RAAF Base Amberley has a facility called Engine Test Cell 1 (ETC1) which is used to test aircraft jet engines. ETC1 has an associated Defence Fuel Installation (ETC1-DFI), which supplies fuel for engine testing. The ETC1 upgrade enables the testing of Pratt & Whitney F135 engines for the F-35 and retains the ability to test the General Electric F414 engines for the F/A-18 Super Hornets.
The existing ETC1-DFI was in poor condition and has a large number of non-compliances, with some of the non-compliances having been addressed with temporary measures. The existing ETC1-DFI was therefore replaced with a new and fully compliant facility, suitable for the ETC1 upgrade for the F-135.
The main features of the new DFI installation forming project EST04231 are as follows:
- Two horizontal single skin stainless steel storage tanks, with each tank having gross volume of 80,000 litres each;
- Tank foundations;
- A tank compound;
- A road tanker bay, including a contained slab;
- A shelter at the tanker bay (i.e. not a shelter for the tanker vehicles);
- Import pipework;
- Delivery pipework, including pumps, coalescing filters and return line;
- Sampling, water draw-off and slops systems including a new 5,000 litre underground slops tank and slops line from ETC1;
- Drainage, including a new underground separator;
- Personnel access stairs and platforms, including to the top of the storage tanks, and over pipework;
- Pump raft containment slab and shelter;
- Control system;
- Fire protection system;
- Asphalt yard area;
- Fencing with gates.
- New and upgrading of roading to access the new road tanker facility, and the upgrade of the road to the ETC1 kitting building.