Ken Hurren

Unit 5
Project
MK8 Portable Oxygen Walk-round Set
12 Monthly Maintenance Schedule

Btec Higher National Certificate

Aerospace Engineering.

Ken Hurren
 Ken Hurren

Contents

Project Summary & Introduction

Aims and Outcomes

Establish and record possible project specifications

Identify the factors that contribute to the process of the project selection

Identify and agree a project for an engineering application

Preparation & planning

Cost & Timings

Implement the chosen option to meet the agreed specification

Work Procedure

Evaluation

Conclusion

Annex A
 Ken Hurren

MK8 PORTABLE OXYGEN WALK-ROUND SET

Project Summary & Introduction

The Mk8 Portable Oxygen Walkround Set is a piece of equipment used in

emergency situations on transport aircraft in the RAF today i.e. Tristar & VC10 it can
also be utilised for patient use during transit from active theatres of war in casualty
evacuations.

As you can see from the picture it consists of a cylinder and active head assembly
enclosing valves, regulator, pressure gauge and now the added feature of a safety
bursting disc assembly in case of over pressurisation at altitude.

MK 8 Oxygen Walk-round Set

Fig 1.
 Ken Hurren

Aims and Outcomes

The aim of this project is to provide information on what happens on the units’ annual
maintenance procedure. Also ensuring that all procedures carried out are done
correctly and safely because of the high gas pressures involved. As the work is
points covered will include:

• Select a project and agree specifications

• Implement the project within the agreed procedure and to specification
• Evaluate the project
• Conclusion

Establish and record possible project specifications

To identify possible projects and their specifications a component had to be simple

but effective in its own area. You can see from the ideas on the mind map in Annex A
the choices available to me.

The Mk8 Portable Oxygen Walkround Set was chosen because of its simplicity of
operation and maintenance turnaround time, a multitude of these components can be
serviced in just a couple of hours therefore assisting the squadron in meeting the
tasking required of them. Making contact with outside agencies is of utmost
importance to ensure the smooth efficiency of the operation in hand.

Undertaking this procedure there are many factors to consider these are listed below:

• Costing
• Tradespersons Hours
• Tradespersons Available
• Quality of the procedure
• Recordable Documentation
• Health & Safety

Cost must always be at the top of the list, as in this case the more components
serviced in one maintenance session the better i.e. more is less, this should become
clearer as the process carries on.

Alongside the materials and tools used in this procedure we must also consider the
manpower that will be needed to carry out the task. They must be specially trained to
extremely high standards in this area before carrying out any kind of oxygen
component maintenance. One tradesperson and a supervisor are more than
adequate for this procedure.

This component is vital in the everyday operation of the transport fleet because if
they don’t have the correct number on the aircraft it cannot become operational. So
the longer it is on its maintenance procedure aircraft tasking cannot occur.

As for component maintenance quality, it must be of the highest standard. If any

contamination got into the cylinders lives could be at risk. All maintenance tasks that
take place in Oxygen Support Section are carried out in clean conditions to minimise
any risk of contaminants. The servicing procedure is adhered to thoroughly using the
correct air publications and all spares used are of the correct standard to the job.
 Ken Hurren

Identify the factors that contribute to the process of the project selection

Several areas were needed to be considered when thinking of this project which
included, requirements for this project, its process, tooling, manpower, problems or
difficulties which may be encountered and overcoming them and, the main reason for
choosing this component.

To begin with, the main reason for choosing this project was for its simplicity, and
after researching into it I found that if laid out into a logical sequence it would be
quick and easy to understand. I also had to address the criteria for the layout of this
project.

 Establish & record possible project specifications

 Identify the factors that contribute to the process of the project selection
 Identify & agree a project for an engineering application
 Prepare project specification & procedures
 Implement the chosen option to meet the agreed specification
 Record and collate relevant data
 Interpret and justify the results in terms of the original project specification
 Produce a record of all procedures and results
 Present the details of the project in suitable format, using appropriate media

Identify and agree a project for an engineering application

To use the Mk8 maintenance schedule as my project was a straight forward decision,
there are a couple of areas which need resolving, and not on the technical side, but
as mentioned previously these can be discussed later.

At the start of maintenance procedures all correct paperwork must be in order so that
there are no literary mistakes later on. It is my responsibility as a supervisor to make
sure of this. When the paperwork has been initiated then I will inform the
tradesperson to carry out the job.

All maintenance equipment is checked for serviceability before every task in the
oxygen bay and the gas itself is examined for purity every morning before work
commences. This is the responsibility of the duty technician, who is on call for station
requirements when needed, to do this.

Preparation & planning

Working out the timings for these components is relatively easy for the oxygen bay
personnel because of the frequency these items come through the section to be
serviced. So below are approximate timings from beginning to end of the
maintenance schedule for one item, these timings will alter slightly if there are
several other components. A maximum of 6 can be worked at any one time because
our equipment has been designed to cope with that amount.

If 3 or more Mk8’s are being serviced then an extra 10 or 15 minutes can added to
the total time. Table 1 results on the next page do not take into consideration the
wages for the technicians’ just timings and costing’s for the components to be
transported to and from our section and maintenance costs including parts and
labour, and Table 2 contains approximate figures for the technician wages which can
fluctuate depending on how long personnel have been in rank.
 Ken Hurren

Other departments must be kept up to date with maintenance schedules especially

Engineering Operations. These people are in charge of aircraft task allocation which
then depends on serviceability.

