Experimental study to determine gaseous and particulate products from small-scale explosive detonations and propellant burns.

摘要

The manufacture, procurement and storage of conventional munitions within the Department of Defense results in the accumulation of appreciable quantities of the total inventory that is regarded as either unsafe, excess or obsolete. This particular category of material, commonly known as the demilitarization inventory, currently exceeds 200,000 tons and continues to grow as old munitions exceed their useful lifetime and are replaced. Proposed handling options for these materials include long term storage, reprocessing and disposal. Disposal techniques currently employed or under investigation as possible alternatives include material washout or steamout, confined detonation, rotary kiln burning, open burning (OB), and open detonation (OD). The term open burning and detonation as used here specifically refers to burning or detonation of large quantities of either propellant or explosive material in open air. This disposal technique is a particularly attractive solution in light of its simplicity and low cost when compared to alternative treatment methods.