Aerospace fuels laboratory keeps mission flowing Published March 18, 2008 By Senior Airman Tong Duong 379th AEW Public Affairs SOUTHWEST ASIA -- As the bomber climbs higher through the night's sky in route to his mission, the pilot checks his fuel gauge and straps on his air hose and takes a breath of oxygen. He takes both for granted, not thinking about the rigorous testing process they go through. Both were certified by the 379th Expeditionary Logistic Readiness Squadron aerospace fuels laboratory technicians here, who perform compress breathing air checks and quality oversight of fuel here and for bases throughout Central Commandss area of responsibility. "My staff and I oversee the operations of 'area laboratories' throughout the region," said Jeffery Allen, 379th ELRS chief of aerospace fuels laboratory. "We not only do quality oversight of fuels and cryogenics for the entire AOR, but we also assist in the investigations of aircraft crashes, fuel contamination, and suspected sabotaging of fuel and cryogenic products at the lab here." Mr. Allen and his two team members test fuel and cryogenics products according to military specification and technical orders. "There are criterion that need to be met before fuel can be used by the Air Force," Mr. Allen said. "Often, fuel fails because of a specific property, and we find out how to fix it or will work with the experts at Wright Patterson Air Force Base [in Dayton, Ohio,] to get it back into specification." The laboratory chemists perform several tests to ensure the petroleum products pumped by fuels specialist are suitable for the different airframes here. "Each type of fuel, from your common aviation fuel like JP8 to JTPS, used in high-altitude planes like the U-2, has a certain characteristics range where they flash or combust," said Randy Obert, 379th ELRS aerospace fuels laboratory technician. "We also test for thermal stability, which measures the ability of the fuel to withstand temperature and pressure before it breaks down and leaves deposits; and the cloud and freeze point of the fuel, which is important if you don't want ice crystals to form in an aircraft system when it reaches a certain altitude." According to Mr. Allen, the base depends on local sources to provide the liquid oxygen and fuel used by pilots throughout the region. The products are tested here to ensure flight critical products are certified and good to use. "The cryogenics station here fills 400 gallon-sized tanks to be shipped to other bases around the region, we monitor every receipt truck here and every tank that goes out to check for purity of oxygen," he said. The lab checks for contaminants like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and moisture levels to ensure the pilots breathe quality oxygen during their missions, Mr. Allen said. "impure oxygen jeopardizes all mission especially high-altitude flying." Much like fuel, samples of compressed air are sent from bases throughout the region to the laboratory here in order to certify the compressors used to fill breathing air tanks. "Compressed breathing air needs to be certified because the tanks are filled with your normal day-to-day air, and when there is a problem with the air, it could put our fire fighters and other emergency response personnel at risk," Mr. Allen said. "If someone left a truck running while the tanks were being filled it would suck in the exhaust fumes or other contaminants in the air. Using the samples sent to us, we're able to certify the compressors for fire station and paint shop use." To support the Air Force's missions, crew members and their aircraft could be sitting on the tarmac one moment and flying over the mountains of Afghanistan the next, Mr. Allen said. "We have to make sure the fuel operates and performs in all kinds of environments because these planes are being pushed to the limits."