Atlanta Airport Fuel Control

CUSTOMER

FSM Group

PROJECT

Airport Fuel Control Modernisation

Fuelling the World's Busiest Airports with Confidence.

01

The Project

FSM Group at Hartsfield-Jackson

FSM Group — a North American aviation fuel services specialist — has managed the Delta Air Lines fuel farm at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport since October 2020. The facility was built in the 1970s, with many systems untouched 40 years on.

The legacy PLC was the bottleneck: during peak departures, 20+ aircraft fuelling simultaneously dropped hydrant pressure too low, triggering premature pump starts and Emergency Fuel Shut-Offs (ESFO) that delayed aircraft.

FSM Group’s GM — a former Delta employee — designed a multi-phase upgrade with Varec — a Cognesense brand, culminating in the Airport Fuel Control System (AFCS), an 8810 RTU, and a FuelsManager® refresh.

Our Partner

Varec — a Cognesense brand — the global standard in fuel management and terminal automation. FuelsManager® is the de facto standard in aviation fuel operations.

One partner. Every obligation. Legacy meets future.

Our Solution

Varec’s Airport Fuel Control System (AFCS) houses the PLC, manual control panel and 8810 RTU in a single new cabinet. AFCS uses first-in, first-off (FiFo) smart pump sequencing — replacing traditional lead-lag — distributing run times evenly and reducing wear. Automation decisions use both pressure and flow.

FSM Group also selected:

  • 8810 RTU — Ethernet-enabled, OPC UA, up to 6 modules, 24 channels, 400 tanks
  • NMS81 Servo Gauges — replacing legacy Enraf 854 units
  • FuelsManager Inventory, Accounting and Movement Tracking — upgraded to current operating systems

Testimonial

“Knowing that things are running on autopilot provides me with a great sense of relief. I’ve worked with the Varec team for over a decade and the new system they put in place has helped us achieve a higher level of operational efficiency.”

— Tommy Steele, General Manager, Delta Fuel Farm Operated by FSM Group

Results

  • Manual pump intervention eliminated
  • At-a-glance MCP visibility — pressure, flow, active tanks, pump count
  • 45-minute nightly tank readings eliminated by NMS81 servo gauges
  • Real-time density and inventory data in FuelsManager
  • Gross/net inventory, gain/loss reconciliation and days-of-supply tracked from standard reports
  • Pipeline movements reconciled to fuel type, valve times and timestamps — no variances outside tolerance since the upgrade

02

More Information

Talk to Varec — a Cognesense brand.

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