An engine combusts a mixture of fuel and air to generate a mechanical power output. The amount of fuel consumed by the engine for a given power output can depend on a number of factors including, among other things, a health of the engine and handling characteristics of the engine's operator. In some instances, it may be helpful to know how much fuel is being consumed by the engine for a given set of conditions. For example, a significant change in fuel consumption under relatively constant conditions could indicate malfunction or mishandling of the engine, and knowledge of the change could allow for preventative measures to be implemented that avoid failure and/or reduce operating costs.
Historically, the fuel consumption of an engine was determined by monitoring a reduction of fuel within a connected tank over a period of time. This method, however, required a significant amount of time to elapse, and resulted in low precision. Other methods have included the use of expensive and delicate flow meters.
One attempt to improve fuel consumption monitoring is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,172 of Till that issued on May 12, 2003 (“the '172 patent”). Specifically, the '172 patent discloses a system for determining an ideal fuel usage value of a locomotive. The system includes a microprocessor configured to track an amount of time spent in each of eight different throttle notch settings. The microprocessor is also configured to determine ideal fuel usage factors associated with each setting based on a monitored generator load and engine speed. Individual fuel usage values are calculated for each throttle notch setting, and then summed to represent a total ideal fuel usage quantity. The total ideal fuel usage quantity for a particular run traveled by the locomotive has been shown to be within a few percent of actual usage.
Although the system of the '172 patent may be accurate to within a few percent, this accuracy may not be high enough for some applications. In addition, it may be difficult to compare the total ideal fuel usage quantity determined by the system of the '172 patent for a particular locomotive completing a particular run, with a total ideal fuel usage quantity determined for a different locomotive completing a different run under different conditions. Accordingly, the benefit of determining the total ideal fuel usage quantity may be low.
The machine system of the present disclosure solves one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art.