Flash point: Fuels lab answers burning need

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Matkin
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Although the team is small and their job narrow in scope, the 379th Expeditionary Logistics and Readiness Squadron fuels lab holds the lives of servicemembers and the safety of aircraft in their hands. Fuel is a single-point failure commodity, said Staff Sgt. Michael Brady, 379 ELRS fuels lab NCO in charge, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. "You don't want anything going wrong with the fuel when an aircraft is taking off and flying."

To make sure that the fuel burns as it should, the fuels lab ensures that the fuel received here meets Air Force specifications from the time it arrives, to the time it is issued.

"[Servicemember] safety is the bottom line," said Master Sgt. Eugene Cataldi, 379 ELRS fuels information support center NCO in charge, deployed from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. The lives of the aircrew and multi-million dollar aircraft are in their hands, so the fuel lab technicians make sure the highest quality fuel is used in both aircraft and base equipment, such as servicemembers' vehicles, to successfully complete the base's varied missions.

To ensure the fuel is safe, technicians use multiple tests in determining whether or not it meets Air Force standards, Sergeant Brady said. When fuel fails it is often because of a specific problem, such as too much particulates or solids. To account for all possible fail scenarios, technicians put the fuel through multiple tests, conducting more than 1,500 tests and analysis each month.

If a problem is discovered in the fuel, the failure can often be corrected to allow safe use, Sergeant Brady said. For example, if the fuel has failed because an additive is too high or too low, the technicians can either dilute the fuel or add more of the additive.

"Additives are very important for many different reasons and having the correct amounts of additives in the fuel can affect the operation of aircraft, which can mean life or death," said Staff Sgt. Damon Griffin, 379 ELRS fuels lab technician, deployed from Ramstein Air Base, Germany. "For example, because many aircraft fly at very high altitudes, the temperature of the fuel can drop dramatically. If the fuel becomes too cold, ice crystals may form which can cause the aircraft to stall. Keeping the fuel at stable temperatures is where one of the fuel additives comes in; it acts as an antifreeze."

Another test they put the fuel through is called the flash point test. This test finds the lowest temperature at which fuel from a test portion will 'flash' when an ignition source is applied. A change in flash point may indicate the presence of potentially dangerous contaminants, Sergeant Griffin said.

Identifying contaminants or other irregularities that may pose fuel problems is an essential job and every gallon of fuel through the base is entrusted to the 379 ELRS fuels lab to guarantee it is safe -- safe for the equipment and aircraft, but more importantly, safe for the servicemembers who operate these assets.