Patent ID: 6777586
Filing Date: 2004-08-17
Classification: C06B,Y10S

Abstract:
A process for recovering the components of a munition containing explosive components and non-explosive components, wherein the explosive components are comprised of RDX in a TNT matrix and wherein the non-explosive components are selected from a liner material comprised of asphalt and a sealer material comprised of a polymeric material and which non-explosive components are of a lower density than said explosive components, which process comprises:a) opening said munition to expose said explosive and non-explosive components; b) removing substantially all of said explosive components and at least a portion of said non-explosive components from the munition, which explosive components and at least a portion of non-explosive components is referred to as the feed matrix, c) conducting the feed matrix to a first settling vessel containing water and wherein at least a portion of the non-explosive components rise to the surface of the water in said first setting vessel and the explosive components sink at a rate to the bottom, d) drawing-off water containing non-explosive components and passing it to a solids/liquid separation zone wherein the non-explosive solids are separated from the water; e) recycling at least a portion of the water to settling vessel of step c) above; f) conducting an aqueous slurry of explosive components from the bottom of said first settling vessel to a solvent contacting zone wherein the aqueous explosive components slurry is admixed with an organic solvent that is substantially immiscible in water and in which TNT is soluble and in which RDX is substantially insoluble; g) conducting an explosive components/water/solvent admixture from said contacting zone to a second settling vessel wherein a TNT/solvent solution organic phase is formed at the upper part of the vessel and an RDX solids in water phase is formed at the bottom part of said second settling vessel; h) drawing off the TNT/solvent solution and passing it to a liquid/liquid separation zone wherein said solvent is separated from said TNT by a boiling point differential technique thereby leaving TNT in a crystallized form; i) collecting said solvent; j) conducting the crystallized TNT to a drying zone to remove substantially any remaining liquid therefrom; and k) collecting the RDX solids from step g).