US20070161844A1 - Process and plant for destroying solid-propellant rocket motors - Google Patents
Process and plant for destroying solid-propellant rocket motors Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20070161844A1 US20070161844A1 US10/855,322 US85532204A US2007161844A1 US 20070161844 A1 US20070161844 A1 US 20070161844A1 US 85532204 A US85532204 A US 85532204A US 2007161844 A1 US2007161844 A1 US 2007161844A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- propellant
- casing
- section
- motor
- sections
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 45
- 239000004449 solid propellant Substances 0.000 title claims description 7
- 239000003380 propellant Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 78
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 31
- 239000012634 fragment Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 17
- 238000011282 treatment Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- 238000005520 cutting process Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- 230000005489 elastic deformation Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 238000007654 immersion Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 230000001590 oxidative effect Effects 0.000 claims description 12
- IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N Atomic nitrogen Chemical compound N#N IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000011230 binding agent Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000009477 glass transition Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052757 nitrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000003546 flue gas Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000005096 rolling process Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000005201 scrubbing Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- ZZUFCTLCJUWOSV-UHFFFAOYSA-N furosemide Chemical compound C1=C(Cl)C(S(=O)(=O)N)=CC(C(O)=O)=C1NCC1=CC=CO1 ZZUFCTLCJUWOSV-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims 1
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 abstract description 3
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 12
- 230000006378 damage Effects 0.000 description 8
- 230000009849 deactivation Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000003801 milling Methods 0.000 description 5
- 238000004090 dissolution Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000013467 fragmentation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000006062 fragmentation reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 231100001261 hazardous Toxicity 0.000 description 2
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000035939 shock Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 2
- GDDNTTHUKVNJRA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 3-bromo-3,3-difluoroprop-1-ene Chemical group FC(F)(Br)C=C GDDNTTHUKVNJRA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000004429 Calibre Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000006065 biodegradation reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009933 burial Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008602 contraction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009792 diffusion process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002440 industrial waste Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011159 matrix material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000803 paradoxical effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- VLTRZXGMWDSKGL-UHFFFAOYSA-M perchlorate Inorganic materials [O-]Cl(=O)(=O)=O VLTRZXGMWDSKGL-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 description 1
- VLTRZXGMWDSKGL-UHFFFAOYSA-N perchloric acid Chemical compound OCl(=O)(=O)=O VLTRZXGMWDSKGL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000001141 propulsive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004064 recycling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F42—AMMUNITION; BLASTING
- F42B—EXPLOSIVE CHARGES, e.g. FOR BLASTING, FIREWORKS, AMMUNITION
- F42B33/00—Manufacture of ammunition; Dismantling of ammunition; Apparatus therefor
- F42B33/06—Dismantling fuzes, cartridges, projectiles, missiles, rockets or bombs
Definitions
- the present invention relates to the field of solid-propellant rocket motors. It relates more particularly to the destruction of reformed rocket motors, especially those that have reached the limit of their operational use and have been removed from service.
- a solid-propellant rocket motor essentially comprises a hollow cylindrical casing inside which is placed at least one block of solid propellant—to simplify matters we will refer hereafter to one block of propellant.
- One end of the casing is closed off by a dome and the opposite end by a nozzle; the dome and the nozzle will be regarded as forming part of the casing.
- the rocket motors considered here are those for which the block of solid propellant has been fastened to the casing and cannot be removed simply from the casing. These are essentially what are called “cast-bonded” motors for which the block of propellant, during manufacture of the motor, is cast in and bonded to the casing suitably prepared for this purpose. We shall liken to this type of motor those for which the block of propellant, prepared elsewhere, is introduced and fitted irreversibly into the casing, this fitting operation being intentional or accidental. We shall retain the expression “cast-bonded” rocket motors to denote the motors treated in this invention.
- the destruction of a rocket motor consists firstly in placing it in a state such that it cannot fulfil its propulsion function and then secondly in separating the casing from the propellant in order to treat them separately, taking into account the fact that only the propellant involves a pyrotechnic risk, which requires special precautions and conditions in its treatment for the purpose of scrapping or recycling certain components.
- the problem more particularly tackled here is that of how to destroy a very large number, typically several thousand, of rocket motors; it is necessary to be able to treat several tens of motors per day.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,107 discloses the fragmentation of a block of bare propellant, that is to say one not bonded to the inside of the casing of a rocket motor, by cooling the block of propellant down to a very low temperature and by using a crusher or a press to fragment it.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,632 discloses the extraction of the propellant from a cast-bonded rocket motor with a central channel using at least one jet of cryogenic liquid. This destruction process, derived from a “water knife”, is very lengthy and does not meet the requirement for a high work rate. In addition, it is potentially hazardous as the work is carried out on an entire rocket engine.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,093 discloses the extraction of the propellant from a cast-bonded rocket motor that has been cooled by immersion in liquid nitrogen.
- the block of propellant is fragmented, especially by applying mechanical shocks to it.
- the application of shocks to the propellant, even when cooled, is still potentially hazardous, and this hazard is greater owing to the fact that, here again, the work is carried out on an entire motor.
