Precision Clean Hardware:

Maintenance of Fluid System

Cleanliness

Sheila Sharp
Materials & Processes
International Space Station Program
September 18, 2002
 Acknowledgements

• All work conducted under NASA contract

– NAS15-10000 International Space Station
Integration and Operations
• Co-authors
– NASA
• Dr. Mike Pedley, Tim Bond
– Boeing
• Joseph Quaglino, Mary Jo Lorenz, Michael Bentz,
Richard Banta, Nancy Tolliver, John Golden, Ray
Levesque, and Sarah Densmore
Assembly Complete - 2007
 Philosophy

• The ISS fluid systems are so complex that fluid

system cleanliness cannot be verified at the
assembly level.
• A “build clean / maintain clean” approach was
used by all major fluid systems.
– Verify cleanliness at the detail and subassembly
level.
– Maintain cleanliness during assembly.
 Background

• Leakage in ISS ammonia system Quick

Disconnect (QD) hardware led to the
establishment of a “Clean Team”.
• Analysis of contaminants indicated multiple
contamination sources.
• “Clean Team” was to identify and eliminate
as many contamination sources as possible.
 Background cont’d

Figure 1. Contaminated QD Seal

 Background cont’d

• Clean Team visited the ISS hardware

manufacturing sites and reviewed all
procedures used to produce and maintain
precision cleaned hardware.
• Result was a set of recommendations or
“best practices” to be used in the
manufacture of precision cleaned hardware.
 Documentation

• ISS-PI-044,
Maintenance of Fluid Systems Cleanliness

• SSP 30573,
Space Station Program Fluid Procurement and Use
Control Specification
 Training

• All personnel working around precision

cleaned hardware in the ISS program are
required to attend TR001484, ISS,
Maintenance of Fluid Systems Cleanliness
training course
 Definition of Precision
Cleanliness

• Clean rooms are enclosed, environmentally

controlled areas for the performance of work on
contamination sensitive hardware or assemblies.
Consists of Class 100,000 or cleaner.
• Precision cleanliness shall be maintained to
program requirements (e.g. SN-C-0005 Level 200)
– SN-C-0005 Level 200 states that there should not be any
particles of a size greater than 200 microns present in a
100 milliliter sample of fluid from the system
 Welding Practices

• All welding of assemblies for precision

cleaned hardware will be performed in a
dedicated class 100,000 Clean Work Area
(CWA)
• Temporary tents and local monitors may be
required to maintain the 100k environment
 Welding Practices cont’d

• Accurate monitoring of local contamination

is required

• Portable particle counters shall be located as

close to the work area as possible during
tube preparation and welding
 Welding Practices cont’d
• A proven method of contamination
prevention such as tube plugs is required
• Installation and removal of such plugs shall
be tracked and independently verified by
Quality Assurance
• Prior to plug removal, the tube ID shall be
cleaned with a swab and approved solvent
• Positive back pressure shall be maintained
as the plug is removed
 Welding Practices cont’d

Figure 2. Damage from not removing a plug

 Welding Practices cont’d

Figure 3. More damage from not removing a plug

 Welding Practices cont’d

• After each tube preparation and prior to

welding, a high-velocity gas blow down
shall be performed
• Gas velocity target shall be the maximum
attainable using a 90 psig purge gas source
• CAUTION, use only approved purge gases
per SSP 30573
 Welding Practices cont’d

• Tube cutters shall use a sharp blade,

changed frequently
• Cutting shall be performed with minimal
cutting pressure to prevent particle
generation
 Tube Facing Practices
• Vacuum shall be used during tube facing
operations
• Whenever possible, facing operations shall
be performed away from the weld assembly
area
• Tube facing shall be accomplished without
the use of cutting oils, lubricants or coolants
• Abrasives, such as sandpaper or abrasive
pads shall not be used inside tubes or when
unprotected internal surfaces are exposed
 Tool Preparation

