Johanna Suhonen

Ampulator

The ampulator was not used.

Balances

There were no issues with the Cahn balance. LabView 2021 was installed on the computer, and Cahn balance software was tested after the installation.

The Mettler balance did not seem to be weighing right in the beginning of the expedition. The software was turned off and each unit was zeroed with the >0< button on the unit. This resolved the issue.   

Carver Presses

Carver presses were not used.

Cary Spectrophotometer

The spectrophotometer was not used.

Coulometer

The coulometer was not used. LabView 2021 was installed on the computer. The functionality of the coulometer software as well as communications with the Cahn balance and the coulometer were tested after the installation.  

Elemental Analyzer

The CHNS was not used. The Quick Start Guide was updated with current procedures. The CHNS Advanced User Guide was eliminated by adding any unique information in it to the CHNS User Guide.

Freeze-dryer

The freeze-dryer was not used. It was turned on to verify that it is working properly.

Fume hoods

A 4-inch crack was discovered toward the FWD PORT corner of the HF fume hood countertop. It was repaired with two applications of gel coat (each batch consisting of approximately a tea spoon of ISO NPG Poolcoat and four drops of MEKP hardener). Two large washers were placed under the fume hood counter corner to prevent flexing and re-cracking.

The HF fume hood faucet was found broken off and lying on the counter in the beginning of the expedition. The fitting was cleaned out, and an attempt was made to attach the faucet with PVC cement. Unfortunately, the cement had turned into gel and did not work very well. The faucet is fine and works well, but there is a very small leak from the top of the fitting. This should not be an issue, as this faucet is very rarely used. If used, care should be taken to place a drip catcher underneath the base of the faucet.

The HF fume hood drain was flushed for an hour and then opened up. Seven plastic items, HF strips and a screw were removed from the drain. The drain is currently clear, and as a cover was made for it on 395C, hopefully no further items will fall in. 

As the drain clean-up was being performed, a brand-new front panel was discovered on the floor in the space between the cabinets. The panel was modified slightly and installed on the HF hood. Replacement front panels were ordered for fume hood #1 and #4. Hood #2 already had a new front panel installed.

Gas Lines/manifold

There were no issues with the gas lines/manifold.

GC: NGA1/NGA2/GC2

The GCs were not used, as the nitrogen generator was turned off for the duration of the expedition.

Hydrogen generators

The hydrogen generators were not used.

IC

The issue reported on X396 with the high pressure on the anion flow path seems to have been due to the MCS “out” connector being just a little too tight. The PEEK tubing is very unforgiving and can easily deform if tightened too much. The tightness that ended up solving the issue was found by loosening the connector until it leaked and then tightening just enough to stop the leak. This method has been working very well. The anion flow path pressure starts out around 10 MPa and very slowly but steadily decreases to around 8 MPa over the course of approximately 45 minutes. The elevated start-up pressure should not be interpreted as “high pressure” unless a leak from the MSM develops.

Metrohm advised us, the next time we experience the MCS high pressure issue, to trim the end of the “MCS out” PEEK tubing. They also said to always tighten all connections with the small plastic wrench in the drawer to ensure correct torque. The wrench breaks away at correct torque.

The calibration was adjusted in the manual and on the instrument to be identical between expeditions. The 396T standards table was created using the 396 standards table and by adding the DF20000 Standard 10 to it. Standards 7, 8, 9 and 10 should be made from DF100 for better accuracy. The 396T standards table was test run on the IC, and the calibration came out good.       

ICP

The ICP was not used.

A new container of JR-2 rhyolite standard was received. As our ICP rock standards Excel sheet was checked for JR-2, it was noted that we were still using the Govindaraju 1989 values. This was the case for several other GSJ standards also. The Excel sheet was updated to the Imai et al. 1995 values for all the GSJ standards.

Microbiology

A steam vent drip catcher was designed and 3D printed for the Yamato sterilizer. The original drip catcher had gone missing. The sterilizer is now fully functional and ready to be used.

Magnets were installed on the incubator doors to prevent the doors from opening in rough seas.

ARB locations were added to AMS for all MBIO chemicals that are currently onboard.

