Energy consumption in agriculture transportation operations

Fuel consumption intensity in agricultural transportation tasks was examined by theoretical assessments as well as practical test runs in laboratory and on road. A theoretical model for the fuel consumption intensity was created on the basis of basic equations and the results were compared to the measured figures. The results indicated that the model was working reasonably well. However, several variables included in the model require assumptions and estimations, and thus a good feel about the related issues is needed to use the model. The overall results from the study indicated that the key factors considering the energy efficiency in transportations are the rolling resistance, engine loading and payload to dead weight -ratio. With appropriate management, the energy efficiency of an agricultural tractor can be close to that of a truck. Additionally, the accuracy of the fuel consumption data captured from the tractor CAN-bus was examined. It was concluded that it was accurate enough for purposes such as energy analysis, but not for applications that demand high absolute accuracy.