Cleaning Oxygen and Diver’s Breathing Air
Instruments
Eliminating Ozone Depleting Solvents
Bob Hughes-FTSCPAC
Mark LaPrevotte-FTSCLANT
1
Background
• Navy OICR’s clean oxygen Instrumentation
with CFC-113 solvent and verify
cleanliness with Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy
• CFC-113 solvent is an Ozone Depleting
Solvent that stopped manufacture in 1996
IAW the Montreal Protocol
• CFC-113 is stockpiled in the DoD Mission
Critical Reserve
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Stockpile
• Initially sized for 2 years to “buy time”
until alternative in place
• Sizable stockpile remains due to late
purchase, conservation, and use of
replacement solvents for other applications
• Some estimates indicate it could last at least
10 years
3
Stockpile
• The life span may be reduced to 4 to 5
years based on:
– USAF may replace HCFC-141b in spray cans
with CFC-113 due to near-term future use
restrictions (2000 gallons annually)
– One LOX producer has required partial
flushing in the last 4 years. A complete flush
uses 1500 gallons
– Resources to maintain stockpile indefinitely
have not been programmed
– Quality problems
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Stockpile Policy
Supply CFC-113 until it is depleted, at
which time approved alternative
replacement solvents will be substituted
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HFE-7100
• Replacement oxygen instrument cleaning
solvent for CFC-113
• No ozone-depleting potential
• Toxicity similar to CFC-113
• No compatibility problems
• Can be used with existing cleaning and
atmosphere monitoring equipment
• Quality product available per A-A-59105
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HFE-7100
• Cleaning Performance - Dissolving and
Displacement
– Marginal hydrocarbon solvency
– Excellent fluorocarbon solvency
– Excellent removal by displacement due to low
surface tension and high density
– NASA testing showed for instrument cleaning,
HFE-7100 removed 92% of soil and CFC-113
removed 97%
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Cleanliness Verification - IR
• IR analysis is usable ONLY with solvents
that are transparent in the C-H Stretch
Region
• All approved replacement solvents (HCFC141b, HCFC-225, and HFE-7100) are not
verifiable with IR
• Unlikely that other candidate solvents will
be verifiable with IR
8
Cleanliness Verification - NVR
• Industry standard is Non-Volatile Residue
(NVR) by Evaporative Gravimetrics
• NVR usable with any solvent
• NVR requires 75 to 100 ml sample
• Takes 2 hours per analysis
• Must be performed in a Chemistry
Laboratory
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Cleanliness Verification - OSEE
• Optically Stimulated Electron Emission
(OSEE) is newly developed alternative
analysis technique
• OSEE usable with any solvent
• 1.5 ml sample taken as gage is cleaned
• Performed on-site in OICR in about 20
minutes
• Replaces NVR and implemented at NASA
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OSEE Synopsis
• An instrument shines an ultraviolet light on
a surface and measures the electrons
emitted from the surface. As the surface is
more soiled, it will emit less light
(electrons).
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OSEE Synopsis (Cont’d)
• An evaporating dish is hand cleaned with
detergent. This dish holds the solvent. After
the solvent evaporates, it leaves residue
behind. This residue is compared to the
residue remaining from a 5 ppm standard to
determine if it is above or below 5 ppm.
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Equipment
The equipment easily fits into OICR
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On-Site Testing (Past and Proposed)
• Testing has been accomplished at PSNS
and NASA for the last 2 years
• Perform additional on-site testing at
minimum of two facilities (other than
PSNS), one under FTSCPAC and the other
under FTSCLANT, for one year
• Clean with CFC-113 and analyze with IR
and OSEE
• Closely monitor testing and get input
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Implementation
• Equipment will be provided to activities
that request the equipment and agree to use
the equipment (limited quantities)
• Operation of equipment will be verified and
sampling line will be oxygen cleaned
• Equipment will be assembled into a kit and
shipped (limited quantities)
• Training will be provided by Bangor, WA
when established
• Bangor, WA will provide 5 ppm standards
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Implementation
• Facilities can clean with CFC-113 and
analyze using both IR and OSEE to gain
confidence and familiarity with OSEE
• Once comfortable with OSEE, it is the
option of the facility to use CFC-113 with
IR and/or OSEE or HFE-7100 with OSEE
until stockpile depleted
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When will this happen?
