Decontamination of delicate equipment using supercritical fluid technology

An extended scope of work is proposed over that described in the solicitation, viz., to carry out experimental SCFE studies with CW and BW agent simulants to provide verification of SCFE decontamination. A review of other DOD programs, one on CW simulants, spores, and pathogens, the other on the ability to penetrate intricate, nanoporous, close tolerance, electromechanical subassemblies of strategic missile guidance systems for cleaning of buoyancy fill fluids, shows that the concept is sound. Extended tasks propose to accelerate the overall application of SCFE to decontamination, viz., to combine the evaluation effort to provide process, engineering, and cost information for an actual decontamination system. It is proposed to extend the Phase I effort with an optional task during which actual small intricate equipment will be processed in a larger system. Background information on similar chemical and biological systems, the extended and accelerated schedule of events and milestones, will ensure that SCFE can be evaluated fully in a technical and economic comparison with other processes. Instead of a small SCFE system built on the Phase II effort for verifying applicability, Phasex proposes that a hardware deliverable be part of the Phase II package, a system capable of handling actual parts.