Pilot-Scale Base Hydrolysis Processing of HMX-Based Plastic-Bonded Explosives

Abstract

Los Alamos Natlonal Laboratounder contrad W-7405-ENG-3z~By acceptance of thls artlcle, the publisher recognizes that the U.S. Government retains a nonexclushre roy publish or rqroduca the published form of thls contnbutlon, or to allow others to do so. for U.S. Government p u y e s . AbstractLos Alamos National Laboratory has demonstrated that many energetic materials can be rendered non-energetic via reaction with sodium hydroxide or ammonia. This process is known as base hydrolysis. A pilot scale reactor has been developed to process up to 20 kg of plastic bonded explosive in a single batch operation. In this report, we discuss the design and operation of the pilot scale reactor for the processing of PBX 9404, a standard Department of Energy plastic bonded explosive containing HMX and nitrocellulose. Products from base hydrolysis, although non-energetic, still require additional processing before release to the environment. Decomposition products, destruction efficiencies, and rates of reaction for base hydrolysis will be presented. Hydrothermal processing, previously known as supercritical water oxidation, has been proposed for converting organic products from hydrolysis to carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and nitrous oxide. Base hydrolysis in combination with hydrothermal processing may yield a viable alternative to open burning/open detonation for destruction of many energetic materials.

Base Hydrolysis of HMX and HMX-Based Plastic-Bonded Explosives with Sodium Hydroxide between 100 and 155 °C

“…The base hydrolysis of HMX, PBX 9404, and PBX 9501 with NaOH is mass-transfer-limited at temperatures above 70 °C. 1 Gas-liquid film theory was successfully used to model the base hydrolysis of HMX and PBX 9404 in Na 2 CO 3 . 11 The same theory is applied in this study.…”

“…One method for destroying these explosives is base hydrolysis. Base hydrolysis with 1.5 M NaOH at atmospheric pressures, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] or by reaction with 1.5 M Na 2 CO 3 in a pressurized reactor at temperatures of around 150 °C, 11 has been previously reported in the literature.…”

“…Both 1.5 M NaOH at atmospheric pressures and 1.5 M Na 2 CO 3 at 150 °C give short processing times for HMX powder and PBX 9404 molding powder; however, large consolidated pieces of plastic-bonded explosives (PBXs) could take up to several hours. 1 Furthermore, PBXs with base-resistant binders, such as the Estane (B.F. Goodrich) in PBX 9501, do not react at practicable rates with either NaOH below 100 °C or Na 2 CO 3 at 150 °C. To obtain reasonable reaction rates for consolidated PBXs and for formulations containing base-resistant binders, base hydrolysis using 1.5-6 M NaOH at temperatures approaching 150 °C is necessary.…”

Hydrothermal Treatment of C−N−O−H Wastes: Model-Based Reactor Effluent Control

“…Base hydrolysis is an attractive alternative to combustion and open detonation for the destruction of cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine (HMX) based energetic materials. 1 In this process, the energetic material is hydrolyzed in a concentrated sodium hydroxide solution to yield nonenergetic, water-soluble compounds. This process does not have the safety and environmental problems associated with combustion and open detonation; however, the resulting base hydrolysate is an elevated-pH solution that contains from 2 to 10 wt % of organic carbon and nitrogen compounds.…”

Sodium-Carbonate-Assisted Supercritical Water Oxidation of Chlorinated Waste

“…7,[9][10][11] It has been estimated that U.S. industry produces about 600,000 tons of chlorinated waste for disposal every year, and the military has weapon chemicals to be disposed that have heterogeneous atoms including Cl, S, and N. [12][13][14][15] Also, there are numerous potential space and defense applications involving heterogeneous atoms that can utilize this technology. 13,[16][17][18][19] Because of the importance of chlorinated waste, its SCWO has been examined by several groups. 20,21 Yang and Eckert 2 studied the destruction kinetics of pchlorophenol with a homogeneous catalyst; Jin et al 22 studied the catalytic oxidation of 1,4-dichlorobenzene; and Li et al 23 studied 2-chlorophenol oxidation and provided a global kinetic model.…”