HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- The 75th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Hill Air Force Base is leading an Air Force effort to reduce aircraft downtime caused by suspected jet fuel contamination, improving readiness and conserving resources. The squadron is partnering with the Air Force Petroleum Office, the single enterprise manager for petroleum and aerospace energy, to develop a prototype that supports mission requirements.
This device tests fuel for contamination from aviation-grade hydraulic fluid or polyalphaolefin coolant, known as PAO. A small amount of PAO or hydraulic fluid can enter fuel systems through routine maintenance activity or minor system leaks, especially on newer aircraft where components are more tightly integrated. Even small amounts of contamination can affect fuel system performance, create maintenance delays, and increase the time required to return an aircraft to service.
“If PAO gets into our fuel, it quietly contaminates everything that fuel touches,” said Master Sgt. Isaac Launey, 75th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels operations section chief. “This detector reduces a two-week period of fuel quality uncertainty to a definitive two-hour analysis.”
The Air Force conducts more than 30,000 aircraft defuels annually, managing more than 68 million gallons of fuel valued at $273 million. About 25% of these defuels are suspected to potentially involve fluid contamination, an issue more prevalent in new aircraft, increasing the need for a rapid fuel analysis.
Identifying this challenge, the 75th LRS submitted several proposals that led to a 2023 Small Business Innovation Research topic. This initiative resulted in a contract award to D2 Inc. in March 2024. The company recently delivered prototypes that underwent eight weeks of field-testing by the Hill AFB petroleum, oil, and lubricants flight.
The device is powered by a control software that uses an artificial intelligence deep learning algorithm. It can detect and quantify aviation-grade hydraulic fluid or PAO in a fuel sample of less than 10 milliliters. The system is being designed to operate in various environmental conditions and adapt to future technologies, supporting the integrity of the Air Force's fuel supply and the safety of its fleet for years to come.
"The Wave Guide PAO/Hydraulic Fluid Tester has brought a deeper level of testing when it comes to fuel quality by alerting us to possible contamination in the fuel,” said Senior Airman Nathan Flores, fuels laboratory tech at the 75th LRS Fuels Management Flight. “If this marks the start of the future of fuel testing, I am excited to see what the next few years bring."