Cost & Timings

Table 1
0.47 pence/mile, 2 mile journey
Fuel
including return trip to stores
Transport Time Average 10 minutes each way
Maintenance Materials £165.87
Tradesman Hours 1.45hrs
Total Costing £166.81

Table 2

NOTE: Figures in this table are approximations on two people

completing the task.
Tradesperson Salary £80 GBP per day
Supervisors Salary £90 GBP per day
Total £170 GBP per day

Implement the chosen option to meet the agreed specification

All the work is carried out within the section so there is no need to move the items
elsewhere to be tested after servicing etc. The advantages of doing this are that it
keeps transport costs down considerably. Plus the added factor of keeping the unit
clean and dust free so minimising contamination of the gas inside the cylinder. The
one major disadvantage is that if the gas did become contaminated then the
consequences could be dangerous or even fatal.

Now we can look at the actual maintenance procedure for the Mk8 walkround set, we
can follow the whole programme from beginning to end. After which I will evaluate it
and discuss any improvements I think will make the job flow a little easier.

Work Procedure

NOTE: All blank copies of working documents entered in this project are
restricted information and must not be publically viewed for security reasons.

The component is removed from the aircraft by an appropriate tradesman and taken
to the correct trade desk, where a supervisor will carry out the appropriate paperwork
procedures to initiate the MK8’s maintenance programme but, they must also check
its life maintenance units, this informs the relevant personnel whether or not the item
is due maintenance. The tradesman’s supervisor will raise the fault in the Aircraft
F700 Maintenance Log on an MOD Form F707A. Then the item is transferred from
the aircraft into the supply system using a LITS computer system.
 Ken Hurren

Logistic Information Technical System or LITS is the computer system used across
the RAF to track aircraft components. This computer system produces the F707B
Job Card and the F731 Equipment Conditioning Labels that inform personnel what
condition the item has been classed. In this case the component is Reconditioned 2nd
Line Maintenance or R2. It is also where the main problem occurs with this whole
chain of events.

These components have has a life which is measured in days, and as the item is
passed onto the supply system these personnel are supposed to adjust its life before
reaching the technical site where it is maintained. But this is not the case; it is left up
to the technicians to adjust it which adds to the time taken to complete the
maintenance task.

Once the component has been through the above procedure it must then be handed
over to the supply system. The suppliers will then categorise what maintenance
department the item will go to. This is done by looking at the information on the F731
the Equipment Conditioning Label. This will reveal whether or not it can be repaired
at unit level or have to go away to manufacturer for reconditioning.

The next step is to transport the component across to Oxygen Support Section
(OSS) for its annual maintenance schedule. Supply will carry out this procedure by
using their forward delivery drivers, the station delivery service; they transport
everything from bin bags to computers. The component is booked into OSS using
our component register, this is done so that we can keep track on what items come
in to, and leave the section.

The annual maintenance program can now be carried out by the tradesman and
supervisor. The initial step is to raise the item as a job in the bay F700 using the
details given on the squadron F731. All information shown on the F731 must be
entered onto the bay F707A word for word. This aids any future complications with
any paperwork issues raised within the bay.

The job must then be raised on the bay LITS computer system and another F707B
job card produced for the tradesman to record all the work carried out. The annual
bay maintenance can now be carried utilising the relevant Aircraft Publications
(AP’s).

When the maintenance procedure has been completed the component can be
returned to the supply system ready to be issued to an aircraft. Before this can
happen the components details and lifing information must be updated on the LITS
system, this is done by the trade supervisor and relevant paperwork completed.

Evaluation

Whilst carrying the whole procedure one thing must be thought about that could quite
possibly save the technicians more time. After being handed to supply it is then their
responsibility to adjust the components life on LITS before it even reaches the
technical aspect of the schedule. As this is not done then it adds time on the
technical side of things which could be spent on servicing more items. If the supply
personnel could do this the bay could get more assets out to the squadrons quicker
with greater efficiency.

Also, not every technician has the same LITS classifications as the supervisors so
they are not passed to raise and clear paperwork on certain items. This could easily
be resolved by adjusting the LITS status of certain personnel.
 Ken Hurren

Conclusion

Having carried out Mk8 servicing procedures’ on many occasions there is still room
for improvement in several areas. As a section we are thorough, efficient and more
than capable of carrying out various tasks at a moment’s notice. The standards that
we adhere to are of, and always will be of the highest level.

As a result of this research the supply system has been approached to adjust their
work ethics and procedures therefore saving the maintenance schedule and time.
It will also reduce the technicians working time per item resulting in more
components being produced and sent back into the supply system. This in turn will
mean that squadron demands for these walk-round sets can be met more quickly
and efficiently, with the aircraft meeting its operational tasks on time.
 Ken Hurren

Annex A

1. MOD F707A NON/OFF AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE WORK ORDER LOG

This form is where all aircraft bay work is entered before work is carried out.

2. MOD F707B MAINTENANCE WORK ORDER/LITS JOB CARD INC

All work is recorded here by the trade’s person carrying out the procedure.

3. MOD F731 EQUIPMENT CONDITIONING LABLE

Provides the information for the relevant people telling them what condition
the component is in.

4. AIR PUBLICATION INFORMATION ON MK8 PORTABLE OXYGEN

WALKROUND SET MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE.
This shows exactly what is involved in the maintenance schedule.
Ken Hurren