CTMA Project #: 142262
Problem: Mobile assets, such as various watercraft and larger ships, may not have access to comprehensive fluid analysis at the point of use. Rather, the fluid sample must be drawn and sent to a laboratory for analysis. This can delay the mission readiness of these assets and sometimes returns information that may be obsolete by the time it reaches the maintainer.
Solution/Approach: In order to assess the expeditionary benefits of the newly developed Portable Fluid Analyzer Plus (PFA+) device, this project will use the Marine Corps III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) as a surrogate. This effort is targeted to III MEF maintainers so they may understand the present and future status of their machinery and fluids in real-time and the results from this effort can be applied to all expeditionary operators of vehicles and heavy equipment in the commercial space.
Benefit: Fleets which are maintained for optimal operation are more profitable for businesses. Substantially reducing analysis time, eliminating the need for reagents and solvents, and avoiding the need for hazardous chemicals all yield lowered costs and lowered overall environmental burdens which increase quality of life for the general public.
Impact on Warfighter:
- Comprehensive laboratory results on-site, in real-time at the point of need
- Eliminates guesswork and unnecessary repairs and downtime
- Removes need to treat oil and fuel analysis separately
- Decreases maintenance and sustainment costs
- Increases warfighter readiness
DOD Participation:
- U.S. Marine Corps
- U.S. Navy
- III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF)
- Office of Naval Research
- U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Industry Participation:
- AMETEK Spectro Scientific, Inc.
- NCMS
