Life-Cycle Management - Army Logistics University - U.S. Army

The Reality of the Single-Fuel Concept
To simplify fuel operations, the Department of
Defense (DOD) has adopted a single-fuel concept
(SFC) that requires U.S. forces to use only one
fuel while deployed. Although the concept has merits,
it also has shortcomings. The challenge is to develop a
policy that will best meet all military fuel needs.
Evolution of the SFC
Waxing and fuel filterability problems with the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO’s) standard
diesel fuel, F54, during cold weather created
severe problems for the engines of M1 Abrams main
battle tanks and other gasoline turbine-powered equipment
when they were introduced to U.S. forces in Germany
in 1981. [Diesel fuel typically has a high paraffin
hydrocarbon content, which prevents it from flowing at
low temperatures. Waxing refers to this situation, in
which the paraffin hydrocarbons in the fuel congeal
and wax-like particles are formed that can either coat
the surfaces they contact or plug fuel filters.]
The interim fix for these problems involved blending
the F54 diesel fuel with aviation kerosene turbine
fuel (either JP5 or JP8) to lower both the waxing tendency
and the viscosity of the diesel fuel. This blended
fuel, known as the “M1 fuel mix,” was used for all
diesel-fueled equipment in forward areas from
November through April annually. Other NATO
countries soon adopted the blend (50 percent F54 and
50 percent JP8 or JP5), which subsequently was
given the NATO code number F65. These fixes for
A 1–9 Field Artillery Battalion soldier
from Fort Stewart, Georgia, prepares to
refuel a 155-millimeter howitzer during a
“refuel on the move” exercise in Kuwait.
BY MAURICE E. LE PERA
the low-temperature operability problems more than
likely served as the genesis for the SFC.
The subsequent requirement for blending of fuels
created logistics problems that prompted the Army to
adopt JP8 as an alternative to diesel fuel in 1986, circumventing
the need to blend other fuels with diesel.
DOD issued a directive on fuel standardization in
March 1988 that specified JP8 as the primary fuel for
air and land forces.
Testing and Field Trials
Users expressed concerns about using JP8 as a substitute
for diesel fuel. These concerns included
whether JP8 would burn hotter, if it would increase
fuel consumption, and if it would be compatible with
existing systems. As a result, the Army conducted
many tests in the laboratory and on engine
dynamometers, in addition to field and fleet tests, to
validate using aviation kerosene turbine fuels in diesel
engines and to dispel concerns. [Dynamometers
measure mechanical power and assess engine durability
and performance.]
Of the many successful fleet tests, one was particularly
noteworthy. This 10,000-mile durability test
was conducted with several commercial utility cargo
vehicles (CUCVs) at the General Motors Desert Proving
Ground in Mesa, Arizona, where they were
exposed to round-the-clock operations in continuously
hot climates. The test revealed no significant
impacts on vehicle performance or fuel-injection
40 JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2005