Preliminary evaluation of thermal systems for regenerating explosives-contaminated carbon: Safety, cost, and technical feasibility: Final report

Technical Report · Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6232908· OSTI ID:6232908

Daw, C. S.; Fox, E. C.; Lackey, M. E.; Taylor, M. J.; Young, J. M.; Ho, P. C.

A preliminary evaluation of the thermal regeneration of nitrobody- contaminated carbon is made with special attention to safety, cost, and technical feasibility. A comparison of the multiple-hearth, rotary-kiln, electric-belt-furnace, and fluidized-bed technologies indicates that the rotary kiln and electric belt furnace are more appropriate for nitrobody contaminated carbon at the current low production rates. Of these two, the electric belt furnace is probably best for Army applications, particularly with regard to safety concerns and cost involved in pilot-scale testing at an Army facility. Cost estimates for production-scale regeneration and/or treatment at three Army facilities reveal that the economics strongly depend on the individual plant circumstances and the assumed production rates of contaminated carbon. At lower production rates, thermal treatment and disposal is cheaper than regeneration. For the regeneration cases considered, a fixed centrally-located regeneration facility appears to be the least expensive alternative. Recommendations for future work include lab-scale thermal-regeneration and thermal-treatment testing of spent carbon, continued characterization of the explosive properties of the spent carbon, and consideration of additional regeneration strategies including solvent extraction with subsequent co-fired solvent combustion. 23 refs., 15 figs., 10 tabs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6232908
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-10877; AMXTH-TE-CR-87133; ON: DE89012366
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
CHEMICAL EXPLOSIVES
REGENERATION
CARBON
COST
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FURNACES
MILITARY EQUIPMENT
PROGRESS REPORT
SAFETY
WEAPONS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
EXPLOSIVES
NONMETALS
450100* - Military Technology
Weaponry
& National Defense- Chemical Explosions & Explosives