- the possibility of fragments becoming jammed in the casing, and requiring further handling operations to extract them from the casing cannot be ruled out.
- the present invention aims to solve the difficulties that these various processes do not take into consideration when it is necessary to devise a destruction process to be carried out at a very high rate, and to do so without unreasonably increasing the number of plants operating in parallel in order to destroy a large number of rocket motors.
- the process for destroying a solid-propellant rocket motor comprises the following steps:
- the present process therefore relates to solid-propellant rocket motors for which the block of propellant is fastened to the casing; the motors involved in this process do not include an ignition device—this is disconnected and removed from the motor in a preparatory operation before the motors are delivered to the destruction site.
- the rocket motor casing is either entirely made of metal or a composite material.
- the block of propellant has a central channel extending over its entire length or only part of it. In the latter case, that portion on the side away from the nozzle does not have a channel.
- the block of propellant may possibly be a end burning block, that is to say it does not have a central channel.
- the cut-up sections of the motor are of two types:
- the sections containing propellant have a section length “1”/section outside diameter “d” ratio of less than or equal to 2.5 (i.e. l/d ⁇ 2.5).
- the process uses several jets placed in parallel and prepositioned relative to the motor in order to cut it up into the various sections in a single operation.
- the latter is immersed in the same liquid as that used for the jets; usually the liquid used is water.
- the liquid and the casing and propellant chips resulting from the cutting operations are periodically removed for the purpose of suitable treatments.
- the sections containing propellant are, using appropriate handling means, transported and immersed in a bath of a cryogenic liquid that is inert with respect to the section components.
- a cryogenic liquid that is inert with respect to the section components.
- the cryogenic liquid used is liquid nitrogen.
- the sections are immersed for a time long enough for the casing and the propellant to be cooled quite substantially and for the differential contractions between casing and propellant to create tensile stresses that crack the propellant and also debond it from the casing.
- the intended final temperature for the motor section is at least 20° C. below the glass transition temperature range of the propellant binder.
- the intended temperature is between about ⁇ 100° C. and about ⁇ 80° C. for both the propellant and the casing.
- the sufficiently cooled sections are then sent to a station for extracting the propellant, which has been embrittled by the cold.
- the propellant is extracted by making the casing undergo slight deformation. Such deformation remains within the elastic range of deformation of the casing at this temperature.
- the propellant breaks up into rather coarse fragments, typically of the size of a clenched fist.
- the section is placed with its axis vertical and the propellant fragments drop out under gravity and are recovered either on a conveyor belt or in a receptacle containing water in order to make the propellant fragments inert. Since the motor section has a relatively short length compared with its diameter, i.e. l/d ⁇ 2.5, the propellant fragments do not become jammed in the casing.
- the cooled motor section with its axis vertical and its larger-diameter opening directed downwards, is placed between a stop and a jack head.
- the axis of the jack is horizontal and perpendicular to the axis of the motor section.
- the displacement of the jack head is calculated so that the deformation of the casing remains within its elastic deformation range.
- the cooled motor section is driven between two rolls forming a rolling mill. These rolls are suitably spaced apart in order to impose, here again, a deformation that remains within the elastic deformation range of the casing. The rolls drive the motor section and deform it slightly, from the bottom of the said section up to its top, thereby making it easier to extract the propellant fragments by gravity.
- the empty casing section possibly has a few thin residual traces of propellant that have remained bonded at certain points inside the casing.
- the empty section is recovered in order to undergo a subsequent step of deactivating such residues.
- this deactivation is carried out in a closed chamber comprising burners whose flames burn off the traces of propellant.
- the flue gases are collected and scrubbed with water—no gaseous effluent is therefore discharged into the atmosphere.
- the scrubbing water is collected in order to be treated and decontaminated using known processes.
- the deactivation of any propellant residues adhering to the inside of the casing is carried out by immersing the empty casing section in the said liquid.
- the oxidizing charge has dissolved in the liquid, there then remain, on the inside wall of the casing, only bits of matrix consisting of binder and combustible charge of no pyrotechnic hazard.
- the rate of diffusion of the oxidizing charge and of its dissolution in the liquid is advantageously speeded up by heating the liquid.
- the liquid containing the oxidizing charge in solution is recovered for subsequent treatment by known processes. Frequently, the oxidizing charge is ammonium perchlorate and the liquid used for dissolving it is water.
- the propellant fragments obtained after elastic deformation of the casing are in general rather coarse, namely a few centimetres or about the size of a clenched fist. Before passing to the next step of the propellant treatment, it is necessary to carry out finer milling of the said fragments so as to obtain particles of propellant, the particles having dimensions of the order of at most a centimetre and preferably a few millimetres.
- This milling may be carried out in various ways, but preferably knife mills are used, the milling advantageously being carried out under a water spray.
- the next step in the treatment of the propellant, thus particulated is the dissolution of the oxidizing charge in a suitable liquid, for example water when the oxidizing charge is a perchlorate.
- the latter is preferably carried out in a well-stirred and thermally regulated reactor.
