A check for impurity

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brett Carter, 35th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technician, visually inspects a fuel sample before conducting a Fuel System Icing Inhibitor Test at Misawa Air Base, Japan, May 1, 2015. This test measures proper amounts of FSII, which is used to prevent the formation of ice in the fuel lines. As aircraft reach higher altitudes, the fuel lines have the potential to freeze over and cause malfunction in fuel system. Lab technicians conduct the test to ensure the fuel is able to adequately work in those lower temperatures. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jose L. Hernandez-Domitilo/ Released)

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A check for impurity

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brett Carter, 35th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technician, creates a vortex in a fuel sample to identify any visual sediment at Misawa Air Base, Japan, May 1, 2015. Fuel delivered by pipeline to Misawa from Hachinohe, Japan, is inspected every morning to ensure clean and contaminate free product. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jose L. Hernandez-Domitilo/Released)

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A check for impurity

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brett Carter, 35th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technician, conducts a one-gallon sample diagnostic on aircraft fuel at Misawa Air Base, Japan, April 30, 2015. The fuel is filtered through two membranes which quantify the amount of sediment in parts per-million. This is part of a test to see how clean, and free of debris the fuel is. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jose L. Hernandez-Domitilo/Released)

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A check for impurity

A 35th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technician, records the weight measurement of a small liquid filter at Misawa Air Base, Japan, April 30, 2015. The filter is used to separate sediment from fuel and is weighed before and after sample testing to record sediment weight. Weighing the increase in sediment allows for calculating how impure fuel could be and will help determine if it is adequate for use on an aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jose L. Hernandez-Domitilo/Released)

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A check for impurity

A 35th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technician, rinses sediment out of a fuel jar at Misawa Air Base, Japan, April 30, 2015. The jar is used as a part of a one-gallon sample test on aircraft fuel. All equipment used in fuel testing must be properly cleaned to ensure accurate testing on next use. The fuels management flight transfers up to 1,500 gallons of JP-8 fuel into aircraft depending on how many sorties it has flown during the day. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jose L. Hernandez-Domitilo/ Released)

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A check for impurity

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Brett Carter and Airman 1st Class Jovonte Kinney, 35th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory technicians, conduct fuel sample test to ensure purity of fuel at Misawa Air Base, Japan, May, 1, 2015. Attention to detail when checking for impurities in the fuel is essential because improper fuel conditions could be detrimental to an aircraft. Poor quality fuel could cause a malfunction in the fuel system of an aircraft before it takes off or once in flight, it could cause engine failure. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jose L. Hernandez-Domitilo/Released)

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A check for impurity

Published May 1, 2015
By Senior Airman Jose L. Hernandez-Domitilo
35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- In order to ensure aircraft have the best quality of aircraft fuel available, Airmen at the 35th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory section ensure purity of fuel at Misawa Air Base, Japan, on a daily-basis. With the ability to house more than 19 million gallons of fuel at Misawa , the lab technicians must work meticulously to ensure it can be ready to support the aircraft at Misawa, which includes U.S. Air Force, Navy and other transit aircraft here. Testing of high solid levels, excessive water, proper color, fuel system icing inhibitors, and corrosion inhibitors is part of the assessment.