Preliminary Hazard Analysis of Supercritical Fluid Separation of Energetic Materials.

Abstract

The Department of Defense (DOD) has a large inventory of ammunition, some of which is becoming older than desired for retention in storage. More than 400 kton are currently scheduled for demilitarization. Of this material, a significant fraction is Composition B, which is 60% RDX and 40% TNT, with 1% wax added. Research at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and elsewhere, particularly at the Phasex Corporation, Lawrence, MA, has demonstrated the feasibility of separating the energetic moieties by use of supercritical CO2. No special hazards were identified, and no chemical incompatibilities were found. The system is environmentally friendly in that it is a dosed loop system, and no hazardous materials can escape. Also, this system is designed for remote operation. This report deals with potential hazards from the scale-up of the system with which the feasibility of the concept was demonstrated.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 1997
Accession Number
ADA328056

Entities

People

  • Lawrence J. Vande Kieft
  • Warren W. Hillstrom

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ammunition
  • Closed Loop Systems
  • Control Systems
  • Corporations
  • Critical Temperature
  • Demilitarization
  • Department Of Defense
  • Energetic Materials
  • Environment
  • Explosives
  • Hazards
  • Materials
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Military Research
  • Munitions
  • Phase Diagrams
  • Phase Transformations

Readers

  • Environmental Engineering.
  • Rocket Propulsion.