Chemical engineers deployed in Southwest Asia with the 379th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron are helping to ensure the quality of both fuel and gases used in the AOR by running tests at a forward laboratory. The lab analyzes fuel samples of JP8—a common aircraft fuel—as well as the high-altitude fuel used in UAVs. They test fuel density, flash point, and distillation to determine weight and volume, flammability, and proper molecular makeup before giving their stamp of approval. The lab technicians also check out the viability of the oxygen, nitrogen, and compressed air used by deployed firefighters.
Gas is king in the vast expanse of the Pacific. And as the Pentagon has sought to build up its capability to deter China, the Department of Defense has undergone a major rethink about how to get fuel to the region. At the heart of the effort is the U.S. Transportation…