• Inspection tools (e.g., borescopes) that may

be exposed to precision cleaned systems
hardware shall be visibly cleaned and
maintained clean
• Tools used in weld preparation and welding,
such as cutters, weld heads and files, shall
be visibly cleaned and maintained clean
(e.g. bagged when not in use).
 Tool Preparation cont’d

• Purge caps, mating QDs and vent tools shall

be precision cleaned to at least the level of
the associated system and bagged after use
 Purge Gas Practices

• Purge gas used during facing and welding

shall meet the hydrocarbon and particulate
controls per SSP 30573
• Purge gas used during facing and welding
shall be supplied through precision cleaned
low NVR/particulate tubing such as
polyethylene, nylon, Teflon, or ethyl vinyl
acetate
• Standard grade Tygon is not suitable
 Ground Support Equipment

• Ground Support Equipment (GSE) that

interfaces with precision cleaned flight fluid
systems shall incorporate interface filters
per SSP 30573
• These filters shall be located as close to the
interface as possible
• Outlet lines require filters if it is determined
that reverse flow could occur during the
servicing or deservicing operation
Ground Support Equipment cont’d

• GSE that interfaces with precision cleaned

flight fluid systems shall be cleaned to at
least the level of cleanliness of the flight
hardware
• GSE fluid hardware, such as hoses and
servicing units shall be handled with the
same cleanliness procedures as flight
hardware
 Cleaning Convoluted Flex Hoses
• Cleaning Convoluted Flex hoses requires
special attention
• Detail flex hoses shall be cleaned and
verified precision clean in a vertical I
n
orientation: Vertical Orientation
In
sid
s
i
e d
Tu e
be T
Particles u
Inside Tube
Flush b
Out e

Horizontal
Flexline
Orientation
Convolutes
Particles
Trapped
Cleaning Convoluted Flex Hoses
cont’d

• Cleanliness is verified by sampling the rinse

fluids. The sample must meet the flex hose
engineering cleanliness requirement
• For flex hoses that are one inch or greater in
diameter
– Rinse fluid is applied to all internal
surfaces with a high pressure nozzle
Cleaning Convoluted Flex Hoses
cont’d

• For flex hoses that are less than one inch

diameter
– Use of high pressure nozzles is preferred, but
cleaning by flushing the rinse fluid though the
length of the hose with agitation is acceptable
 Maintenance of System
Cleanliness

• All precision cleaned open tubes and lines

must be protected, i.e. wrapped or bagged
with approved materials, as soon as possible
after fabrication
• Tubes and lines must remain wrapped until
final installation
 Oxygen Systems

• Regulators used during purging operations

shall have O2 compatible grease
• Purge tubing must be O2 compatible
• Bagging materials used to store O2
components shall be cleaned to the same
level of cleanliness as the O2 hardware, and
must be O2 compatible
 Sampling for Residual Solvent

• Liquid solvents become trapped in crevices

or absorbed into soft goods.
• Some fluid systems are quite sensitive to
these contaminants.
• ISS uses a 24-hour “lock up”, to ensure gas
sampling accurately reflects residual solvent
concentration.
 General Practices

• Solvents such as IPA, reagent grade or

better, shall be filtered to 10 microns or
better prior to use
• Precision cleaned hardware that has been
welded shall remain properly capped during
the x-ray operations to avoid potential
contamination
 General Practices cont’d

• Hardware that has not been precision cleaned

shall not be brought into the vicinity of
unprotected precision cleaned flight hardware
• Flight hardware must be wrapped in
approved packaging material
• All precision cleaning fluid systems
configured for flight shall have integrity seals
installed
 General Practices cont’d

• Precision cleaned hardware can not be exposed to

an uncontrolled environment.
This includes flow benches providing 100,000
CWA or better during inspections
• Bag hardware that must be transported outside the
clean room
• Clean room gloves are required when handling
any precision cleaned flight hardware
 Summary

• Many of the “best practices” are simple and

straightforward.
• However, the different heritage ISS
organizations had different priorities for
meeting the same end product requirements.
• The “Clean Team” has provided a common
focus, and significantly reduced the
incidents of contamination induced failures.
External Thermal Control System Schematic