- the liquid that contains the oxidizing charge in solution is separated from the solid residue; the latter comprises the binder and the optional combustible charge—there is no pyrotechnic risk.
- the solid residue is either directly discharged into a technical burial centre or is reutilized in order to extract the metallic combustible charge therefrom after conventional known treatments for industrial waste.
- the liquid is either treated by biodegradation processes, such as those described in patent FR 2 788 055 or its corresponding patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,891, in order to degrade the oxidizing charge, or treated in order to reutilize the said oxidizing charge and to recrystallize it by known processes.
- FIG. 1 shows schematically a plant for implementing the process.
- FIG. 2 is a drawing showing the principle of a device for fragmenting the propellant after the section has been cooled.
- FIG. 1 shows schematically the succession of various stations for implementing the process: FIG. 1 a ) in plan view and FIG. 1 b ) in side view.
- the rocket motors are brought into a storage area, identified, for traceability of the operation, placed one by one on a conveyor, and introduced one by one into the plant via a first airlock.
- the motor is immersed in a tank containing water and positioned on a rig that rotates relative to a suitably placed spray rail delivering several high-pressure jets and the motor is cut up into sections.
- High-pressure spray rails are produced with standard equipment, for example Digital Control equipment, delivering high-pressure jets, the pressure being about 300 MPa, by means of two pumps.
- standard equipment for example Digital Control equipment, delivering high-pressure jets, the pressure being about 300 MPa, by means of two pumps.
- the other sections 10 of the motor are taken up by another conveyor and carried, through an airlock, into the cooling station 2 where they are cooled by immersion in the cryogenic liquid.
- This station essentially comprises a long bath in which several sections suitably spaced apart are immersed. The sections are moved along as the process takes place and they therefore remain a long time in the liquid, thereby cooling them down to temperatures of about ⁇ 100° C.
- the sections are directed, one by one, via another airlock, to the fragmentation station 3 where the propellant bonded to the casing section is fragmented.
- An example of a device is illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 2 .
- the suitably oriented section is deformed by compressing the casing.
- the fragments are recovered for subsequent treatment.
- the casing sections emptied of propellant are directed to a residue deactivation station 6 .
- the deactivation of the sections is carried out by immersing the said sections in a tank containing water.
- the propellant fragments are directed to a fine milling station 4 using knife mills with water spray.
- Standard high-performance machines with a few safety modifications, can treat up to 1000 kg of propellant per hour.
- the particles obtained after fine milling are introduced, in the dissolution station 5 , into a reactor of large volume, the said reactor being well stirred and thermally regulated in order to increase the rate at which the oxidizing charge dissolves in the water.
- FIG. 2 a shows schematically a side view and FIG. 2 b ) a plan view of an apparatus 11 for extracting the propellant from a cooled rocket motor section 10 .
- the apparatus essentially comprises a rectangular stand 13 , anchored on four feet, with a stop 14 on one of the sides of the stand and a hydropneumatic jack 15 fastened on the opposite side, the jack being placed horizontally.
- the rocket motor section 10 to be treated is held, with its axis vertical, by a handling means shown schematically by the reference 12 .
- the said handling means brings the motor section 10 between the stop 14 and the jack rod 16 .
- the jack rod 16 bears on the casing of the motor section approximately one third the way along its length starting from the bottom of the section.
- the displacement of the jack rod 16 is defined in order to subject the casing to a deformation which remains within the elastic deformation range of the latter, to fragment the cold propellant and to separate it from the casing.
- a receptacle 17 containing water in order to make the propellant fragments that drop simply under gravity inert, is placed beneath the motor section, the said receptacle 17 being shown only in FIG. 2 a ).
- This apparatus is placed in a suitable room with entry and exit airlocks and all the services needed for remote-controlled operation.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to the field of solid-propellant rocket motors. It relates more particularly to the destruction of reformed rocket motors, especially those that have reached the limit of their operational use and have been removed from service.
- A solid-propellant rocket motor essentially comprises a hollow cylindrical casing inside which is placed at least one block of solid propellant—to simplify matters we will refer hereafter to one block of propellant. One end of the casing is closed off by a dome and the opposite end by a nozzle; the dome and the nozzle will be regarded as forming part of the casing.
- The rocket motors considered here are those for which the block of solid propellant has been fastened to the casing and cannot be removed simply from the casing. These are essentially what are called “cast-bonded” motors for which the block of propellant, during manufacture of the motor, is cast in and bonded to the casing suitably prepared for this purpose. We shall liken to this type of motor those for which the block of propellant, prepared elsewhere, is introduced and fitted irreversibly into the casing, this fitting operation being intentional or accidental. We shall retain the expression “cast-bonded” rocket motors to denote the motors treated in this invention.
- The destruction of a rocket motor consists firstly in placing it in a state such that it cannot fulfil its propulsion function and then secondly in separating the casing from the propellant in order to treat them separately, taking into account the fact that only the propellant involves a pyrotechnic risk, which requires special precautions and conditions in its treatment for the purpose of scrapping or recycling certain components.
