Munition disassembly steps

Figure 13.1 Munition disassembly steps (adapted from Hermann).

The following sections recap briefly the sequence of process steps beginning with munitions disassembly and ending with treatment of various waste streams for final disposal. They are derived from the complete description of the AEA technology proposed in the EDP... 

The Army terminology for destruction of obsolete weapons Is "demilitarization". This term encompasses all the steps required to disassemble and safely destroy or decontaminate the component materials of which the munition was constructed. National Academy of Sciences and Department of the Army Guidance for demilitarization of obsolete chemical weapons (t) requires absolute safety and security, assurance of total containment of agent during processing, maximum protection of operating personnel and Incontrovertible evidence verifying the destruction of the toxic wastes. 

Assessment of Process Component Design, 113 Disassembly of Munitions (Steps 1, 3, 4, 6), 114 Hydrolysis of Energetic Materials (Steps 5, 7, and 15), 114... 

The destruction processes for chemical munitions at PCAPP will involve (1) transfer and disassembly of munitions to access the chemical agent and energetic materials, (2) core processes that destroy the agent, and (3) residuals treatment processes that decontaminate the munitions bodies and other materials associated with the munitions. These processes are accomplished in the major steps described in the following sections. The equipment used for projectile disassembly and removal of the agent is the same as that used for the mustard agent munitions at BGCAPP. 

The bursters removed from the munitions are then sheared to access the energetic materials. The sheared burster parts and fuzes are then transferred to the ERH. The shearing step is a mechanical cutting operation involving shearing equipment used in the baseline disassembly process and in nonchemical weapons applications. All propellant material removed either from the storage containers or from the munitions is fed into the ERH along with the fuzes and sheared bursters. 

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