MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Many service members aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar may have noticed the three 40-feet-high cylinders sitting off of Schlit Ave.
These structures are 1.2 million-gallon fuel tanks on what will become MCAS Miramar’s new $25 million fuel farm. armory.
The new Fuel Farm boasts three 4,450 cubic-meter tanks made of half-inch thick steel and a new pump house containing six pumps and eight fuel filters. It draws fuel through a total of 146,000 feet of piping. Fuel is pumped to both the rotary wing and fixed wing sides of the flight line. A 4,800 ft. supply line connects to another pipe from Naval Base Point Loma that feeds the station’s tanks, explained Dale Bergman, the project superintendent.
“Once this system is running, it’s pretty much fully automatic,” said Bergman. “An aircraft can pull in, fuel up and the system will recognize the pressure change and turn on the correct number of pumps. When the fuel in the storage tanks get low, sensors will also read that and draw more fuel from Point Loma.”
This fuel station also features a truck dump-off station where trucks carrying excess fuel can deposit it back into the storage tanks.
For increased Safety, the system has a leak detection system and seven-foot high concrete retaining walls surround each tank. In the event of a catastrophic disaster, the walls, coupled with a vinyl liner, will be able stop the fuel from spilling out and seeping into the ground, explained Bergman.
“This is the latest technology in fuel systems,” said Bergman. “It’s both self sufficient and environmentally sound.”
Some fuel farms store both automotive and aircraft fuel, however the fuel housed at this location will support aircraft fuel only.
“The new fuel station should make our job a lot easier,” said Sgt. Brian Shumylo, the safety line noncommissioned officer in charge for Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron.
This project has caused minimal environmental damage. Nova Group Incorporated consults with a biologist on site every week. Anytime there is any environmental issue they contact the base environmental office to properly handle it.
Originally scheduled for completion in February 2010, construction crews are ahead of schedule and should be completed by the end of 2009. This project employs approximately 50 people and has been accident free for the past 331 days.