuel level sensor;
- DFM D CAN fuel flow meter;
- MasterCAN CAN2RS data converter.
DUT-E CAN fuel level sensor is installed in the fuel tank. It measures the fuel level and volume with high accuracy.
DFM D CAN differential fuel flow meter is installed in the supply and return fuel lines of the engine without modifying the fuel system.
It directly measures the instant fuel consumption.
Technoton equipment is connected via a cable system into an S6 telematics interface. Engine parameters from the generator’s standard CAN J1939 bus are also transmitted into this interface.
MasterCAN CAN2RS converter collects fuel and engine data in CAN J1939 format, converts it into RS-485 messages, and sends them to operator’s panel.
Monitoring system components:
1 DFM D CAN fuel flow meter in the fuel line
2 DUT-E CAN fuel level sensor in the tank
3 MasterCAN CAN2RS data converter
4 Operator panel
Fuel and engine data is displayed on the operator’s panel
“The key feature of this project was the need to display fuel consumption, fuel level(volume) and engine data on the operator’s panel via the RS-485 (Modbus RTU) interface. This was successfully implemented using the MasterCAN CAN2RS converter. All parameters are displayed on the standard operator panel.
The system can be easily expanded — for instance, by adding a telematics gateway to process data and send it to monitoring software. This enables real-time tracking of the snowplow’s performance, improves efficiency, helps prevent fuel theft, reduces operating costs, and supports predictive maintenance.”
Andrey Chernikov,
Technoton Sales Engineer
The Result
The panel displays real-time generator parameters – fuel consumption, remaining fuel in the tank, engine performance data, and electricity generation parameters. Operator can monitor the entire process and respond quickly to any issues.
MasterCAN CAN2RS converters, DFM D flow meters, and DUT-E fuel level sensors have been included in the factory design documentation. Snowplows will be equipped with Technoton devices during production.
Lead specialist at the customer company*
“All the required equipment was delivered in a short time. Thanks to Technoton’s remote technical support, installation and setup of the level sensor, flow meter, and converter took only a few hours. All necessary data from the diesel generator’s CAN bus was successfully converted into RS-485 messages.
As an engineer, I’d like to highlight the quick installation and the ease of integrating all telematics components.”
*Personal data is hidden from public access to comply with GDPR requirements.
Details on the project can be disclosed upon signing NDA and with the consent of our partner.