• A new manual for Instrument and Gage
Cleaning for MIL-STD-1330 (-)
Applications will be generated
• Currently usable by NAVSEA Facilities,
Vendors, and Foreign Military
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Why do we need to do this?
• The stockpile is not programmed to last
“forever”
• A change of events could deplete it rapidly
• IR can not be used for new oxygen cleaning
solvents
• It aligns the Navy with Industry (currently
we use IR and industry uses NVR)
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Why do we need to do this?
• The Navy has been directed to eliminate the
use of Ozone Depleting Solvents
• Implementing an alternative starting now
and over a period of 5 years will ease the
transition
• It is inevitable
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Diver’s Breathing Air Instruments
• MIL-STD-1622(B): Appendix C added to
address diver’s air breathing instruments.
Status: At NAVSEA for approval
• UIPI 5510-905(-): New UIPI for cleaning
diver’s air breathing systems, including
instruments. Status: Has been issued
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Calibration Only-No Cleaning
• Installed Instrument
– Used exclusively in Diver’s breathing air or
cleaner application
• New or previously cleaned and not installed
– Sticker or tag indicating cleaned per MILSTD-1622 or equal
• Properly packaged
• Internals pass visual inspection
If any of these not met, cleaning is required
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Cleaning and Calibration
• Pre-cleaning and final cleaning
– Inspection of internals reveals other than
particulate
• Final cleaning only (pre-cleaning not
required)
– Inspection of internals reveals only particulate
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Cleaning Procedures
• Pre-cleaning
– Apply pre-cleaner (HFE-71DE or CFC113) using any method such as a syringe
– Rotate instrument to wet internals
– Repeat until 10 ml is obtained
– Visually inspect effluent
– Repeat until passes visual inspection
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Cleaning Procedures
• Final Cleaning
– Option 1:
• Repeat precleaning except use final cleaner
(HFE-7100 or CFC-113)
• Perform final cleaning once for instruments
that hold less than 10 ml and twice for
instruments that hold more than 10 ml
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Cleaning Procedures
• Final Cleaning
– Option 2:
• Final clean per NAVSEA ST700-AMGYD-010/OICR except use dedicated
equipment
• Analysis for organic cleanliness verification
(hydrocarbons) is not required
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NEW TECHNOLOGY
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NanoScale 9100
 Fast
 Rugged
 Automated
 Small Sample Size
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FAST
 Run more samples in less time
 Easy to run verification samples
 Average run time is 5 to 7 minutes
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RUGGED
 No vibration isolation required
 Office type environment acceptable
 Easily transported
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Automated
 Reduces human error
 Can be integrated with other tasks
 Highly skilled operators not required
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SMALL SAMPLE SIZE
 Greatly reduces emissions
 Reduces cost of analysis
 Greatly reduces depletion of a bath in
a production QC application
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SIMPLE TO OPERATE
 Log sample information
 Acquire sample
 Inject sample
 Record results
 Clean to prepare for next sample
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Log Sample Information
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Acquire Sample
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Acquire Sample
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Acquire Sample
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Acquire Sample
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Acquire Sample
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SUMMARY
 Fast, rugged, automated, small
sample
size
 Simple to operate
 Unique Flexural Plate Wave (FPW)
gravimetric sensor
 Nanogram sensitivity
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SUMMARY (Con’t)
 Direct readout in mass or
concentration
 Reduces total laboratory emissions
 NVR measurement in as little as 5
minutes
 Variety of applications
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CURRENT STATUS
 Company incorporating
recommended
improvements
 Technology “new” in industry less
than one year
 NASA doing evaluation
 Possible Navy evaluation
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