LIQUID NITROGEN VAPOR COOLED DRY FROZEN SPECIMEN SHIPPER

Not Available Weapon system components such as aircraft guns, bomb ejector racks etc. need to be cleaned periodically for various inspections and maintenance purposes. Currently used cleaners such as Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK), Stoddard solvent and highly refined aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds contain hazardous chemicals thus posing a serious threat to the environment and health. To meet the cleaning requirements of current and future weapon systems, environmentally and health compliant cleaners are needed. A considerable amount of progress has been made in the industry during the last decade in developing environmentally friendly cleaners. Some of these cleaners may be suitable for cleaning weapon systems. However, systematic analysis through controlled cleaning tests needs to be performed to rank the commercially available cleaners. In Phase I, we propose to determine the cleaning requirements of weapon systems, test various cleaning formulations and rank them according to their effectiveness, cost and environmental, health and safety aspects. In Phase II, final selection of the cleaner will be made by further tests on reliability, potential damage upon long term exposure to aerospace materials, and cost-effectiveness. Based on the results, new formulations will be developed in collaboration with selected vendors.