- The problem more particularly tackled here is that of how to destroy a very large number, typically several thousand, of rocket motors; it is necessary to be able to treat several tens of motors per day.
- Both the destruction process and the destruction plant must be capable of operating at a very high rate. What is therefore required is a process with simple and rapid steps and an unsophisticated plant.
- In addition, the process and the plant must be reliable. An incident occurring on a motor or part of a motor during one step of the process must remain limited, or be able to be limited, to this part of the motor, and to the location in the plant where the said incident occurs. The incident must not propagate throughout the plant and become catastrophic, owing to the large number of motors necessarily present on the destruction site.
- The prior art discloses several processes for destroying rocket motors, but under conditions which do not correspond to the problem posed, as we will see during the course of analysing these processes.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,107 discloses the fragmentation of a block of bare propellant, that is to say one not bonded to the inside of the casing of a rocket motor, by cooling the block of propellant down to a very low temperature and by using a crusher or a press to fragment it.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,632 discloses the extraction of the propellant from a cast-bonded rocket motor with a central channel using at least one jet of cryogenic liquid. This destruction process, derived from a “water knife”, is very lengthy and does not meet the requirement for a high work rate. In addition, it is potentially hazardous as the work is carried out on an entire rocket engine.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,093 discloses the extraction of the propellant from a cast-bonded rocket motor that has been cooled by immersion in liquid nitrogen. The block of propellant is fragmented, especially by applying mechanical shocks to it. The application of shocks to the propellant, even when cooled, is still potentially hazardous, and this hazard is greater owing to the fact that, here again, the work is carried out on an entire motor. In addition, for relatively long motors, the possibility of fragments becoming jammed in the casing, and requiring further handling operations to extract them from the casing, cannot be ruled out.
- The present invention aims to solve the difficulties that these various processes do not take into consideration when it is necessary to devise a destruction process to be carried out at a very high rate, and to do so without unreasonably increasing the number of plants operating in parallel in order to destroy a large number of rocket motors.
- According to the invention, the process for destroying a solid-propellant rocket motor comprises the following steps:
-
- the motor is cut up into sections perpendicular to the axis of the motor;
- the sections not containing propellant are withdrawn from the rest of the sequence;
- the sections containing propellant are cooled to a temperature very much below the glass transition temperature range of the propellant binder;
- the propellant is separated from the casing of each section, i.e. the section is thus emptied of the propellant that it contained;
- the empty casing sections are recovered for a supplementary step of deactivating any propellant residues; and
- the fragmented propellant is recovered for subsequent treatment.
- The present process therefore relates to solid-propellant rocket motors for which the block of propellant is fastened to the casing; the motors involved in this process do not include an ignition device—this is disconnected and removed from the motor in a preparatory operation before the motors are delivered to the destruction site. The rocket motor casing is either entirely made of metal or a composite material. The block of propellant has a central channel extending over its entire length or only part of it. In the latter case, that portion on the side away from the nozzle does not have a channel. The block of propellant may possibly be a end burning block, that is to say it does not have a central channel.
- The cut-up sections of the motor are of two types:
-
- sections without propellant: in general, there is only one section of this type per motor. This section carries all or part of the nozzle and it contains no pyrotechnic material; this type of section is removed from the present sequence; and
- sections with propellant: the cut-up portion of the block remains bonded to the cut-up portion of the casing; this type of section will undergo the other steps of the process. At least one of the ends of the section is wide open, i.e. the diameter of the opening is approximately equal to the motor calibre.
- Advantageously, the sections containing propellant have a section length “1”/section outside diameter “d” ratio of less than or equal to 2.5 (i.e. l/d≧2.5).
- All the methods known for cutting up rocket motors into sections may be used. However, owing to the need for a high operating rate and also the safety requirements, it will be advantageous to employ methods using at least one jet of high-pressure liquid to which suitable abrasive substances may optionally be added.
- Preferably, to increase the efficiency of the operation, the process uses several jets placed in parallel and prepositioned relative to the motor in order to cut it up into the various sections in a single operation.
- Also preferably, in order to increase safety, for cutting up the motor the latter is immersed in the same liquid as that used for the jets; usually the liquid used is water.
- The liquid and the casing and propellant chips resulting from the cutting operations are periodically removed for the purpose of suitable treatments.
- The sections containing propellant are, using appropriate handling means, transported and immersed in a bath of a cryogenic liquid that is inert with respect to the section components. In general, the cryogenic liquid used is liquid nitrogen.
- The sections are immersed for a time long enough for the casing and the propellant to be cooled quite substantially and for the differential contractions between casing and propellant to create tensile stresses that crack the propellant and also debond it from the casing.
- Typically, the intended final temperature for the motor section is at least 20° C. below the glass transition temperature range of the propellant binder. Advantageously, the intended temperature is between about −100° C. and about −80° C. for both the propellant and the casing.
