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Life cycle of AF fuel: onto base and into storage

  • Published
  • By Samuel King Jr.
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  (Editors note: this is part one of a three-part series about Eglin's petroleum, oil and lubricants flight.)

Every two weeks, a slow-moving barge from Houston moves down Weekly Bayou to deliver its contents to the base. Hydraulic arms swing out and connect; the golden fluid is pumped up, out, down and onto Eglin. This is just the first step in the life cycle of JP-8 aircraft fuel, the blood of the Air Force.

The 2 million gallon barge offloads an average of 420,000 gallons to Eglin's bulk storage units in only four hours. An eight-hour settling time is required once the fuel enters into Eglin storage tanks.

Eglin's fuel bulk storage consists of four large tanks capable of holding approximately 2.7 million gallons and is managed by contractors, according to Master Sgt. Eric Brunner, the fuels information service center section chief. Eglin's storage units receive more than 12 million gallons annually.

Along with bulk storage, there are four other fuel storage areas across Eglin. There are 2 million gallon tanks close to the 33rd Fighter Wing flightline. After the current construction overhaul, this storage area will be the primary refuel station for the wing's F-35 Lightning II squadrons. There are two more storage tanks on the 46th Test Wing flight line and at Duke Field, there are two 100,000 gallon tanks for the current reserve mission. At any time, Eglin's tanks can contain up to 5 million gallons of JP-8 fuel.

When needed, the fuel makes another journey to its inevitable end point. In this step, it leaves the bulk storage area for the operational tanks along the flightline.

On a daily basis, the fuel is moved underground through an intricate series of pipes. It can travel more than a mile to fill up a tank on the east side of the base and more than four miles to the west side.

"There are a few more steps to it, but basically it's turning a valve and releasing the seal to move it from place to place," said Brunner, a 20-year veteran in the petroleum, oil and lubricants career field, seven of them at Eglin.

Approximately 9 million gallons were moved from POL's bulk storage areas in fiscal year 2011.

Eglin's constantly-changing fuel amounts are carefully ordered, monitored and calculated by the fuel service center.

"The FSC is the brains of the fuel operation," said Capt. James Martinelli, POL flight commander. "That section is critical and has to run very well or we'd fall apart."

A staff of 15 Airmen, on three shifts, oversees every aspect of the fuels mission and are connected to every step of the lifespan of Eglin's JP-8 from placing the order to bring fuel in to recording the payment as it goes out.

"The Airmen in that room have accountability for everything," said Brunner.

The high-pressure environment of the FSC encourages some POL Airmen to thrive, according to Staff Sgt. Jaclyn Duclos.

"I like having that responsibility," said Duclos, a fuels accountant responsible for taking all fuel requests and ordering all of the JP-8 and vehicle gas on Eglin. "I feel like I'm doing something meaningful that has an impact on the mission."

Duclos is one of only three female Airmen of E-5 and below in the flight. She said when she arrived to Eglin five years ago, she had no idea how the fuel was ordered and that is was a position within her flight.

After completing her on-the-job training and a deployment in 2009, she discovered the job she was made for. In January, she got it.

"I definitely have a math brain," she said. "That's why I really wanted the job. When it became available, I knew I was ready for it."

Mathmatics is a key tool in determining the amount of fuel currently stored here. A specific formula that factors in temperature is used to calculate the totals reported daily to the Defense Logistics Agency, who owns the fuel.

"Fuel is gained and lost every single day depending on the temperature," said Martinelli. "It's constantly expanding and contracting, which changes the weight of the fuel. Our reported amounts must be within .25 percent of what DLA says we have."

The Airmen of POL aren't just responsible for keeping the 'blood' flowing to Eglin's aircraft, but they're also responsible for the storage and maintenance of three types of fuels for the largest Air Force vehicle fleet in the continental U.S.

Eglin stores almost 200,000 gallons of diesel, biodiesel and unleaded gasoline to keep the ground mission moving. Every two weeks, Eglin's ground fuel is delivered via tank truck.

Eglin's fuel mission is in constant motion from offloads, uploads to fill ups, but not a drop can move without the assurance of its quality and purity. The Airmen of POL flight's fuel lab has that responsibility.