Detonability of Agent BZ - Pyromix,
Abstract
The U.S. Army Toxic and Hazardous Materials Agency is preparing to demilitarize the U.S. inventory of munitions containing the incapacitating agent BZ. As employed in the munitions, BZ is blended with an energetic pyrotechnic mixture. The mixture is 50% BZ, 23% KC103, 9% S, and 18% NaHCO3. In normal functioning, this mixture is ignited along central core holes in the munitions and reacts over a few tens of seconds to produce an aerosol cloud of BZ. However, upper limit theoretical calculations suggested that this mixture could potentially be detonable, but it was not known if actual detonation could occur. To facilitate selection from among five candidate demilitarization concepts it was desirable that the detonability of the munitions be established. To this end, a series of experimental tests as described in this paper was conducted. These tests gave conclusive evidence of non-detonability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1982
- Accession Number
- ADP000427
Entities
People
- B. Dale Trott
- James C. Stuart
Organizations
- Battelle Memorial Institute