Recovering Energetic Components from Plastic Bonded Explosives
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for disposing of plastic bonded explosives (PBX) are inefficient and environmentally harmful, as they fail to recover the energetic components effectively, leading to excessive waste generation and safety concerns due to the resilience of the polymer matrix, which prevents the efficient removal of the energetic material during recycling.
Innovation Solution
A process involving a high-velocity fluid jet to comminute PBX into small particles, exposing the energetic component, followed by solvent treatment to separate and recover the energetic component from the polymer matrix, with the fluid pressure calculated to exceed the polymer's ultimate tensile strength by a specific factor, allowing for the subsequent separation and reuse of components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If open burn/open detonation methods are used to dispose of munitions, then disposal cost is minimized and the process is technologically simple, but environmental pollution increases significantly and waste by-products are not minimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the energetic component from the polymer matrix through solvent dissolution after mechanical comminution. This separation allows the energetic material to be recovered and reused, while the polymer matrix is disposed of separately, eliminating the environmental pollution associated with complete destruction methods like open burn/open detonation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a recovery process where the energetic component is dissolved from the comminuted PBX particles using appropriate solvents, filtered, and recovered for reuse. This contrasts with OB/OD methods that completely destroy the material, thereby minimizing waste and eliminating harmful environmental by-products.
2Reliability
If conventional incineration methods are used to destroy munitions, then complete destruction of munitions is achieved, but fuel consumption increases and gaseous effluent requiring treatment is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal incineration with a mechanical-chemical process. High-energy mechanical comminution breaks down the PBX structure, followed by selective chemical dissolution of the energetic component. This substitution eliminates the need for high-temperature combustion, reducing fuel consumption and avoiding gaseous effluent generation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of complete destruction via incineration, the patent recovers the energetic component through solvent dissolution and filtration. This recovery approach eliminates the need for fuel-intensive combustion while still achieving the goal of rendering the original munition inoperative.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If plasma arc technology is used to decompose munitions, then complete decomposition into gases is achieved avoiding site remediation, but power consumption increases and gaseous waste problems persist
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the energetic component from the polymer matrix through selective solvent dissolution. This extraction approach avoids complete decomposition into gases, instead isolating the valuable energetic material for recovery while leaving the polymer matrix as a manageable solid waste requiring no site remediation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent recovers the energetic component in usable form through dissolution and filtration, eliminating the need for power-intensive plasma arc decomposition. The recovered energetic material can be reused, while the polymer matrix is disposed of as non-hazardous solid waste.
4Strength
If high velocity fluid jet is used to comminute PBX, then the adhesive bonding between polymer matrix and energetic component is disrupted, but the process requires achieving specific threshold pressure to be effective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary mechanical comminution using high-velocity fluid jet to disrupt the adhesive bonding between polymer matrix and energetic component before solvent dissolution. This preliminary action creates sufficient surface area and exposes the energetic material, making subsequent solvent extraction effective without requiring excessively high pressures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary mechanical comminution step that bridges the gap between intact PBX and solvent-extractable particles. The high-velocity fluid jet acts as an intermediary force that partially disrupts the structure, creating loci for solvent penetration without requiring the extreme pressures that would be needed for complete disintegration.
5Reliability
If the polymer matrix is highly resilient to prevent void formation, then explosive performance is maintained, but the energetic material cannot be efficiently removed during recycling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the resilient polymer matrix into fine particles through high-velocity fluid jet comminution. This segmentation disrupts the continuous matrix structure and adhesive bonding, exposing the embedded energetic component while maintaining the explosive performance characteristics of the original material through proper particle size control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical recycling methods with high-velocity fluid jet comminution followed by solvent dissolution. This mechanical-chemical approach overcomes the resilience of the polymer matrix by using fluid dynamics to disrupt bonding and chemical dissolution to separate components, enabling efficient recycling without compromising explosive performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method effectively recovers the energetic component while minimizing waste and ensuring safety, achieving the goals of demilitarization, environmental friendliness, and cost-effectiveness by disrupting the polymer matrix's adhesive bonding, allowing for solvent-based separation and chemical conversion of non-reusable components into valuable products.
Implementation Method 1
The process uses high velocity kinetic energy in the form of a fluid jet at a specific threshold pressure to cause the structural failure of the adhesive bonding between the polymer matrix and energetic component
Implementation Method 2
providing adequate loci for the solvation of the energetic component by appropriate solvents
Data Source
AI summary
A process for recovering the energetic component from plastic bonded explosives. The process uses high velocity kinetic energy in the form of gases, liquids, or solids, alone or in combination, to cause the structural failure of the adhesive bonding between the polymer matrix and energetic component for the purpose of providing adequate loci for the solvation of the energetic component by appropriate solvents.