Company Profile

Diesel Fuel Meters for High-Volume Fleet Depot Storage and Bulk Fuel Transfer Counters

Quick Answer: Silver Automation Instruments supplies diesel fuel meters for high-volume fleet depot storage and bulk fuel transfer. Our oval gear flow meters cover 40 to 4000 liters per hour and handle diesel, biodiesel blends, and low-sulfur diesel. Send your tank volume, pipe size from DN15 to DN80, and pump flow range for a quote.

Why Fleet Depots Need a Dedicated Diesel Fuel Meter

A fleet depot with 50 trucks can pump 20,000 liters of diesel per day. A meter error of 0.5 percent equals 100 liters lost from stock records daily. Over one month that is 3,000 liters. For a mining contractor in Western Australia or a port logistics firm in Vietnam this is a direct operating cost.

Most engineers skip this part. Here is the thing. A standard pump counter does not give a true batch record. But a dedicated oval gear meter with a mechanical counter or pulse output gives a hard number for every nozzle, every truck, and every shift. Diesel inventory then matches the fuel management system.

In practice, fuel theft and pilferage are real concerns at depots. You need a meter that cannot be reset by the driver. Choose a unit with a tamper-proof totalizer. We have seen this on customer sites many times in Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Oval Gear Meter Design for Diesel Transfer

Oval gear meters are positive displacement. Two oval rotors rotate inside a measuring chamber. Each pocket of diesel is counted. The design gives repeatability of 0.03 percent and accuracy of 0.5 percent or 0.2 percent depending on the model.

Diesel has a low viscosity of about 3 cP at 20 degrees C. That is no problem for an oval gear meter. The meter also handles biodiesel blends up to B20 and low-sulfur diesel without changing parts.

Common sizes for fleet depots are DN25, DN40, and DN50. A DN40 oval gear flow meter fits a fuel pump delivering 80 to 400 liters per minute. A DN50 size covers 150 to 800 liters per minute. The pressure rating is 55 bar for standard steel bodies and 20 bar for aluminum bodies. The operating temperature range is minus 20 to 120 degrees C.

The Silver Instruments SIOG series includes cast steel and aluminum oval gear flow meters for diesel. You can add a mechanical register, a pulse transmitter, or a 4-20 mA HART output. For hazardous areas around fuel pumps, choose an ATEX Zone 1 certified version.

Bulk Fuel Transfer Counter Options

A bulk fuel transfer counter should match the depot fuel management software. Three output types work well.

First, a mechanical batch counter. A mechanical batch counter is simple and local. The operator resets the batch total after each vehicle fill. Prices are lower and no wiring is needed.

Second, a pulse output. A pulse output sends a square wave to a PLC or fuel management terminal. Each pulse represents a set volume, often 0.1 liter or 0.5 liter. The system logs truck ID, driver ID, timestamp, and volume.

Third, a 4-20 mA HART signal. A 4-20 mA HART signal suits plants that already run HART loops. The meter sends flow rate and totalizer data over two wires.

We recommend a pulse output for most bulk fuel transfer skids. A pulse output gives a direct digital count and avoids analog signal drift.

Installation Tips for Fleet Depot Fuel Meters

Install the meter downstream of a fine filter. Diesel often carries small particles from storage tanks. Use a 60 mesh strainer before the meter. So a particle larger than the rotor clearance cannot jam the meter.

Mount the meter level. For high flow rates above 200 liters per minute, add a back pressure valve downstream. The valve keeps the measuring chamber full during rapid stops.

Avoid air pockets. Air causes the rotors to spin without fuel and inflates the total. If your pump can draw air from a tank bo