Aviation Fuel Quality Control Keep Them Flying! An Overview of Fuel Quality Control Guidelines and Test Equipment By Gammon Technical Products, Inc. Standards ATA-103 (Airlines) NFPA-407 (Fire Safety) Your Oil Company Airline Specific Policy ASTM Manual 5 FAA Even Professionals Make Mistakes The Old Way Reed Fuller DART What Do You Do When You Have A QC Problem? Eliminate Any Risks Fix the Problem Educate Your People But everybody will avoid calling the Associated Press, and that is why you rarely hear of problems at other locations, but believe it, there are problems! What is Our #1 Job? To put the correct clean, dry, unadulterated fuel into the correct aircraft To do the job safely To prevent fire To prevent spills To follow the QC program and make sure others do also To properly operate and maintain the equipment To always be on the lookout for potential problems Utilize the Latest Equipment Rampmaster .2 Grounding Cable Truck Internal Valves NFPA 407 Precheck even if Scully is used Make sure emergency shutoff closes valve Do not use truck unless internal valve operates properly Quality Control is: Having the Correct Equipment Tests and Procedures - To ATA-103,ASTM API and Other Standards A Pain in the Butt Making Sure You Don’t Damage the Aircraft Not a Profit Center An Indispensable Policy That Must Permeate Your Entire Company From The Top to the Bottom Covering Personnel, Environmental and Flight Safety MOST IMPORTANTLY It must be followed! Make sure the paperwork matches the aircraft? Do You Check Your People to Make Sure The Paperwork System is Being Followed? Worn Equipment Is a Sign Of Use! LOOKING FOR CHANGES The Key to Quality Control is to take note of anything out of the ordinary. Even if the results are still within “acceptable” limits, a sudden change to any characteristic or the performance of any piece of equipment may indicate a serious problem Testing and Sampling is Meant to Find Little Problems Before They Become Big Ones! Changes To Look For Any and All Test Results -Even if the Results are “Acceptable” “Too Good” or “Too Consistent” Results (Pencil whipping) Outside of Prefilter Elements Inside of Coalescer Elements Strainers Nozzle - Coffee grounds and metal shreds???? Differential Pressure / Flow Rate White Buckets - All Aspects, color, odor, haze, “lace”, water, etc. Membrane Test Time Paperwork Labor Times for Inspection Employees Equipment Appearance DID YOU MAKE A CHANGE? - Nozzle pressure changes with hose length or size! True? A check is in the mail I’ll love you in the morning We only use dedicated tractor trailers Our pipeline always makes perfect “cuts” Our equipment never breaks down Our membranes are always A-0 We never see any differential pressure We never have any water in our fuel In 20 years we’ve never had a problem ====up until now=== Receiving Fuel The Most Overlooked Aspect of Fuel Quality Control Oh, you're the picky guys. (Actually said by a terminal employee.) Jet Fuel, Avgas, same thing, right (Actually said by a transport truck driver.) One Rejected Load Was Actually Delivered to the Next Door FBO Pumping Fuel Into Storage Stick Tank to Make Sure You Have Room Sump any Water From Tank and Filter FIRST Monitor Differential Pressure on Filter Sample the Fuel With MiniMonitor or Millipore Tester Check the Filter Sump after Unloading Check Tank Volume Net Gallons will vary! Record the Data White Bucket Test Color - Jet Consistent and NOT Pink! Odor Haze / Cloudiness Liquid water in the bottom of the bucket Spill coffee, food coloring or other water based liquid in to be sure the bucket isn’t pure water Particles or Debris Filmy or lace- like floating material Anything else different from the usual Fuel Should be Clear and Bright - No Visible Contamination CLOUDY FUEL OBSERVED WHILE PERFORMING A WHITE PORCELAIN BUCKET TEST INDICATES ENTRAINED WATER, SURFACTANT OR BOTH CLEAR WHITE BUCKET SAMPLE INDICATING NO WATER OR PARTICULATES. USE ANY COIN. A Jar Makes An Inexpensive Test Device For Detecting Haze Is There Water In The Bottom? Spill In a Little Coffee or Food Coloring And Water is More Distinct Haze is Free Water 0.75”, 2” and 3” bottles with 100PPM of water Accurate Hydrometer Readings (Mercury Issue) Spin the hydrometer gently Do not allow it to touch the jar Keep it clean A Centering Device Can Make Correct Readings Easier When You Raise Your View To Be Level With The Surface This Will Indicate API 43.5 Indicated API 40.3 Using A Spill-Over Type Hydrometer Jar If You Read 43.5 at 81.6 degrees F 1. Align measured fuel temperature against measured API 2. Read corrected API at 60 F mar 3. Result is API gravity at 60 F of 41.65 “Normal” Contaminants in Aviation Fuels Dirt Dust (From Tank Vents) Rust Water (Lots of Water!) Surfactants Pieces of Burst Filters Tank Lining Paint Chips Other fuels Microorganisms Rubber from failed hose And MUCH More! Real Contamination in Aviation Fuels Lavatory “Blue Fluid” Fuel Oil Fertilizer Outlet Prist Can Tubes Lizards Dead Birds Sand Metal Shavings Transmission Fluid Insects Caustic Soda Gloves Rags Eyeglasses Fish Bolts / Other Hardware What is the Most Common Way Gross Water Gets into Aircraft? Through the Vent or Roof of the Refueler Truck Keep Rain Drains Clear Any Leak Can Let Rainwater Into The Tank When The Vent Opens Any Standing Water Will Enter the Tank! The Drain Lines Should Be Transparent Plastic So You Can Inspect For Debris Water in Aviation Fuels DISSOLVED WATER Like Humidity in Air Cannot be Measured With Field Equipment Cannot be Removed by Filtration 1 PPM per Degree Fahrenheit UNDISSOLVED WATER Free Water Like Fog In Tank Bottoms Slugs Can be Removed By Filtration Will Settle From Fuel Aquarius Additive – 2 to 5 years away Water - Bio - CI/LI – FSII/Prist What Is A Part Per Million? 