Expeditionary fuels flight fighting gas spills

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Kelley Jeter
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  When a 50,000-gallon capacity fuel bladder reaches the end of its lifespan, there is little anyone can do to stop the massive rupture and potential tidal wave in the fuel pits.

But that is what the Airmen of the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron try to foresee and head off every day.

The squadron’s fuels flight Airmen receive, store, filter, test and deliver the JP-8 jet fuel for the mission at this forward-deployed location. One of the most active parts of their duties is keeping up with the constant demands of storage, in the form of massive fuel bladders.

Despite the Airmen’s best efforts, the massive “fuel farm” has regular bladder ruptures, and the result is a pit with a torn bag and lots of spilled JP-8.

“It just looks like a fishing pond full of fuel,” said Master Sgt. Donald Brown, fuels manager.

The Airmen regularly spend time patching worn spots and fixing small leaks, but the inevitable gushers require extensive pumping and filtering to save the spilled fuel.

“We’re able to salvage about 99 percent of the spilled fuel when there’s a rupture,” Sergeant Brown said.

The Airmen move about 700,000 gallons of fuel every day, supporting the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing mission that supplies aerial refueling to coalition aircraft for operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

The bladders resemble huge waterbeds and begin as 50,000-gallon capacity containers. They start their service life, or “wet date,” the day they are spread out and filled with gas.

“We only fill them to 40,000 gallons to try to extend their lifespan, and once they’ve been filled for a year, we drop that number to 30,000 gallons,” Sergeant Brown said.

They are maintained in pairs in large pits lined with waterproof fuel liners designed to keep the spills contained in a small area, facilitating a rapid and complete clean-up when a rupture occurs.

“We patch them when we see small leaks beginning, but at this point, we’re just staving off the inevitable,” said Staff Sgt. Nicholas Smith, also of the fuels flight.

The current fuel farm has 74 bladders holding 2.4 million gallons of stored fuel. Officials are planning a new fuel farm that will have 16 bags with 210,000 gallons of capacity apiece, making the total amount of fuel stored around 3.6 million gallons.

The fuel farm is only one of several responsibilities for the fuels flight Airmen.

“We also deliver (fuel) to the U-2 [Dragon Lady], unleaded gas and diesel fuel to all vehicles and (aerospace ground equipment) and oxygen to the U-2,” Sergeant Brown said.

The Airmen deliver gas to all the electrical generators throughout the base; the generators alone call for 420,000 gallons in a three-month period.

From the U-2 missions and aerial refueling over the theaters to the air conditioning in the tents and offices and everything fuel-related in between, the 380th ELRS fuels flight Airmen keep the supply in pace with the demand.