About FlexBox Fuel Saver

 How Does Bringing PF to Unity Improve Efficiency?

• Less Apparent Power: With a low power factor, the generator produces more apparent power than the reefer requires, meaning wasted energy.
• By bringing the power factor to unity (typically by adding capacitors to balance the inductive loads), the generator only needs to supply the real power required by the reefer, reducing the load on the generator.
• Fuel Savings: Since the generator is producing less excess power, it will burn less diesel fuel. Diesel consumption is directly tied to the electrical load, so a more efficient power factor reduces fuel consumption.

How Much Fuel Would It Save?

The actual savings depend on several factors:

1. Initial Power Factor: If the power factor was low (e.g., 0.7), the generator would be overworking to provide extra power.
2. Generator Efficiency: How efficiently the generator converts diesel into electrical power.
3. Operating Hours: How long the reefer operates each day.
4. Fuel Consumption Rate: How much diesel the generator uses per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electrical power generated.

For a rough estimate:

• If your reefer consumes about 15 kW of real power and the initial power factor is 0.7, the generator needs to supply approximately 21.4 kVA.
• Improving the power factor to unity would reduce the required power output from 21.4 kVA to 15 kW, which could potentially save 20-30% in fuel usage.

For example:

• If the generator uses 1 liter of diesel per kWh, and it runs for 24 hours, a 15 kW load at PF of 0.7 would use about 360 liters per day.
• Improving the power factor to unity could save up to 108 liters of diesel per day (around 30%).
   

Test results from Star Leasing on a Carrier Refrigeration Unit dated 08/09/2021 are as follows:

Fuel Measurement:   

Start: 10:50 AM - Fuel level 22 1/2" without the FlexBox   Stop: 12:02 PM - Fuel level 21 1/2" after one hour and twelve minutes   

Start with FlexBox on: 12:02 PM - Fuel level 21 1/2"   

Stop with FlexBox on: 1:32 PM - Fuel level 20 1/2" after one hour and thirty minutes  

In conclusion, the Refrigeration Unit consumed 1 inch of fuel in an hour and twelve minutes without the box and 1 inch of fuel in one hour and thirty minutes with the box. This indicates an additional 20 minutes of run time on the same amount of fuel. It is also noteworthy that the motor ran at 1400 RPM on demand load after the installation of the FlexBox, unlike the previous 1750 RPM on demand load.