Integrel Fuel Efficiency

One of our valued customers recently posted some real-world fuel usage data taken while using his brand-new Leopard 45. The following graph is a plot of the data posted on the Facebook group Integrel on a boat.

At speeds above 1500 RPM, the engine uses a constant 2 litres/hour more fuel with Integrel on and generating power than when Integrel is turned off. Under normal circumstances, Integrel generates 8kW of power at 2000 RPM (see note 1).

Now, let’s take a look at diesel generator fuel usage. Victron Energy published a handy marine generator test document comparing the performance of various diesel generators. Graph 5 on page 13 of the document (reproduced below with the vertical scale converted to Litres/hour, see note 2), shows the fuel consumption of several 7-11kW generators.

The Westerbeke 9.4 generator uses nearly 3 litres/hour of fuel to generate 8kW, compared to Integrel which only uses 2 litres/hour. Similar sized diesel generators use fuel at roughly the same rate as the Westerbeke, with some newer variable speed generators using a bit less.

Putting it all together, we can make the following observations:

• Integrel reduces your fuel costs by up to 33% to generate 8kW of power (2L/h instead of 3L/h).
• Integrel reduces your carbon footprint by up to 2.6 kilograms CO₂ each hour (see note 3).
• Integrel saves you the maintenance cost of a standalone diesel generator.

There are lots of other benefits to using Integrel too, take a look at the Integrel website to find out more!

Notes

1. Power is measured in Watts (1000W = 1kW), and is simply a measure of Energy used over a period of time.
2. To convert the Victron graph to litres/hour, simply divide the vertical axis by 0.85 since 1 litre of diesel fuel weighs about 0.85 kilograms.
3. Burning a litre of diesel fuel produces around 2.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide.