Diesel Generator Fuel Consumption Rate Calculation Methods

Fuel consumption rate of diesel generator sets, which we often refer to as fuel efficiency, is a concept similar to that of car fuel economy. As it is a concern for many, Dingbo Diesel Generator Manufacturer introduces two common calculation methods for diesel generator fuel consumption rate: the weighing method and the volumetric method.

We usually calculate the fuel consumption rate of diesel generator sets at a selected power output over a certain period of time. The two common methods used by Dingbo Power are as follows:

1. Weighing Method

The principle of the weighing method is simple: it calculates the fuel consumption rate based on the mass of fuel consumed during a specific operation time.

The calculation formula is: ge = 3600m / t·Ne g/kW·h

Where: ge represents the fuel consumption rate; m represents the mass of fuel consumed, usually in grams (g); t represents the fuel measurement time, usually in seconds (s); Ne represents the power of the diesel engine, in kilowatts (kW).

For example, when measuring a 300kW Cummins generator set for 10 minutes:

Time t = 10×60 = 600s; the measured mass of consumed fuel is 10300g. Substitute into the formula: ge = 3600×10300 / (600×300) = 206g/kw·h. Thus, the fuel consumption rate is calculated as 206g/kw·h.

2. Volumetric Method

The volumetric method is based on a fixed fuel volume (which can also be converted to mass), such as measuring the time required to consume 5kg of diesel. It is similar to the concept of how many kilometers a car can travel on a full tank of fuel.

During measurement, first adjust the diesel engine to maintain a stable output power Ne (kW). Then, use a stopwatch to time the process and mark the fuel volume scale during measurement. Considering the fuel density r g/cm³, the formula for calculating the mass of consumed fuel m (g) is m = Vr. After obtaining the mass, the fuel consumption rate can be calculated using the formula of the weighing method.

The density of national standard diesel ranges from 0.83 to 0.855g/ml, and it is usually calculated at 0.84g/ml. Different types of diesel have different densities, as shown in the table below:

Guangxi Dingbo Generator Set Manufacturing Co.,Ltd. is an early professional manufacturer of generators and diesel generator sets in China. The company has first-class national-level large-scale production and load testing equipment. Provide users with long-term diesel generator set sales, leasing, technical consultation, commissioning, maintenance, training services and generator set trusteeship business. If you would like to get more information welcome to contact us via [email protected].