- The sufficiently cooled sections are then sent to a station for extracting the propellant, which has been embrittled by the cold. The propellant is extracted by making the casing undergo slight deformation. Such deformation remains within the elastic range of deformation of the casing at this temperature. The propellant breaks up into rather coarse fragments, typically of the size of a clenched fist.
- The section is placed with its axis vertical and the propellant fragments drop out under gravity and are recovered either on a conveyor belt or in a receptacle containing water in order to make the propellant fragments inert. Since the motor section has a relatively short length compared with its diameter, i.e. l/d≧2.5, the propellant fragments do not become jammed in the casing.
- According to a first variant, the cooled motor section, with its axis vertical and its larger-diameter opening directed downwards, is placed between a stop and a jack head. The axis of the jack is horizontal and perpendicular to the axis of the motor section. The displacement of the jack head is calculated so that the deformation of the casing remains within its elastic deformation range.
- According to another variant, the cooled motor section is driven between two rolls forming a rolling mill. These rolls are suitably spaced apart in order to impose, here again, a deformation that remains within the elastic deformation range of the casing. The rolls drive the motor section and deform it slightly, from the bottom of the said section up to its top, thereby making it easier to extract the propellant fragments by gravity.
- The empty casing section possibly has a few thin residual traces of propellant that have remained bonded at certain points inside the casing. The empty section is recovered in order to undergo a subsequent step of deactivating such residues.
- Advantageously, this deactivation is carried out in a closed chamber comprising burners whose flames burn off the traces of propellant. The flue gases are collected and scrubbed with water—no gaseous effluent is therefore discharged into the atmosphere. The scrubbing water is collected in order to be treated and decontaminated using known processes.
- Preferably, when the oxidizing charge of the propellant is soluble in a liquid, the deactivation of any propellant residues adhering to the inside of the casing is carried out by immersing the empty casing section in the said liquid. When the oxidizing charge has dissolved in the liquid, there then remain, on the inside wall of the casing, only bits of matrix consisting of binder and combustible charge of no pyrotechnic hazard. The rate of diffusion of the oxidizing charge and of its dissolution in the liquid is advantageously speeded up by heating the liquid. The liquid containing the oxidizing charge in solution is recovered for subsequent treatment by known processes. Frequently, the oxidizing charge is ammonium perchlorate and the liquid used for dissolving it is water.
- Having many rocket motors to be destroyed, it may seem paradoxical to increase the number of objects to be treated by cutting a motor up into sections.
- From the safety standpoint, the sections without propellant, which do not entail any pyrotechnic risk, are removed from the sequence of operations. A section containing propellant is very short and will not be propulsive in the event of accidental ignition. It will not undergo any random and inopportune displacement that can make the incident propagate to any other station. However, precautions must be taken as regards thermal effects.
- From the standpoint of efficiency, this cutting-into-sections operation contributes to the efficiency of the following steps of the process:
-
- the sections are cooled more rapidly than an entire motor because of a lower mass and a larger area for heat exchange with the cryogenic liquid;
- since the sections are short, the fragments drop out by gravity and do not run the risk of becoming jammed, as exists in a complete rocket motor; and
- the deactivation of the propellant residues carried out on empty casing sections is easier than that carried out on the complete casing of a motor, and this is so whatever the process adopted.
- The propellant fragments obtained after elastic deformation of the casing are in general rather coarse, namely a few centimetres or about the size of a clenched fist. Before passing to the next step of the propellant treatment, it is necessary to carry out finer milling of the said fragments so as to obtain particles of propellant, the particles having dimensions of the order of at most a centimetre and preferably a few millimetres.
- This milling may be carried out in various ways, but preferably knife mills are used, the milling advantageously being carried out under a water spray.
- The next step in the treatment of the propellant, thus particulated, is the dissolution of the oxidizing charge in a suitable liquid, for example water when the oxidizing charge is a perchlorate.
- To increase the rate of dissolution, the latter is preferably carried out in a well-stirred and thermally regulated reactor.
- The liquid that contains the oxidizing charge in solution is separated from the solid residue; the latter comprises the binder and the optional combustible charge—there is no pyrotechnic risk. The solid residue is either directly discharged into a technical burial centre or is reutilized in order to extract the metallic combustible charge therefrom after conventional known treatments for industrial waste.
- The liquid is either treated by biodegradation processes, such as those described in
patent FR 2 788 055 or its corresponding patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,891, in order to degrade the oxidizing charge, or treated in order to reutilize the said oxidizing charge and to recrystallize it by known processes. - The invention will be explained in further detail below by means of figures that show a plant for carrying out the process.
-
FIG. 1 shows schematically a plant for implementing the process. -
FIG. 2 is a drawing showing the principle of a device for fragmenting the propellant after the section has been cooled. -
FIG. 1 shows schematically the succession of various stations for implementing the process:FIG. 1 a) in plan view andFIG. 1 b) in side view. - The rocket motors are brought into a storage area, identified, for traceability of the operation, placed one by one on a conveyor, and introduced one by one into the plant via a first airlock.
