Air Force Petroleum Office (AFPET)

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Air Force Petroleum Office (AFPET)
Presented at Air Force Corrosion Conference
Macon, GA 8-12 March 2004
Emilio S. Alfaro / Chemist Product Engineering
Branch Air Force Petroleum Office Emilio.Alfaro_at_wp
afb.af.mil [phone]
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Topics

• Air Force Petroleum Office
• Technical Assistance Branch (AFTH)
• Aerospace Fuels Laboratories (AFTL)
• Product Engineering Branch (AFTT)
• P-D-680
• Deicing Fluids
• Aircraft Cleaning Compound
• Prevention of Internal Corrosion in Compressed
  Gas Cylinders
• FSII Study
• Microbial Growth in Wing Tanks

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Technical Assistance Branch

• Worldwide support for any fuel problem
  (contamination, equipment failure, etc.)
• Capable of deploying anywhere in the world to
  help solve major fuels problems
• Response team made up of fuels specialists and
  fuel handling equipment specialists

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Aerospace Fuels Laboratories

• 7 Laboratories Worldwide
• 3 Labs overseas, including the mobile deployed
  lab
• 2 Space Launch Labs Cape Canaveral and
  Vandenberg AFB
• 2 CONUS Labs
• Products Analyzed
• Jet Fuels (JP-8, Jet A, JP-TS, JP-10)
• Gases (Oxygen, Nitrogen, Argon, Air)
• Lubricating Oils, Hydraulic Fluids, Greases,
  Chemicals, and Coolants
• Ground Fuels (Diesel, B20, Gasoline, E85)
• Rocket Fuels and Missile Propellants
• Aircraft Cleaning Compounds, Deicing Fluids

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Product Engineering Branch

• AFPET Web Site / Shelf Life Update Program
• Technical Orders and Specifications for Aerospace
  Fuels, Lubricants, and Chemicals
• International Standardization Issues
• ASTM International
• NATO
• ASCC
• Others (IATA, AFC)
• Projects of Interest
• P-D-680 Reformulation
• Coordination of New Aircraft Deicing Fluids
• Terpene-free Type I Aircraft Cleaning Compound

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Shelf Life Program

• https//wpafbres34.wpafb.af.mil/afpet/

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P-D-680 Dry Cleaning Compound

• Original P-D-680 specification canceled and
  replaced by MIL-PRF-680, a reformulated, safer
  solvent
• MIL-PRF-680 now has a QPL
• MIL-PRF-680 does not meet the requirements of all
  DOD users
• The original P-D-680 formulation was reinstated
  in the specification A-A-59601
• Recommend using MIL-PRF-680 if it meets your
  requirements
• FEDLOG has the NSNs for P-D-680 and A-A-59601
  linked

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New Aircraft Deicing Fluids

• New Non-Glycol Based Deicing Fluids
• Non-toxic, Non-corrosive
• Environmentally Friendly (Low BOD)
• First Major Chemical Composition Change to T.O.
  42C-1-2 in Decades
• Products
• METSS ADF-2
• Battelle D3 Degradable by Design
• Foster Miller Inc. formulations
• Toxic-free glycol reformulations

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ADF-2 by METSS

• Non-toxic / bio-based product
• All natural / environmentally friendly
• 50 BOD of propylene glycol (PG) fluids
• 100 biodegradable / non-corrosive
• Readily available / cost effective
• Qualified to SAE AMS 1424
• Equal or better performance than PG-based deicing
  fluids
• Operational problems experienced during heated
  applications
• Indications that AMS 1424 specification needs to
  be re-written
• Unless AMS 1424 is rewritten, it will be
  difficult to implement any bio-based deicing
  fluids

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ADF-2 by METSS
Streaking Effect
Run-off
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ADF-2 by METSS
Inside Window Effect
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D3 by Battelle Corp.

• Bio-based formulation
• Initially qualified to SAE AMS 1424C
• Failed operational testing due to excessive
  foaming
• Failed on Feb 2003 and March 2004
• New formulation must be re-certified to SAE AMS
  1424
• Same problems (potentially) as with other
  bio-based formulations
• Same problems with AMS 1424

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Foster Miller Inc. Formulation

• Triethylene glycol / glycerol formulation
• In early stages of qualification
• Presently seeking funding for materials
  compatibility testing
• 85 BOD of PG-based deicing fluids
• Non-toxic / bio-degradable
• Less corrosive than distilled water
• Drop-in replacement

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Toxic-Free Glycol Reformulations

• NASA Ames non-toxic PG-based fluid
• Cryotech non-toxic PG-based fluid
• High BOD
• Non-toxic, triazole free

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Runway Deicing Fluids

• Ethylene Glycol prohibited from use
• Glycol/Urea may be used until supplies exhausted
• 50 solution of potassium acetate is now most
  common type
• Sodium formate and sodium acetate also in use

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Runways Potassium Acetate

• Environmentally friendly
• High performance (-60F freezing point)
• Dries rapidly
• Reduced conductivity
• Some corrosion issues

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Aircraft Cleaning Compound

• Draft MIL-PRF-87937 revision E to include a
  terpene-free Type I aircraft cleaning compound
• The proposed Type V cleaning compound meets all
  the Type I requirements except it is terpene-free
• Purpose Some installations cannot use Type I
  cleaning compounds because of the terpenes
  environmental concerns
• Type V may not be as an effective cleaner for
  every application

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Prevention of Internal Corrosion in Compressed
Gas Cylinders

• Most internal corrosion of compressed gas
  cylinders is caused by moisture in the air
• Air enters the cylinders when the cylinder
  pressure falls below 1 atm (14.7 psi)
• Especially designed cylinders in use in the UK
  prevent air from entering the cylinder by use of
  a back-flow valve
• The back-flow valve prevents moisture from
  entering the cylinder and causing corrosion
• This greatly extends the life of the cylinder

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FSII Study

• AFPET has contracted with Radian (and C4e) to do
  the FSII study
• Can FSII be safely eliminated from JP-8?
• What level of protection does FSII provide to
  prevent free water from freezing in the fuel tank
• FSII is known to be corrosive and has been
  tentatively linked to top coat peeling
• The AF Materials Lab is conducting experiments to
  determine if the top coat peeling is related to
  free water and FSII in aircraft wing tanks

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Microbial Growth in Wing Tanks

• The AFPET has been tracking increasing numbers of
  aircraft contaminated with microbial growth
• ASC/EN and the AFPET have prepared an Aircraft
  Advisory on the Water and Microorganism
  Contaminants in USAF Aircraft Fuels
• AFRL is preparing a study on the problems
  associated with microbial growth in aircraft and
  fuel handling equipment
• Initial indications are that FSII might not be
  controlling microbial growth in fuel tanks
• The potential for microbial induced corrosion
  exists as long as the microbial growth goes
  untreated

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Any Questions?