GTMO Students Learn Chemistry

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Leona Mynes, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Public Affairs

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (NNS) -- Students at the Department of Defense Dependent School (DoDDS), W. T. Sampson High School aboard Naval Station (NS) Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, completed a field trip as part of their hydrocarbon and fossil fuel studies, May 11.

Thirteen high school students enrolled in the W. T. Sampson High School chemistry course visited the Fleet Industrial Supply Center–Jacksonville's (FISC-J) jet propulsion (JP-5) testing laboratory at NS Guantanamo Bay's Leeward Air Field.

Students learned how and why JP-5, a yellow, kerosene-based fuel, is used for aviation-capable ships that port in Guantanamo Bay.

"JP-5 is used for these ships because it has a high flash point; about 140 degrees," said Brian McGouey, a FISC-J's fuels department contracting officer's representative, who helped coordinate the field trip. "That way, aircraft carriers and other ships have a reduced risk of fires at sea. The high flash point is fire protection."

During the laboratory presentation, students were shown how JP-5 is tested using a combined contaminated fuel detector (CCFD), which calculates microbiological, sedimentary and water contamination of fuel in parts per million and milligrams per liter.

"If too much microbiological, sedimentary and water contamination is in the fuel, it can clog up the jet engine and cause false readings on gauges in the jet," said McGouey. "The jet can ultimately crash because of fuel contamination."

The presence of the JP-5 laboratory ensures there is a zero-percent chance of contaminated fuel reaching a jet engine, said Terry Taykawski, leeward foreman for the leeward fuel farm aboard NS Guantanamo Bay, who conducted the presentation during the field trip.

Taykawski showcased the laboratory's special equipment, such as a refractometer, flash point indicator and the CCFD.

Students were able to see and learn about the equipment in a safe environment aboard NS Guantanamo Bay, allowing each student the chance to gain a real-world perspective on what they learn while in the classroom, said Sharon Rinehart, W. T. Sampson High School chemistry teacher.

"Going on field trips, and things being accessible to children can be challenging here," said Rinehart. "But at the same time, these children get to go on field trips that many children back in the [continental U.S.] may not get to do. We're lucky to have experts that the children wouldn't normally have access to."

Rinehart said she wanted to foster an environment of learning in and out of her classroom, and asked for this field trip though NS Guantanamo Bay's supply department.

"They were very easy to work with and were eager to have us come over," said Rinehart. "This was a really good, unique opportunity for the children to get in a laboratory with field experts."