- In the cutting
station 1, the motor is immersed in a tank containing water and positioned on a rig that rotates relative to a suitably placed spray rail delivering several high-pressure jets and the motor is cut up into sections. High-pressure spray rails are produced with standard equipment, for example Digital Control equipment, delivering high-pressure jets, the pressure being about 300 MPa, by means of two pumps. In general, there will be one section that does not contain propellant but a large part of the nozzle; this section containing no pyrotechnic substance is removed from the sequence. - The
other sections 10 of the motor are taken up by another conveyor and carried, through an airlock, into thecooling station 2 where they are cooled by immersion in the cryogenic liquid. This station essentially comprises a long bath in which several sections suitably spaced apart are immersed. The sections are moved along as the process takes place and they therefore remain a long time in the liquid, thereby cooling them down to temperatures of about −100° C. - The sections are directed, one by one, via another airlock, to the
fragmentation station 3 where the propellant bonded to the casing section is fragmented. An example of a device is illustrated in greater detail inFIG. 2 . - In this station, the suitably oriented section is deformed by compressing the casing. The propellant, embrittled and cracked by the cooling, fragments. The fragments are recovered for subsequent treatment.
- The casing sections emptied of propellant are directed to a
residue deactivation station 6. In this example, the deactivation of the sections is carried out by immersing the said sections in a tank containing water. - The propellant fragments are directed to a
fine milling station 4 using knife mills with water spray. Standard high-performance machines, with a few safety modifications, can treat up to 1000 kg of propellant per hour. - The particles obtained after fine milling are introduced, in the
dissolution station 5, into a reactor of large volume, the said reactor being well stirred and thermally regulated in order to increase the rate at which the oxidizing charge dissolves in the water. - In this diagram, all the various handling means have not been shown in detail, nor have the devices for opening and closing the airlocks of the plant, nor the services for each work station.
-
FIG. 2 a) shows schematically a side view andFIG. 2 b) a plan view of anapparatus 11 for extracting the propellant from a cooledrocket motor section 10. - The apparatus essentially comprises a
rectangular stand 13, anchored on four feet, with astop 14 on one of the sides of the stand and ahydropneumatic jack 15 fastened on the opposite side, the jack being placed horizontally. - The
rocket motor section 10 to be treated is held, with its axis vertical, by a handling means shown schematically by thereference 12. The said handling means brings themotor section 10 between thestop 14 and thejack rod 16. - The
jack rod 16 bears on the casing of the motor section approximately one third the way along its length starting from the bottom of the section. The displacement of thejack rod 16 is defined in order to subject the casing to a deformation which remains within the elastic deformation range of the latter, to fragment the cold propellant and to separate it from the casing. - A
receptacle 17, containing water in order to make the propellant fragments that drop simply under gravity inert, is placed beneath the motor section, the saidreceptacle 17 being shown only inFIG. 2 a). - This apparatus is placed in a suitable room with entry and exit airlocks and all the services needed for remote-controlled operation.
Claims (19)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
FR0308474A FR2857357B1 (en) | 2003-07-10 | 2003-07-10 | METHOD AND INSTALLATION FOR DESTRUCTION OF SOLID PROPERGOL ENGINES |
FR0308474 | 2003-07-10 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20070161844A1 true US20070161844A1 (en) | 2007-07-12 |
US7249553B1 US7249553B1 (en) | 2007-07-31 |
Family
ID=33443260
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/855,322 Expired - Fee Related US7249553B1 (en) | 2003-07-10 | 2004-05-28 | Process and plant for destroying solid-propellant rocket motors |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US7249553B1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1496333B1 (en) |
AT (1) | ATE336707T1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE602004001938T2 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2270306T3 (en) |
FR (1) | FR2857357B1 (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2011021969A1 (en) * | 2009-08-21 | 2011-02-24 | Olcon Engineering Ab | Closed vessel arrangement for safe destruction of rocket motors |
US9777673B2 (en) | 2011-06-15 | 2017-10-03 | Roxel France | Alternative method for dismantling solid-propellant motors |
CN110006298A (en) * | 2019-05-22 | 2019-07-12 | 中国人民解放军32181部队 | Artillery rocket automates apportioned effort line |
CN110030886A (en) * | 2019-05-22 | 2019-07-19 | 中国人民解放军32181部队 | Artillery rocket propellant pours out device and artillery rocket resolving device automatically |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102004034784B4 (en) * | 2004-07-09 | 2009-08-27 | Spreewerk Lübben GmbH | Process and device for the decommissioning of explosive-containing bodies |
DE102008041973A1 (en) * | 2008-09-10 | 2010-03-11 | Grv Luthe Kampfmittelbeseitigung Gmbh | Method and apparatus for the decommissioning of ammunition with combustible content and for the recovery of ammunition shell material |
