NCMS Teams With Troika Solutions to Develop EFAC Implementation Plan
Condition Based Maintenance+ (CBM+) has been the military’s maintenance goal for nearly two decades. Conducting maintenance based on evidence of need rather than a calendar or miles is a key component of the CBM+ platform. Although the benefits to be gained
by CBM+ seem clear to all, it has proven to be a difficult objective to achieve. Troika Solutions has worked hand-in-hand with NCMS for twelve years on a series of CBM+ related projects.
One of the most successful CBM+ projects led by Troika Solutions is the Expeditionary Fluid Analysis Capability (EFAC). Every year, thousands of gallons of serviceable oils are changed due solely to predetermined calendar-based change schedules. This is true whether the asset has seen heavy use or no use.
Studies show two-thirds of “waste oil” is still serviceable. The DoD ground vehicle fleet includes 420,000 vehicles. Unnecessary oil changes on these vehicles is estimated to cost $100 million per year and demands hundreds of thousands of excess labor hours.
Maintainers in the field understand that much of the oil they change is clean. However, antiquated policy requires that lubricating oil must be changed periodically regardless of its perceived condition.
Ten years ago, NCMS initiated a project to address this issue through the CTMA Program. The goal was to give the maintainer the means to assess the serviceability of the oil in a weapons system prior to changing it.
Field level oil analysis can provide the information necessary to conduct condition-based fluid changes, as well as reveal information on the mechanical condition of the asset. A portable, hand-held tool was needed to validate that seemingly clean oil was truly serviceable.
Under NCMS auspices, a study titled “The Potential Utility of Handheld Fluid Analyzers for the United States Marine Corps” was conducted by Dr. Steven Haynes of Penn State University in collaboration with Troika Solutions. At the same time a field trial was held at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, putting an early model device in the hands of Marine Corp maintainers. The initial results of these efforts were extremely positive but revealed gaps in the capability of the early model hand-held fluid analyzer.
Since that time, NCMS has sponsored a series of pilot projects throughout the DoD. An Industry Day was conducted under the direction of the OSD to identify hardware that could meet the specification developed during the course of the projects and studies.
The Spectro Scientific Suite of Oil Analysis tools was determined to be the only one which met those specifications. These devices analyze a few drops of oil to provide a field maintainer with a Go/No-Go assessment of the serviceability of the fluid and determine if any harmful contaminants are present. The analysis consists of kinematic viscosity, chemical properties determined by infrared spectroscopy, fluid cleanliness levels (particle count), and wear metal analysis by x-ray spectroscopy.
These devices do not use chemicals or solvents to perform the analysis and do not generate a HAZMAT waste stream. A Go/No-Go assessment is generated in less than five minutes. With diagnostic software, the maintainer receives a comprehensive analysis of the test results along with
actionable maintenance recommendations. These devices are currently provided to every new Coast Guard cutter being built and are being purchased for legacy ships. They are also in wide use in the mining and oil industries.
Through NCMS, OSD recently tasked Troika Solutions to develop a recommended implementation plan to provide the EFAC capability to all ground equipment maintainers throughout the DoD. This plan is being written with help from individual service subject matter experts. Because each service has unique needs and challenges, the plan will be flexible enough to accommodate issues for each branch. It will also include estimated costs, benefits, and a strategic rollout plan. Priority will be recommended for those services and units at which the greatest benefits
may be gained in the shortest time.
When fully deployed, the benefits of this capability will include substantial annual cost avoidance, decreased maintenance downtime, reduced waste oil hazmat, and diminished transportation burden, particularly in the expeditionary environment.