A team of researchers from the School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering at CETVET, in collaboration with Telecom Fiji Limited, successfully completed an industry research project aimed at designing and building an innovative remote fuel level monitoring system. The goal of this project was to provide Telecom Fiji Limited with real-time insights into fuel storage and consumption patterns in tanks located at remote sites used to operate generators. The system was specifically designed to detect fuel leakage or theft, helping the company reduce downtime and better understand business risks and opportunities. Additionally, it enables the pursuit of tank capacity optimization strategies through consistent and reliable data.

The CETVET team undertook an investigation to model the fuel tank, select suitable transducers, design power supplies, install and program the embedded system, and set up the database and website for the monitoring system prototype at Derrick campus. Experiments were performed to validate the measurements from the level and flow sensors, ensure accurate fuel tank modelling, and enable remote updates of monitoring data with alarm configurations. The system was systematically designed and demonstrated to the management of Telecom Fiji Limited. It is anticipated that the system will be replicated by Telecom Fiji Limited for their various remote sites and is anticipated to also be a solution to other communication and utility service providers.

The CETVET research team included Dr. Satyanand Singh, Dr. Ronesh Sharma, Dr. Shiu Kumar, Prof. Tibor Pasinszki, Dr. Kajal Kothari, Dr. Bhanu Pratap Soni, Mr. Shivneel Chand, Mr. Nauneet Menon, Mr. Nischal Chandra, Mr. Shamal Chand, Mr. Pranid Reddy, Mr. Vinay Maharaj, and Mr. Ravendra Chand from Telecom Fiji Limited, who served as key industry partner for the project.

The Pro Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, Prof. Paul Ade Iji, emphasized the significance of the industry collaborative research project and congratulated the CETVET team for successfully achieving the project objectives. Mr. Mesake Tuinabua, the Chief Technical Officer, expressed his gratitude to the team and acknowledged the potential of the researchers at CETVET. He further highlighted the importance of this collaboration and expressed his eagerness for continued partnerships with CETVET in the future.