Citations (15)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3075461A (en) * | 1960-10-28 | 1963-01-29 | Bilker & Moyerman | Method and apparatus for detonating radio frequency sensitive blasting caps |
US3440096A (en) * | 1962-07-16 | 1969-04-22 | Byron Jackson Inc | Method of removing solid propellant |
US4376666A (en) * | 1980-10-06 | 1983-03-15 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Process for the recovery of carborane from reject propellant |
US4854982A (en) * | 1989-01-31 | 1989-08-08 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Method to dimilitarize extract, and recover ammonium perchlorate from composite propellants using liquid ammonia |
US4909868A (en) * | 1989-10-16 | 1990-03-20 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Extraction and recovery of plasticizers from solid propellants and munitions |
US5025632A (en) * | 1989-06-13 | 1991-06-25 | General Atomics | Method and apparatus for cryogenic removal of solid materials |
US5220107A (en) * | 1987-10-19 | 1993-06-15 | United Technologies Corporation | Process for the preparation of solid rocket propellant and other solid explosives for thermal disposal or reclamation |
US5284995A (en) * | 1993-03-08 | 1994-02-08 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Method to extract and recover nitramine oxidizers from solid propellants using liquid ammonia |
US5331106A (en) * | 1992-02-04 | 1994-07-19 | Aerojet General Corporation | Resource recovery system |
US5430229A (en) * | 1992-12-30 | 1995-07-04 | Hercules Incorporated | Chemical process for disposal of rocket propellant containing nitrate ester |
US5501132A (en) * | 1994-08-31 | 1996-03-26 | Global Environmental Solutions, Inc. | Dry preparation of particulate solid energetic material |
US5524545A (en) * | 1991-08-30 | 1996-06-11 | Global Environmental Solutions, Inc. | Process and apparatus for photolytic degradation of explosives |
US5552093A (en) * | 1989-06-05 | 1996-09-03 | Lee; David E. | Process for the removal of a solid rocket propellant from a rocket motor case |
US5941466A (en) * | 1994-11-10 | 1999-08-24 | Alba; Helmut | Process and device for chopping a body of solid explosives, especially composite rocket fuels |
US6245958B1 (en) * | 1997-09-12 | 2001-06-12 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | Methods for non-incendiary disposal of rockets, projectiles, missiles and parts thereof |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR1358860A (en) * | 1962-07-16 | 1964-04-17 | Bj Service | Method and apparatus for removing solid propellant from a cylinder |
DE3447647C1 (en) * | 1984-12-28 | 1986-05-07 | Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., 8000 München | Method and device for opening up rockets |
RU2143660C1 (en) * | 1998-04-28 | 1999-12-27 | Федеральный центр двойных технологий "Союз" | Method for destruction of solid propellant charges |
JP3565769B2 (en) * | 2000-08-03 | 2004-09-15 | 川崎重工業株式会社 | Water jet nozzle used for shell dismantling |
-
2003
- 2003-07-10 FR FR0308474A patent/FR2857357B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2004
- 2004-05-13 AT AT04291225T patent/ATE336707T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2004-05-13 EP EP04291225A patent/EP1496333B1/en not_active Not-in-force
- 2004-05-13 ES ES04291225T patent/ES2270306T3/en active Active
- 2004-05-13 DE DE602004001938T patent/DE602004001938T2/en active Active
- 2004-05-28 US US10/855,322 patent/US7249553B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (15)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3075461A (en) * | 1960-10-28 | 1963-01-29 | Bilker & Moyerman | Method and apparatus for detonating radio frequency sensitive blasting caps |
US3440096A (en) * | 1962-07-16 | 1969-04-22 | Byron Jackson Inc | Method of removing solid propellant |
US4376666A (en) * | 1980-10-06 | 1983-03-15 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Process for the recovery of carborane from reject propellant |
US5220107A (en) * | 1987-10-19 | 1993-06-15 | United Technologies Corporation | Process for the preparation of solid rocket propellant and other solid explosives for thermal disposal or reclamation |
US4854982A (en) * | 1989-01-31 | 1989-08-08 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Method to dimilitarize extract, and recover ammonium perchlorate from composite propellants using liquid ammonia |
US5552093A (en) * | 1989-06-05 | 1996-09-03 | Lee; David E. | Process for the removal of a solid rocket propellant from a rocket motor case |
US5025632A (en) * | 1989-06-13 | 1991-06-25 | General Atomics | Method and apparatus for cryogenic removal of solid materials |
US4909868A (en) * | 1989-10-16 | 1990-03-20 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Extraction and recovery of plasticizers from solid propellants and munitions |
US5524545A (en) * | 1991-08-30 | 1996-06-11 | Global Environmental Solutions, Inc. | Process and apparatus for photolytic degradation of explosives |
US5331106A (en) * | 1992-02-04 | 1994-07-19 | Aerojet General Corporation | Resource recovery system |
US5430229A (en) * | 1992-12-30 | 1995-07-04 | Hercules Incorporated | Chemical process for disposal of rocket propellant containing nitrate ester |
US5284995A (en) * | 1993-03-08 | 1994-02-08 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army | Method to extract and recover nitramine oxidizers from solid propellants using liquid ammonia |
