POL— A broad term that includes all petroleum prod-
ucts used by the Armed Forces. It originated as an
abbreviation for petrol, oil, and lubricants.
PSI— Abbreviation for pounds per square inch, the unit
of pressure measurement.
QUADRANT— Commonly refers to one quarter of a
fuels system on an aircraft carrier. Quadrants are
divided into forward port, forward starboard, aft
port, and aft starboard. Each quadrant is designed
to operate independently of the other, if required.
RECLAMATION— Procedure required to restore or
change the quality of contaminated fuel to meet
desired specifications.
REFUELER— Tank vehicle used to resupply aircraft
with fuel. (DEFUELER is a tank vehicle used to
remove fuel from aircraft).
RELAXATION TANK— Small tank in a piping sys-
tem designed to remove static electricity from the
liquid stream.
RHEOSTAT— A variable resistor used to regulate the
amount of electrical current.
RISER— A vertical section of piping usually con-
nected to the discharge side of a pump.
ROTARY PUMP— A positive displacement pump that
operates in a rotary fashion, such as vane, gear, or
screw pump.
RPM— Abbreviation for rounds per minute.
SIGHT GLASS GAGE— A glass gage installed in
piping to visually check the liquid flow.
SPECIFIC GRAVITY— The ratio of the weight of a
given volume of material at 60°F to the weight of
an equal volume of distilled water at the same
temperature.
STATIC ELECTRICITY— Term applied to the accu-
mulation of electrical charges on materials and ob-
jects and the later recombination (relaxation or
discharge) of these charges. Static charges are cre-
ated when two materials (or objects of different
composition) are rubbed or passed across each
other.
STRIPPING— The act of removing settled liquids and
solids from selected fuel tanks.
SUMP— A low area or depression that collects drain-
age.
SURGE— Sudden increase in fluid pressure caused by
the stopping of a moving stream, as by quickly
closing a valve; hydraulic shock.
SURGE SUPPRESSOR— Device to control or reduce
surges.
THERMOMETER— Device used for measuring tem-
perature.
THROTTLE— To increase or decrease the flow rate or
pressure of a liquid through a pipe with a valve
(normally a globe valve).
ULLAGE— The distance from a reference point at the
top of stank to the liquid content. Used to determine
the volume of the contents.
VENTURI— A tapered portion of a piping system that
reduces pressure and increases flow. Used in some
MOGAS systems.
VORTEX— A swirling mass of liquid forming a vac-
uum at its center.
WICK— A solid, such as clothing, that has absorbed
fuel. JP-5 can easily ignite in this manner even at a
temperature well below its flashpoint.
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