Technicians ensure safe, clean, serviceable fuel

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Val Gempis
  • Air Force Print News
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  The availability of safe and reliable petroleum is vital in safeguarding the lives of military forces.

“Sediments in fuel are dangerous,” said Staff Sgt. Carmarius Johnson, a fuels laboratory technician with the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron here. “It causes fuel filters and injectors to clog. It also can lead to aircraft engine failure.”

The two technicians in the lab ensure that all fuels received, stored and issued here adhere to stringent Air Force standards, Sergeant Johnson said. It has to be clean, he said.

To accomplish this, the technicians perform various fuels tests of facilities, pipelines and fuels dispensing equipment at required intervals daily on base. Every day the technicians obtain samples from liquid oxygen, jet and ground fuels storage tanks. These tests have to be done regularly, consistently and efficiently to ensure products are available for the customer, Sergeant Johnson said.

About 5 billion gallons of fuels were used by the U.S. military in the late 1990s, officials said. It was used to fuel aircraft, tanks, heaters, generators and other military vehicles. No military operation can be undertaken without first considering the availability of dry, clean, serviceable fuel.

“We have to do things here very carefully,” Sergeant Johnson said. “It’s a very detailed-oriented job.”

Contaminant testing is one of the most critical procedures here, he said. At high altitude, contaminants like water in an aircraft fuel tank can lead to engine problems or cause an aircraft to crash, he said.

“Another vital analysis here is ‘flash point’ testing,” said Susumu Iwasaki, a fuels lab technician.

This test determines the lowest temperature at which fuels will burn, he said. Fuel with a lower-than-prescribed flash point can cause engine and equipment damage. It can also start a fire.

In 2004, the lab’s technicians conducted about 1,100 color particle assessment analyses. They also accomplished about 1,000 aeronautical equipment laboratory free water tests, more than 700 conductivity analyses and about 500 fuels system icing inhibitor tests.

“Our laboratory technicians protect people and equipment,” said Chief Master Sgt. Michael Bradow, fuels management flight chief. “The quality assurance they do is a major factor not only in flight safety but also for military forces on the ground here.”