One of the biggest conundrums of fuel is that when it is transformed into energy, a portion of it is lost in by products, mostly as heat. This means that almost no equipment runs on 100% efficient energy. When fuels like diesel or petrol, or even solar energy is converted into electricity, the wastage is even higher. In order to get the maximum use out of fuel-powered equipment, here are some guidelines you can follow:
Reduce Resistance
We have all learned in science class that the more friction and/or resistance there is, the more energy is expended trying to navigate it. For instance, when new track pads are replaced in the chain tracks of an excavator, the friction between the ground and the brand-new rubber can cause resistance and use an infinitesimal amount of extra fuel each time the tracks go backward and forward. The best way to prevent that is to replace the undercarriage parts at the same time.
The excavator undercarriage parts such as chains, idlers, rollers and sprockets can help reduce friction and decrease resistance, leading to reduced wear and failure.
Use the Latest Models
Manufacturing companies are always coming up with better models so each year, the new model released will be better than the one released before. Take light bulbs for instance; the old tungsten bulbs were forever burning out and generating a lot of extra heat – an unnecessary by product of resistance built up in the tungsten filament. Then the manufacturers came up with the fluorescent light bulb, a glass tube bent into a coil that emitted a much brighter light for a lot less electricity because it was filled with gas (typically argon or neon) which gave a fluorescent effect when reacting with electricity. Today we have LED bulbs which use the very principle of electric resistance to put together a bunch of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in one bulb-like formation. LEDs work through resistance, harnessing the electric current passing through them in the circuit, working like pseudo batteries, with the result that they use even less electricity than the fluorescent bulbs.
Use Anti-Resistors
This is slightly different from reducing resistance. There are specific materials that are used as anti resistors in order to increase speed, performance etc. For instance, competitive swimmers face resistance in the water as the human body is bulky and not built for fast swimming, unlike a dolphin whose skin is genetically engineered to enable it to fly through the water at astonishing speeds. To reduce resistance, we may swim with our bodies stretched forward and taut, with our arms held out in front of us and legs stretched behind, making our bodies more streamlined and able to cut through the water. However, competitive swimmers also use full-body bathing suits designed to mimic the slippery and smooth dolphin hide as an anti-resistor which allows them to move faster through the water.