PTLOX
Life
Cycle
Management
Program

In support of the Portable Therapeutic Liquid Oxygen (PTLOX) Life Cycle Management (LCM) Program, Essex Cryogenics established the facilities and processes to generate, stock and maintain a PTLOX rotary pool for the Air Force Medical Logistics Office (AFMLO).

The rotary pool of PTLOX units is located in a secure area and maintained at a fully operational condition, ready to be sent within twenty-four hour notice to virtually any location worldwide.

The rotary pool was established to offset the operational impact of PTLOX units taken out of operational service and to provide additional war readiness reserve assets to support worldwide contingencies as required by the United State Air Force (USAF). The rotary pool consists of reconditioned PTLOX units that have been identified as excess or surplus by AFMLO. The number of units maintained in the pool varies and is determined by AFMLO.

Essex is notified via email of incoming PTLOX units identified for “Rotary Pool”. Once received, the Essex approach for LCM program is to place the unit under one of two categories depending on when the unit was last at Essex . One category will be the overhaul (sustainment maintenance) category and the other is the Preventative Maintenance (PM) category. If a unit under the PM category requires repair, then a minor repair would be performed, or if necessary, a price to repair will be determined for those units that may require significant repair. Once PM and/or repairs are performed, a final inspection is completed on each unit in accordance with established inspection test procedures, then the unit is pressurized with gaseous nitrogen, wrapped in plastic and placed into the rotary pool.

All PTLOX units in the rotary pool are maintained and inspected in accordance with established inspection test procedures to include cleaning, visual inspection, pressure check, functional test, vented and pressurized Normal Evaporation Rate (NER) tests and preventative maintenance. All maintenance and inspections are documented on the Air Force Technical Order (AFTO) Form 244, Industrial/Support Equipment Record and are retained with the unit.

PTLOX units are shipped from the rotary pool upon notification from AFMLO. AFMLO will direct the number of units to be shipped, the location to which they are to be shipped and the expected delivery date. Essex selects which PTLOX units are to be shipped based on a first in first out basis. The PTLOX units identified for shipment are given a final inspection in accordance with established inspection test procedures. All required documentation is placed inside the accessory kit and the unit is sent to the packing department to be packaged for shipment. Each PTLOX is wrapped in heavy plastic and double boxed in cardboard lined with foam in accordance with blueprint specifications.