AEDC program reaches 20-year milestone

  • Published
  • By Janaé Daniels
  • AEDC/PA
Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. --  After 20 years of success certifying more than 150 pressure and hazardous material systems (PHMS), Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) will transfer program management and leadership of the program Oct. 1. 

"The program is transitioning from the 704th Test Support Group to the 704th Maintenance Group where PHMS asset managers are already managing systems to be certified," Walker said. "This move is intended to operationally certify and improve coordination with other maintenance activities, outage scheduling and configuration management." 

Failures of PHMS at NASA and other industrial facilities caught the attention of AEDC leadership in 1989. Recognizing the number of PHMS at AEDC and the adverse impact a failure would have on the workplace and mission, a program was developed to certify safe-for-operation PHMS at AEDC. 

According to Bob Walker, AEDC program manager for the 704th Maintenance Group, the AEDC PHMS certification program was formerly commissioned in September 1989 with award of a government directed, multi-year certification contract to General Physics Corporation. 

Corresponding teams were established within the then mission support contractors - SSI, Calpsan and Sverdrup who each provided access to the systems, performed repairs, updated technical documentation and conducted pressure tests of systems all leading to certification and implementation of in-service inspection during operation. 

Today, the scope of certification work at AEDC has grown from 116 projects to more than 316 projects that include systems or subsystems made up of pressurized storage vessels more than 25 miles of piping, fuel and chemical storage tanks and wind tunnel ducting. The reason for growth is primarily due to the increased awareness of the hazards associated with operating PHMS. 

"AEDC has not had a major PHMS failure, fatality or loss of test capability due to failure of its certified systems," Walker added. "The 95, 4,000 psig high pressure storage vessels at our APTU facility, the 16-foot wind tunnel ducting and most of the high pressure air and nitrogen piping systems have been certified and are under a rigorous in-service inspection program managed by the 704th Maintenance Group and the Aerospace Testing Alliance Facilities Operation and Maintenance Department." 

As AEDC re-organizes this program to the 704th Maintenance Group, a transition plan will be developed by personnel from all interested organizations and stakeholders who will meet to review program successes and identify areas for improvement. There are three areas that will receive special interest. 

According to Walker, AEDC must first ensure that all new systems and components are designed in compliance with national codes and standards and inspected upon delivery for compliance. 

Secondly, the PHMS Certification management team can improve its processes to complete evaluation and repairs in less time, and finally, the 704th Maintenance Group will ensure PHMS that are certified remain that way. 

"The potential energy of these PHMS is great and systems must be acquired, operated and maintained in accordance with national and local codes and standards," Walker said. "Your help ensuring system and vessel accountability, operational oversight, compliance with procedures, noticing a leak or something related to a PHMS that does not seem right, will help us in the 704th Maintenance Group and ATA Facilities Operation and Maintenance Department avoid AEDC having a bad day."