Salinity

The refractometers were not used.  

SRA

The SRA was packaged to be shipped off and the one from shore should arrive soon and will be installed by the ALOs.

Pipets

All pipets but #12, #31 and #32 had been sent off for calibration at the end of 396. The pipets remaining onboard worked well.

Titrations

Alkalinity

The alkalinity titrator was tested and is working well. LabView 2021 was installed on the computer, and a successful alkalinity titration was performed before and after the installation.

Chloride

The chlorinity titrator was not used.

TOC

The TOC was not used.

Water System

A new Barnstead water system was installed. The quick start guides are on the wall between the Barnstead units. The user manuals are in the WATER SYSTEM binder in the binder cabinet above the Mettler balance.

To prepare to dispense nanopure water, press NONSTOP on the control panel. When the system is idle, it automatically goes into INTERVAL mode. To dispense water, after switching to NONSTOP mode, press the button on top of the dispenser TWICE. The volume dispensed can be adjusted in NONSTOP mode by pressing ENTER and using the arrow keys.

When the RO unit is in production mode, it stops when it reaches 100% (it takes approx. 3 hrs to fill the tank). For some reason it displays 85% while in stand-by mode even when no water has been used since reaching 100%. The tank is still full, the water level indicator is working well, and there is no reason for concern. Also, the nanopure unit hardly ever displays 18.2 MΩ while in INTERVAL (stand-by) mode but when switched to NONSTOP (production) mode and when water is being dispensed, the resistance immediately goes to 18.2 MΩ.

The new system came with a 60-liter tank. The old 100-liter tank was inspected, and it looked fine, so a decision was made to use the old tank, as even 100 liters does run out on busy days. The water level indicator was removed from the 60-liter tank and used in our old tank. A lid/bracket was 3D printed for the 100-liter tank to hold the water level indicator and the tank fill tube in place.

The “old” style 0.2 µm final filter fits the new nanopure dispenser, thus it was decided to use those up first and then switch to the new style filter. The AMS number (CM1230) was kept the same for both the old and new filters. Both filter types should be included in physical count.

HYDRO-CHECK resistivity monitor was relocated from the Barnstead drawer to a MBIO cabinet J-C3 as per the ALOs’ recommendation.

“Old Barnstead spares” P-box was created and placed on top of the “Cahn supplies” P-box under the Cahn balance station. This box contains old green water level indicators and the nanopure dispenser handle. New Barnstead spares were placed in the Barnstead drawer.  

AMI Nitrogen Gas O2 Sensor

The O₂ sensor worked well. There were no significant fluctuations in the generator nitrogen O₂ level. The level mostly stayed around 4 ppm. The nitrogen generator was turned off early into the transit due to the engine room performing work on the air compressors, and it stayed off until chemistry personnel departed the vessel. The plan is for the ALOs to replace the detector cell approximately a week after the nitrogen generator comes back online.

Misc

The floor underneath the Yamato sterilizer was repaired and painted. First the damaged floor was removed. Underlayment primer and coarse sand were applied to the bare deck to create a rough surface for the cement to adhere to. Self-leveling underlayment was mixed with water and underlayment primer to create cement. The cement should not be mixed with a paint stirrer, as this can introduce bubbles. It should be mixed with a paddle instead.

The muffle furnace door latch spring was changed out to a stronger one to enable the door to shut properly. This should keep the paint from peeling off any further. The latch receiver pin was also lubricated and adjusted.

The speaker by the main entrance to the lab was found to have been disconnected. It was reconnected. The speaker by the Tuttnauer autoclave is now also functional. The way the speakers are connected, the speaker at the tech desk and the ICP speaker are on one circuit and the main entrance one and the autoclave one on another. They can be controlled with the BALANCE knob on the amplifier. Knob in the middle: all speakers. All the way left: autoclave and main entrance, all the way right: desk and ICP.

LabView on the tech computer was updated to the 32 bit 2021 version.

The emergency light above the GCs was repaired and will hopefully not flash anymore.

The broken hinge on the main entrance door was repaired.  

No hazardous waste was generated.

Geochemists

There were no sailing geochemists.

Microbiologists

There were no sailing microbiologists.