The tank is down 190 L and the feed trucks ran fine
Feedlot diesel monitoring starts with one fact: fuel use follows feeding. The trucks, loaders and scrapers burn about the same litres for each tonne they move.
So when the tank drops more than the tonnes explain, fuel went somewhere else. A weekly dip tells you the total. It can't tell you the night.
- A leak is a slow loss while the tank sits idle.
- An unrecorded ute is a steady extra draw, day after day.
What Thursday cost
- A usual 2.5 L per tonne, and 161 t fed on Thursday.
- A 2.4 m vertical tank holds about 4.5 L per mm of depth.
- Diesel at $2.00 a litre, for illustration only.
| Fuel Thursday should have used (161 t at 2.5 L) | about 402 L |
|---|---|
| Fuel the tank actually lost | 590 L |
| Unexplained fuel, and the drop in the tank | about 188 L, 42 mm |
About 188 L is missing, worth about $376 at the assumed price. The level record shows when it left.
How feedlot diesel monitoring works from the tank to your phone
- 1
Sensors read each tank
A level sensor on top of each tank reads the fuel depth every 5 to 15 minutes. A door sensor watches the bowser cabinet.
- 2
Radio to the mill
Readings travel by LoRaWAN (long range wide area network) radio to a gateway mounted high near the feed mill.
- 3
Starlink or 4G sends it out
The gateway sends the readings out by Starlink or 4G, so the tank doesn't need mobile coverage.
- 4
Litres checked against tonnes
You give us daily tonnes fed. We divide litres drawn by tonnes and flag a day well above your usual.
What we fit at the fuel store
-
Tank level sensor
Sits on a centre-top fitting, clear of baffles and the fill pipe, and reads fuel depth.
Reads every 5 to 15 min
-
Bowser cabinet contact
Tells you when the bowser cabinet is opened out of hours.
Alerts on any opening
-
Gateway at the mill
Mounted high, picks up every sensor on the yard by radio.
Sites tested before we commit
-
Starlink or 4G backhaul
Sends the readings and texts out without mobile coverage at the tank.
Starlink or 4G, your pick
What lands on your phone when fuel goes missing
-
1:12 am
Fuel store tank 1 dropped 188 L in 20 min, outside work hours. Level 8,187 L. Check the tank and bowser.
-
6:30 am
Fuel store bowser cabinet opened at 1:05 am. Tank 1 still 188 L down since 1:10 am.
-
Fri 7:00 am
Fuel store tank 1 daily check: 3.7 L per tonne fed yesterday, usual 2.5. Today 2.5, back to normal.
Messages go to the people you nominate, by SMS to any phone and by email, with the reading and the time in every alert.
Today versus with feedlot diesel monitoring
| Topic | Today | With monitoring |
|---|---|---|
| Finding a loss | A weekly dip or a late delivery check | A text within minutes, with the time and litres |
| Slow leaks | Hidden in the week's total | Shows as a slow fall while the tank sits idle |
| Reorder | Someone checks the gauge when passing | A text at 20 per cent or days of supply |
On a feedlot fuel store
Feed trucks, loaders, tractors and scrapers fill from one fuel store, usually beside the mill and workshop. We walk the yard, map the tanks and bowsers, and test the radio from each tank to the gateway.
We check every tank against a dip when we commission it. For diesel off the yard, see diesel tank monitoring.
Fuel and feed go together. Track grain with feedlot silo level monitoring, and see who's coming and going with a feedlot gate alarm. For the pen water, see feedlot pump monitoring.
What it costs
We set a fixed price after a short scoping call or a site visit. It depends on how many tanks, how far they are from the gateway, and how the readings get out. Ongoing support is a plan after handover.
Price a feedlot fuel tank alertThe fixed price covers
- Level sensors on each tank and the bowser door contact
- Gateway and Starlink or 4G backhaul
- Installation and electrical work under QLD Electrical Contractor Licence 1513082
- Alert set-up, calibration against a dip and the daily litres per tonne check
- Ongoing support: keeping it running, fixing faults, replacing batteries and sensors, and tuning alerts
What this won't do
- Readings come every few minutes, so you hear about a theft soon after. It doesn't stop one.
- Ultrasonic readings are indicative. Foam, condensation and fill turbulence affect them, so we check against a dip.
- It isn't a fuel dispensing control, overfill protection or certified leak detection.
- It sits alongside AS 1940 bunding, WHS manifest duties, locks and cameras. It doesn't replace them or a police report.