IoT-based on boiler fuel monitoring system: a case of Raha beverages company limited, Arusha-Tanzania

Abstract

RAHA Beverages Company (RABEC) is the one of banana wine production companies that utilizes fuel in steam production in Arusha-Tanzania. Fuel usage and conditions monitoring in RABEC become a challenge due to inaccurate and unreliable current monitoring systems. Currently, RABEC uses a dropping stick into the fuel tank to investigate fuel level, temperature, and usage, which are time-consuming, give inaccurate readings, inefficiency, and provoked accidents. This study aimed to develop an IoT-based fuel monitoring system that can provide real-time fuel conditions to prevent plant breakdown and accidents. The flow meter, ultrasonic, fuel temperature, humidity, and pressure sensors were used to gather fuel data conditions. The GSM was employed to send fuel data messages to the operator’s phone. An AT mega 328 microcontroller was used to process and analyze the fuel data. Thing Speak IoT platform was also used to visualize and aggregate fuel data using Wi-Fi connectivity. The results showed that when fuel level was less than the threshold value, an operator was alerted by refilling messages via GSM technology. At 0.1Psi pressure, fuel temperature of 120°C, and 80% of humidity, the system notifies the operator by an alert to check injector pressure and if fuel-air mixture is perfect. In addition, these data were observed on LCD and Thing Speak webpage. To conclude, the developed system proves a high accuracy, security, and efficiency rates compared to the current monitoring system. Future work is recommended by deploying SCADA with HMI systems to monitor and control fuel usage.