SEDL / STP / STP1181-EB / STP15949S

Evaluation of Isopropyl Alcohol as an Alternative Solvent for Chlorofluorocarbons in the Cleanliness Verification of Aerospace Hardware and Ground Support Equipment

Bassett, CW
Aerospace Technology Materials Engineer, Materials Science Laboratory, John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL

Welch, PJ
Aerospace Technology Materials Engineer, Materials Science Laboratory, John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL

Pages: 5    Published: Jan 1993

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Abstract

Presently at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) 1, 1, 2 trichloro-2, 2, 1 trifluoroethane (Chlorofluorocarbon-113) is the solvent used for precision cleaning of aerospace hardware. Chlorofluorocarbon-113 (CFC-113) is used in the precision cleaning operation for the final rinse and as the test solvent for cleanliness verification, which consists of particulate and Nonvolatile Residue (NVR) analysis. Although the major CFC replacement effort at KSC is to develop aqueous cleaning and cleanliness verification methods, some applications will still require solvent use. Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) has been selected as a potential replacement solvent. IPA is an approved test solvent in accordance with KSC's Specification for Surface Cleanliness of Fluid Systems (KSC-C-123F); however, in sampling some Nonvolatile Residue (NVR) materials, several of the test results indicate IPA is not as efficient as CFC-113. This paper presents some of the difficulties associated with the use of IPA as a replacement solvent in the Precision Cleaning and Cleanliness Verification processes at KSC.