US5501132A (en) * | 1994-08-31 | 1996-03-26 | Global Environmental Solutions, Inc. | Dry preparation of particulate solid energetic material |
US5941466A (en) * | 1994-11-10 | 1999-08-24 | Alba; Helmut | Process and device for chopping a body of solid explosives, especially composite rocket fuels |
US6245958B1 (en) * | 1997-09-12 | 2001-06-12 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | Methods for non-incendiary disposal of rockets, projectiles, missiles and parts thereof |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2011021969A1 (en) * | 2009-08-21 | 2011-02-24 | Olcon Engineering Ab | Closed vessel arrangement for safe destruction of rocket motors |
US8661960B2 (en) | 2009-08-21 | 2014-03-04 | Dynasafe International Ab | Closed vessel arrangement for safe destruction of rocket motors |
US9777673B2 (en) | 2011-06-15 | 2017-10-03 | Roxel France | Alternative method for dismantling solid-propellant motors |
CN110006298A (en) * | 2019-05-22 | 2019-07-12 | 中国人民解放军32181部队 | Artillery rocket automates apportioned effort line |
CN110030886A (en) * | 2019-05-22 | 2019-07-19 | 中国人民解放军32181部队 | Artillery rocket propellant pours out device and artillery rocket resolving device automatically |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP1496333A1 (en) | 2005-01-12 |
FR2857357A1 (en) | 2005-01-14 |
ATE336707T1 (en) | 2006-09-15 |
EP1496333B1 (en) | 2006-08-16 |
DE602004001938D1 (en) | 2006-09-28 |
FR2857357B1 (en) | 2005-08-19 |
US7249553B1 (en) | 2007-07-31 |
ES2270306T3 (en) | 2007-04-01 |
DE602004001938T2 (en) | 2007-03-08 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US8066053B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for assisting removal of sand moldings from castings | |
EP0433638B1 (en) | Method and plant for the disposal of partly recycled refrigerators | |
US7249553B1 (en) | Process and plant for destroying solid-propellant rocket motors | |
US4662893A (en) | Hydraulic waste propellant macerator and method of use | |
US20120227876A1 (en) | Recovery of the energetic component from plastic bonded explosives | |
US6245958B1 (en) | Methods for non-incendiary disposal of rockets, projectiles, missiles and parts thereof | |
US5331106A (en) | Resource recovery system | |
CN111072435B (en) | Processing device and processing method for invalid propellant | |
CN1318620C (en) | Spongy platinum deoxidation method and hydrogen reducing furnace using the method and spongy platinum crushing method | |
US9777673B2 (en) | Alternative method for dismantling solid-propellant motors | |
US5552093A (en) | Process for the removal of a solid rocket propellant from a rocket motor case | |
CN109092852B (en) | Stripping method of butylated hydroxytoluene composite solid propellant and engine shell | |
KR100828888B1 (en) | Method for assisting removal of sand moldings from castings | |
CN109870019A (en) | A kind of oil-containing steel scrap high temperature drying process for producing line | |
US6342190B1 (en) | Process for increasing recovery of precious metals in an ore processing operation | |
WO1996006322A1 (en) | Process and device for final disposal of conventional ammunition | |
JP3292271B2 (en) | Waste brick treatment method for metal smelting furnace | |
JP6901073B2 (en) | How to collect valuables from the object to be processed | |
JP4510666B2 (en) | Porous material weakening treatment apparatus and weakening treatment method | |
KR20010002569A (en) | Method for Eliminating of Fouling Using ECOB Method under the LNJC or SQUAN Conditions | |
JPH08136200A (en) | Gunpowder removing method for artillery shell or the like | |
KR20070052360A (en) | Method for assisting removal of sand moldings from castings | |
Follin et al. | Cryofracture Demilitarization of Munitions (Phase II) | |
JPH0313899A (en) | Blast device | |
JPH06310035A (en) | Environmentally safe disposing method for buried ballast and the like of used fluorescent lamp including refreshing and/or recycling of component part |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: SNPE MATERIAUX ENERGETIQUES, FRANCE Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:GAUDRE, MARIE;MARCHAND, ERIC;TAUZIA, JEAN-MICHEL;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:015456/0805;SIGNING DATES FROM 20040413 TO 20040414 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: SNPE MATERIAUX ENERGETIQUES, FRANCE Free format text: RE-RECORD TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE'S ADDRESS, FILED ON MAY 28, 2004, PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 015456 FRAME 0805.;ASSIGNORS:GAUDRE, MARIE;MARCHAND, ERIC;TAUZIA, JEAN MICHEL;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:017056/0832;SIGNING DATES FROM 20040413 TO 20040414 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 4 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: SME, FRANCE Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:SNPE MATERIAUX ENERGETIQUES;REEL/FRAME:030210/0679 Effective date: 20110405 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HERAKLES, FRANCE Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:SME;REEL/FRAME:030217/0925 Effective date: 20120525 |
|
REMI | Maintenance fee reminder mailed | ||
LAPS | Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees | ||
STCH | Information on status: patent discontinuation |
Free format text: PATENT EXPIRED DUE TO NONPAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEES UNDER 37 CFR 1.362 |
|
FP | Lapsed due to failure to pay maintenance fee |
Effective date: 20150731 |