Photo By Staff Sgt. Douglas Lorance | U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Thai MacLeod, 31st Maintenance Squadron aerospace ground...... read more read more
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Whenever mechanical equipment from Aviano Air Base needs to be deployed abroad to support the mission, it goes through a multiple day process to drain the fuel for safe transportation.
Aviano AB Airmen have many processes to support U.S. and allied nation missions throughout the region. Whenever mechanical equipment needs to be deployed abroad, it goes through a multiple day process to drain any fuel before it can be transported safely.
The 31st Maintenance Squadron’s Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) team can now complete this days-long procedure in just a few hours thanks to their new fuel polisher acquired through innovation funds.
A fuel polisher is a filtration device that removes contaminants from the fuel in order to make it safe to use or store. This able to drastically cut down on labor time for each defueling operation.
“When we’re mobilizing equipment, it used to be a couple days’ worth of work to defuel everything,” said Tech. Sgt. Thai MacLeod, 31st MXS AGE section chief. “The fuel polisher allows us to do that within a day or even just a few hours.”
Before purchasing their team’s first and currently only fuel polisher, AGE previously had to undergo a drawn out process of tilting the fuel containers at an angle and waiting for a full day to allow all potential contaminants to settle at the bottom before the team could drain them out. After that, AGE would have to send a sample of the remaining fuel to a lab in the 31st Logistics Readiness Squadron in order to have it tested and approved for reuse. If it still tested as too contaminated, a contractor would be scheduled to come dispose of the fuel as hazardous waste. The whole process can take over a week.
The fuel polisher not only reduces defueling time by allowing AGE to do everything within their own shop, but it also allows AGE to reuse fuel, saving them money as well as time.
“Not only is the process entirely in-house now, but we’re able to reuse our own waste fuel after we clean it,” said MacLeod. “Once we get the water and contaminants out of the fuel, it’s reusable for our equipment.”
The physical defueling process has been simplified as well thanks to the increased power and efficiency of the fuel polisher.
“We used to have to connect about three different pieces of equipment together to do the same job as the fuel polisher, and it’d go way slower,” said Senior Airman Shane Villegas, 31st MXS AGE journeyman. “It makes a big difference, it can turn a day long job into an hour long job.”
As 31st MXS operations tempo increases to support nearby NATO allies, the AGE team’s fuel polisher allows them to remain as quick and flexible as Aviano AB’s diverse mission set demands.
“The fuel polisher is a game changer, I love it,” said Villegas.
| Date Taken: | 07.27.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.01.2022 03:57 |
| Story ID: | 425870 |
| Location: | AVIANO AIR BASE, IT |
| Web Views: | 9 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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