In spite of Ronnie’s careful scouring of the new tanks, there were still microscopic metal filings getting caught in the filters as they emptied the nitrogen tetroxide tank. On the second day, Ronnie finally resorted to using a spray-on sealant of Mer manufacture inside the tank. “The Mer use that gunk all the time,” she admitted to Park while waiting for the new coating to set, “but I just don’t like the idea that it might flake off and clog the lines.”“Does that happen on Mer ships?” Park asked.“They say it does once in a while but that there has never been an incident,” Ronnie replied. “Of course this wouldn’t have been a problem had we done the refit in Quetso. They have a large pool for immersing a new tank in. they can pump fluid in and out in one operation until it’s perfectly clean.”“Water?” Park asked.“Carbon tetrachloride,” Ronnie replied. “They dry clean the tanks out that way.” I call it a pool, but actually it’s in a large enclosure.