1 Gallon Per Million Gallons 1/10,000 of 1 percent A Properly Operating Filter Separator or Monitor Will Remove Water Down to NO MORE THAN 5 PPM! Detecting Free Water In Fuel VISUAL - Haze is Visible at 30 ppm Velcon Hydrokit - Water Detector 15 or 30 ppm Shell Water - Detector 15 or 30 ppm Metrocator - Spotted Paper Indication AquaGlo Water Detector - An Instrument For Measuring Water Water Finding Paste? NO! Only For Water Level In A Tank Bottom Water Probe? Only for detecting water in sumps As Required by ASTM and API for Measuring Free Water The Aqua-Glo Water Detector Kit Manufactured Under License From Exxon A Free Video On Calibration and Use is Available - Just Call 800-524-0287 MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION FOUND IN THE AIR AS SPORES FOUND MAINLY IN WATER SIDE OF TANK WALL WATER IN TANK BIRD BATHS IT CAN TRAVEL FILTRATION EQUIPMENT AIRCRAFT FUEL TANKS REMEDY/BIOCIDES Dirt In Aviation Fuel An 87 or 9 Series Coalescer Element Will Remove About 99% of Particles over 1/3 Micron MiniMonitor Particulate Detector to ASTM D2276 Bonding And Grounding Hose Assembly What is Bonding and Grounding? Bonding is connecting two parts Grounding is connecting those parts to earth The purpose of bonding and/or grounding is to neutralize sparks between items before and during operations MOST IMPORTANT Bonding aircraft during refueling Bonding and grounding ALL other operations NFPA-407 2001 Actually forbids grounding of refueler trucks in direct refueling F-15 Hangar Problem Auto-Fire suppression shut off after inadvertent release Explosion during defueling in open air from wing tank They couldn’t be convinced that bonding was necessary They agree now Ground to Pipe, NOT Fitting as Shown! Our New QD Will NOT Spray Fuel! Flow A Ball Valve Will Aid in Operation In High Pressurized Systems Turn Valve to TEST Position to Flow Fuel Through the Plastic Monitor Maintain The Bond to the Bucket! Flow 1 or 3 Gallons of Fuel Into the Bucket Ask Your Fuel Supplier or Airline How Much Draw Excess Fuel From Monitor - Observe the Membrane for Unusual Color Remove the Membrane - Dispose of the Thicker Backup Pad Undated Books or Books Dated 1981 Or Older Are No Longer Approved Under ASTM The ATA Standard Color Chart With Particulate Chart Evaluation Of Membranes GTP Rule of Thumb Dry Color Should Be Less Than a “3”. A 2 Is Cause For Concern If You See a Membrane Different From Your Usual Scale (For Example, You Usually Get an “A-2” and Suddenly Get a G-2) This May Indicate A Serious Contamination Problem If You Get a Sudden Dark Membrane, Run a Test Before and After the Filter. Look For a Change. You Can Run The Test With Two Membranes. If The Bottom Membrane Has Color, This is “Color Bodies”, Which May Not Be a Problem Replacement Plastic Monitors Replacement Membranes Save Money Reload Your Old Plastic Monitors Properly Label ALL Equipment Especially Emergency Controls We have a free Test Procedure and Certificate When The Test Valve Is Operated, The Piston Should Move Smoothly To The Bottom Of the Scale. If It Moves Smoothly But Slowly, You May Need A New Filter. If It Moves In Jumps, Or Does Not Move To The Bottom Of The Scale, Clean The Glass And Piston With Scotch-Brite Return The Valve To The Normal Position, Stop Flow. The Piston Should Return To Zero. If Not, Clean The Tube And Piston, If This Does Not Solve The Problem, Replace The Spring This Pushbutton Tester Is Simple, Inexpensive And Includes A Pressure Relief Valve Flushing New Fuel Hoses Repeated soak and dispose Once fluid is clear Minimum 500 gallon recirculation flush The interior of a hose is called the tube. This tube must be conditioned. No brand of hose is exempt. If a Salesman Says His Hose Doesn’t Need Flushing THROW HIM OUT! Testing Your Equipment Make Sure the Water Detector Works Make Sure the Deadman Works Make Sure the Emergency Stop Works Makes Sure the “Nozzle Pressure” Gauge is Accurate at Both No Flow and Full Flow Make Sure The Fire Extinguisher is OK Inspect the Hose Exterior for Wear Check For Leaks Check the Grounding/Bonding Reel TEST DRIVE the vehicle to test interlocks 3-Lug Adapters and Nozzles Check Aircraft for missing lugs Check Aircraft for excessive wear Includes: Slots, Lugs and Seal Area Check Nozzle for proper fit, proper condition Look for leakage or movement Look for slippage of hose at ferrule (API1529 Requirement for paint mark!) Filter Separators - EI/IP/API-1581 Vessel/Filter Filter element combination MUST meet new 1581 5th Edition unless excepted New Requirement – Flat Bottom vessels must have slope unless excepted Corrected DP – How on Hydrant System? Gammon FR Meter coming soon (Max flow, Pipe size, orifice size) What is Coming in the Future! BP Kerostat 8118 = to Stadis 450 (Almost there) Aquarius (777 +others approval testing needed) Synthetic Jet Blend 50:50 (issues) Bio Jet Fuel (cost/issues) Bio Contaminant Detection 100 ppm Pipeline) FSII reduction 25% eventually to 400 ppm End Thank You Gammon Technical Products, Inc 2013