Petroleum Quality Analysis System– Enhanced Operations in ...

1 Operations . The Petroleum Quality Analysis System Enhanced , located at Kandahar, Afghanistan, with the 601st Aviation Support Battalion, provided expedient, qualitative Petroleum laboratory testing for all Army units and contractors in and around Regional Command South. (Photo by Sgt. George W. Slaughter). Petroleum Quality Analysis System . Enhanced Operations in Afghanistan The 601st Aviation Support Battalion ran a laboratory to check fuel Quality for units operating in and around Regional Command South in Afghanistan. By Sgt. George W. Slaughter I. n August 2013, the 601st Avia- and receiving procedures. Garrison Operations tion Support Battalion deployed Before deploying to Afghanistan its Petroleum Quality Analy- About the PQAS E with Task Force Guardian, the sis System Enhanced (PQAS E) The PQAS E is a self-sufficient, PQAS E was located at Marshall to Kandahar Airfield, Afghani- mobile fuel laboratory that uses Army Airfield at Fort Riley, Kan- stan, with Task Force Guardian in current fuel Analysis technologies sas.

2 At home station, the PQAS E. support of Operation Enduring to meet Military Standard 3004C, processed fuel samples for all of Freedom. Q uality Assurance/Sur veillance Fort Riley and Fort Sill, Oklaho- In garrison, the Task Force for Fuels, Lubricants and Related ma, including samples from civilian Guardian PQAS E team provided Products. contractors. From October 1, 2011, daily qualitative Petroleum labora- PQAS E Operations are designed to August 2013, the PQAS E pro- tory testing . To accomplish the mis- to be carried out by three military cessed 1,440 samples, testing over 8. sion in theater, the PQAS E team occupational specialty 92L (petro- million gallons of fuel. needed to address and overcome leum laboratory specialist) Soldiers.

3 Multiple challenges, including the The system includes a 30-day sup- Operations in Afghanistan need to conduct 24-hour Operations , ply of all expendable items, but it The mission of Task Force acquire supplies for those opera- does not include the fuel needed to Guardian's PQAS E at Kandahar tions, and learn in-theater shipping operate the attached generator. Airfield was to provide expedient, SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2014 41. qualitative Petroleum laboratory trained on all aspects of PQAS E other Army equipment, so the unit testing for all Army units and Operations and were required to did not keep them in stock, mak- contractors in and around Regional maintain phone contact so that ing maintenance supplies difficult Command South.

4 When emergencies arose they could to obtain. The PQAS E, located in A Com- be dealt with promptly. To overcome this gap in the tran- pany's fuel and water platoon, could Learning new shipping and re- sition process, the PQAS E team perform complete or modified A, ceiving procedures. A second chal- worked with a supply noncommis- B1, B2, C, and filter effectiveness lenge was learning the in-theater sioned officer at the troop medical analyses on kerosene-based fuels shipping and receiving procedures clinic to fill class VIII needs. Ad- ( JP8, JP5, Jet A, and Jet A 1), die- for processing samples, which are ditionally, maintaining daily com- sel, and motor gasoline. Samples different in Afghanistan than in munication with personnel in the were delivered to the PQAS E garrison.

5 Prescribed load list office allowed from surrounding areas by both ci- At Fort Riley, units submit sam- the team to fill requests for special vilian and military transport. ples by sending personnel from their maintenance supplies. Having the PQAS E in theater unit with the sample in hand. If the Overcoming a personnel shortfall. minimized equipment downtime sample is mailed to the PQAS E The PQAS E system is designed during the testing process. When a from outside of Fort Riley, sam- to be operated by three military fuel source (such as a tank or a bag) pling supplies are not sent back to Petroleum laboratory specialists;. is tested, the equipment is taken the unit submitting the sample.

6 However, the 601st Aviation Sup- off-line until the test results return In theater, however, samples from port Battalion's PQAS E consisted and the operators know the Quality outlying forward operating bases of only two after one of the three of the equipment or fuel. are sent to the PQAS E on air- redeployed. The two remaining lab- Normally this process takes up to craft. Since sampling supplies (such oratory specialists learned to com- 72 hours because the sample has to as sample cans and shipping boxes) municate and function as a team as be transported to an off-site labora- are not readily available in theater, well as individually. Both learned tory. The PQAS E, however, reduc- the PQAS E must provide each all facets of PQAS E Operations in es the process to as few as 3 hours, unit with the sampling supplies to order to maintain the same level of depending on the distance from the assist them in ensuring proper sam- PQAS E support and achieve the source to the testing facility.

7 Pling standards and timelines are mission. Daily meetings kept each During the final months of the met each month. Each shipment 92L up to date on current tasks. deployment, the PQAS E also of supplies contains a copy of the provided qualitative Petroleum lab- unit's most recent sample results. The key to overcoming these oratory testing for the 328th Quar- Acquiring supplies. Another chal- challenges was realizing that every termaster Detachment and tested lenge the team faced in theater was potential issue had a resolution as samples from parts of Regional the logistics of acquiring supplies long as team members were will- Commands Southwest and South. for the PQAS E, including sup- ing to learn new skills and main- During one 30-day period in the- plies for testing samples and main- tain communication.

8 By adapting ater, the PQAS E tested samples taining the attached environmental to new conditions, the Task Force for over million gallons of fuel. control unit and generator. Guardian PQAS E team demon- When the PQAS E was orig- strated that it was prepared to up- Overcoming Challenges inally issued to A Company from hold the standards of fuel testing , While deployed to Afghanistan, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, sup- maximizing equipment Operations the PQAS E team had to adapt to plies were sent directly from Rock time, and allowing units to conduct overcome challenges never faced Island to the PQAS E. During the their missions. in garrison. These included on-call deployment, the ordering process Operations , new shipping and re- was transitioning from being Rock ceiving procedures, supply acquisi- Island Arsenal's responsibility to a tion, and personnel shortfalls.

9 Unit-level responsibility. Sgt. George W. Slaughter is the noncom- Providing on-call Operations . Some of the supplies required missioned officer in charge of the petro- In a garrison environment, the to conduct testing , including Mil- leum laboratory specialists and the Task PQAS E has certain hours of op- lipore filter paper, are class VIII Force Guardian Petroleum Quality Assur- eration, but in theater, the team (medical materiel), which the unit ance System Enhanced , A Company, 601st was required to maintain 24-hour supply clerk was not authorized to Aviation Support Battalion, 1st Combat Avi- Operations and perform its duties order. The PQAS E's environmen- ation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, out of at a moment's notice.

10 To accom- tal control unit and generator did Fort Riley, Kansas. plish this, all members of the team not use the same components as 42 Army Sustainment