HYDROLYSIS TESTS OF ENERGETIC MATERIALS

Army is in the process of destroying the country s stockpile of aging chemical weapons, stored at eight locations in the continental United States and on Johnston Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. The deadline for completing the destruction of these weapons, as specified by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) international treaty, is April 29, 2007. Originally, the Army selected incineration as the preferred baseline destruction technology, and it currently operates two incineration facilities—one on Johnston Atoll and one at the Deseret Chemical Depot near Tooele, Utah. The Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS) completed destruction of the stockpile on Johnston Island in late 2000, and closure of the 

In late 1996, in the face of public opposition, Congress become involved and enacted Public Law 104-201. This law instructed DoD to conduct an assessment of the chemical demilitarization program for destruction of assembled chemical munitions and of the alternative demilitarization technologies and processes (other than incineration) that could be used for the destruction of the lethal chemical agents that are associated with these munitions.  

As a result of Public Laws 104-201 and 104-208, DoD created the Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment (ACWA) program to select and evaluate technologies that would be appropriate for destroying the stockpiles at Pueblo Chemical Depot and Blue 

The purpose of the EDS phase is threefold (1) to support the development of a request for proposal (RFP) for a full-scale facility (2) to support the certification decision of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology, as directed by Public Law 105-261 and (3) to support documentation required for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the data required for a permit under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Each EDS comprises two parts an EDP and engineering tests and studies to generate required data that were not obtained during the earlier demonstration test phase. 

The present report is the committee s response to the third and final task in its overall statement of task. The report will be produced in time to contribute to the record of decision (ROD) by the Office of the Secretary of Defense on the selection of a technology for the Blue Grass site.3 

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Nominal Composition of Energetic Materials Used in Chemical Munitions, 22 2-2 Conditions Used in the Commissioning Runs at HAAP, 24 2-3 Test Matrix for the Army Hydrolysis Study at HAAP, 25 2-4 Residual Energetic Material in End-of-Run Hydrolysate Samples, 28... 

This finding is based on the test results presented earlier in this report for the EDS hydrolysis of energetic materials and on the effectiveness of the modified baseline reverse assembly and agent hydrolysis processes discussed in this and previous NRC reports (NRC, 1999, 2001a). Because hydrolysis destroys agents and active energetics, the resulting hydrolysates... 

The test plan that was executed at Holston Army Ammunition Plant (HAAP) demonstrated that the hydrolysis process for the energetic materials of interest successfully destroyed more than 99.7 percent of the energetics treated. Over 9,500 pounds of energetic materials were destroyed while encountering only the types of problems normally expected during the implementation of a new facility and process. The suite of tests performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and at HAAP covered a range of reaction temperatures and caustic concentrations. Under all these conditions, the destruction of energetics was carried out safely and effectively. 

Attend a review of the energetics hydrolysis testing planned for Holston Army Ammunition Plant. Tour facility and observe operations. Holston is a major site for hydrolysis testing of many different types of energetic materials. 

Thermal Decomposition of Base Hydrolysis Products This pilot plant was tested to demonstrate the feasibility of decomposing base hydrolysate, a mixture of sodium nitrite, sodium formate and other constituents. This material is the waste stream from the base hydrolysis process for destruction of energetic materials, being studied by researchers at LANL. The hydrolysate used in this test was from base hydrolysis experiments to destroy PBX-9404. 

The testing program sponsored by PMACWA to develop data for optimizing engineering designs for the hydrolysis of energetic materials (as discussed in Chapter 2),... 

ACWA program, the Pueblo Chemical Depot stockpile, and the NRC s involvement in the ACWA program. Chapter 2 discusses the results of hydrolysis studies on energetic materials sponsored by PM ACWA in response to the ACWI Committee s original recommendations. Chapter 3 discusses the General Atomics EDP Chapter 4 discusses the Parsons/ Honeywell EDP. The results of testing completed in support... 

This recommendation has been addressed to the extent that the LANL study shows the absence of picrate in hydrolysis products. As yet, mixtures of energetics have not been effectively addressed in the EDS test program, although such tests are planned. Until those tests are completed, mixtures of energetic materials should not be hydrolyzed on a large scale. 

Finding (Demo I) GA-1. Testing on the hydrolysis of energetic materials contaminated with agent will be necessary before a fuU-scale system is bnUt and operated. 

Hydrolysis of the energetic materials by the caustic leaves only small pieces of residual energetics, as shown during the EDS tests. The energetics feed rate is maintained to keep the explosive loading in the ERH to... 

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