Research and Development (R&D) on Advanced Nonstructural Materials. Delivery Order 0001: Cleaning Efficiency Study of Malabar International and Pall Corporation Portable Fluid Purifiers

摘要

Hydraulic fluids are a critical, safety-of-flight material for all Air Force aircraft. Hydraulically actuated mechanisms are responsible for a large number of aircraft functions ranging from highly sophisticated flight controls to applications such as accessory door actuation. The Air Force alone uses approximately 1,000,000 gallons of hydraulic fluid per year, costing over $12M in procurement and disposal costs. Used hydraulic fluid currently is the second largest waste stream for the Air Force. In the past, hydraulic fluid purification or reclamation for reuse was not permitted in aircraft systems. The Air Force technical order covering hydraulic fluids was recently changed to allow reintroduction of purified fluid into aircraft. Purifiers from Pall Corp., and Malabar International were tested at the Hydraulic Pump Testing Facility at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate to determine the removal rates of particulate, water, and dissolved air from MIL-PRF-83282 hydraulic fluid to a predetermined level. The program goal was to see the rates at which these purifiers would remove particulates to NAS 1638 Class 5 maximum, water to 100 ppm maximum, and dissolved air to 8% by volume maximum.