Maintaining the lifeblood of the B-52

Staff Sgts. Derek Mclemore, left, and Jermey Manning, 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technicians, prepare to extract a fuel sample at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Oct. 14, 2015. Fuels lab technicians must be careful as they extract samples to make sure no outside debris taints the sample. (Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Luke Hill)

Maintaining the lifeblood of the B-52

Staff Sgts. Derek Mclemore, left, and Jermey Manning, 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technicians, record how much fuel is taken from Pump House 1 at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Oct. 14, 2015. Fuel lab technicians not only guarantee fuel is clean and ready for use but also that the right amount of fuel can be transported when needed. (Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Luke Hill)

Maintaining the lifeblood of the B-52

Staff Sgts. Derek Mclemore, left, and Jermey Manning, 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technicians, take jet fuel samples at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Oct. 14, 2015. Jet fuel pump houses provide fuel filtering and delivery from storage tanks to military planes and fuel trucks. (Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Luke Hill)

Maintaining the lifeblood of the B-52

Staff Sgt. Jermey Manning, 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technician, siphons jet fuel from a pump at Barksdale Air Force base, La., Oct. 14, 2015. The B-52 Stratofortress can carry 47,975 gallons of fuel and the pump house is capable of providing the fuel quickly. (Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Luke Hill)

Maintaining the lifeblood of the B-52

Staff Sgts. Derek Mclemore, left, and Jermey Manning, 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technicians, prepare to take a fuel sample at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Oct. 14, 2015. Jet fuel is tested on a regular basis to ensure it doesn’t contain any unsafe amounts of water or particles. (Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Luke Hill)

Maintaining the lifeblood of the B-52

Staff Sgt. Derek Mclemore, 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technician, fills a bottle with ether in order to clean items that were used during the fuel test in the fuel laboratory at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Oct. 14, 2015. All equipment must be cleaned to ensure that residue from past tests does not alter future results. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Luke Hill)

Maintaining the lifeblood of the B-52

Staff Sgt. Derek Mclemore, 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technician, tests the fuel for dirty particles at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Oct. 14, 2015. Fuel is tested to ensure it reaches the standard cleanliness which ultimately makes planes run better and last longer. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Luke Hill)

Maintaining the lifeblood of the B-52

Staff Sgts. Derek Mclemore, left, and Jermey Manning, 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technicians, collect fuel in a reservoir at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Oct. 14, 2015. The fuel will be tested for particle and water content to make sure the highest quality of fuel is available. (Air Force Photo/Airman 1st Class Luke Hill)

Maintaining the lifeblood of the B-52

Published Oct. 21, 2015
By Airman 1st Class Luke Hill
2nd Bomb WIng Public Affairs

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Fuel laboratory technicians of the 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron test jet fuel, diesel, and other products such as liquid oxygen and nitrogen to make sure Barksdale's planes and pilots are receiving safe and efficient products. This high quality fuel is important as it ensures that Barksdale's planes run well and remain mission-ready.

"Good, clean fuel means that pilots are able to do their jobs and complete their missions safely," said Tech. Sgt. William Johnson, 2nd LRS fuels laboratory NCO in charge. "It also means that aircraft engines will last longer and run better. Our goal is to give them the absolute best quality fuel that we can."

The fuel technicians stress it can be dangerous if fuel is not maintained properly.

"We have to test for water content and make sure Fuel System Icing Inhibiters are present to prevent fuel from freezing at high altitudes," said Staff Sgt. Jermey Manning, 2nd LRS fuels laboratory technician. "If there is water in the fuel, at high altitudes it will freeze up the fuel lines, causing the airplane to fall out of the sky."

In addition to water content, unclean fuel also has an adverse effect on the longevity of planes.

"If the fuel isn't clean enough or it has the wrong amount of FSII, it can eat away at the engines and gas tanks," said Thompson. "We had an issue with that recently and we had to lower the FSII content in our jet fuels to protect aircraft gas tanks."

Liquid oxygen, which pilots use at high altitudes, is also tested in the fuel lab and is crucial to the safety of pilots.

"We also maintain and test liquid oxygen to make sure it's 99 percent pure oxygen," Manning said. "If the oxygen isn't pure, it can give pilots a severe headache or even cause them to pass out."

Fuel technicians receive, store, test, distribute, and account for all fuel on Barksdale. Fuel is the lifeblood of the B-52, trucks, lifts, and other gas-operated equipment. Whether its planes, vehicles, or equipment, 2nd LRS fuel technicians make sure they are mission-ready with the highest quality fuel possible.