QUANTIFYING ENERGETICS CONTAMINATION FOR LIVE - FIRE TRAINING ON MILITARY RANGES

Michael Walsh, Marianne Walsh, Charles A. Ramsey,

Sonia Thiboutot, Guy Ampleman

21 May 2013

European Conference of

Defence and the Environment

Introduction

• Training with live ammunition is critical to maintain the combat efficiency of armed forces.

• This requires the expenditure of energetic materials at the firing points and downrange in impact areas.

• All energetics are not consumed during detonation, leaving residues on the range.

• Range managers and those involved with range sustainability need solid information on the impacts of live fire training on the environment.

Presentation Outline • Problem definition

• An effective method of determining deposition rates

• Test procedures

– High-order detonations

– Low-order detonations

– Blow-in-place field disposal

– Close-proximity detonations

• Results of tests conducted

– Conventional munitions

– Insensitive munitions

• Summary

Problem Definition

• Munitions contain explosive compounds that are detrimental to the water quality within training ranges.

• These compounds, when occurring above established limits, will adversely affect the environment and human health.

• If these compounds occur at high enough concentrations in groundwater, range use may be suspended, restricted, or terminated, and very expensive remediation (> €1B) may be required.

• An effective, defensible method to determine the environmental loading of various activities pertaining to training with live ordnance is needed.

Energetic Components Present In Military Explosives

Formulation Uses Major Energetic Chemical Ingredients

Composition B Howitzer rounds, mortar and

tank cartridges

60% Military-grade RDX (Contains ≈ 10% HMX)

39% Military-grade TNT (Contains ≈ 1% other

TNT isomers and DNTs)

Composition C4 Demolition explosive 91% Military-grade RDX

TNT Howitzer rounds Military-grade TNT

Composition A4 40-mm grenades; fuzes Military-grade RDX

Tritonal Air Force bombs Military-grade TNT, aluminum

Octol Antitank rockets, AAA Military-grade HMX and TNT

PAX-21 (IM) Mortar & Grenade munitions RDX, DNAN, Ammonium Perchlorate (AP)

IMX-101 (IM) Howitzer rounds DNAN, NQ, NTO

IMX-104 (IM) Mortar cartridges NTO, DNAN, RDX

Energetic Components Present In Military Propellants

Formulation Uses Major Energetic Chemical Ingredients

Single-base Howitzers NC, DNT

Double-base Mortars, Small Arms, Small

(<100 mm) Rockets

NC, NG (DNT, AP added to some formulations)

Triple-base Larger howitzer rounds NC, NG, NQ

Rocket propellant Large rockets AP, aluminum

Some of these compounds also appear in explosives

Sources of Residues from Training with Explosives on Impact Ranges

• Corrosion of surface and subsurface UXO

• Rupture of UXO items by detonations

• Low-order (partial) detonations

• UXO blow-in-place operations (BIPs)

• High-order detonations

Challenges to Sampling • Access to impact ranges

• Separation of past events from current tests

• Placement of rounds (live-fire tests)

• Determination of detonation (high- vs. low-order)

• Determination of affected area (plume)

• Obtaining a reproducible sample

• Presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO)

An Elegant Solution: Sampling on Snow-covered Ice

• Separated from previous activities (including UXO)

• Easy to set up tests

• Easy determination of plume on snow surface

• Easy to collect samples

• No dilution from soils: Good for low mass / concentrations

• Processing and analysis straightforward

Use MULTI – INCREMENT ® Sampling

• Collect samples with: – At least 40 increments

– We use ≈100 for research

• Sample increment locations: – ≈ Evenly distribute through the

sampling unit starting at a random location in the first cell

Path of travel

Increment collection points for two separate MI samples

Sampling

Unit

100-increment Sample Collection Pattern

MULTI INCREMENT ® is a registered trademark of EnviroStat, Inc.

Testing of Munitions High-order Detonations

• Live rounds fired onto

ice-covered impact area

– OR –

• Use of fuze simulator to

mimic explosive train

• Snow surface sampled

for residues

• 7 – 10 detonations

sampled per test

Testing of Munitions Low-order Detonations

• More difficult – Few,

random occurrences

• Impact points observed

• Soil surface sampled

for residues

– OR –

• Use fuze simulator to

mimic functional low-

order dets

Testing of Munitions BIP Detonations

• External donor charge

• Fuzed rounds

• Spaced det points

• Snow surface

sampled for residues

• Can vary donor

charge and orientation

Testing of Munitions Close-proximity Detonations

• Simulated a detonating

fired round (fuze sim.)

• Orientation / location of

“UXO” controlled

• Post detonation

characterization of

UXO

• Post-detonation

characterization of

residues

• Mass balance

UXO

UXO

Detonating

Round

Test Results

Conventional Rounds – Comp B, TNT

Insensitive Munitions – PAX-21, IMX-104

Test Results Conventional Rounds: High-Order Detonations

Weapon

System

Number

tested

Analyte

Plume

Area (m2)

Mass of

Analyte* (mg)

Residue per

Round**

Mortars

60-mm 7 RDX/HMX 214 0.073 3.2E-05 %

81-mm 14 RDX/HMX 230 8.5 1.4E-03 %

120-mm 8 RDX/HMX 450 19 1.1E-03 %

Howitzers

105-mm 13 RDX/HMX 530 0.095 7.3E-06 %

155-mm 7 RDX/HMX 757 0.30 7.1E-06 %

7 TNT 938 BDL —

Rockets

203-mm 6 RDX — BDL —

* Mass of analyte per round estimated in plume

** As a percentage of the original mass of the analyte in the round

Test Results Conventional Rounds: Low-Order Detonations

Weapon

System

Site

Analyte

Plume

Area (m2)

Mass of

Analyte*

(mg)

Residue per

Round**

Mortars

120-mm 1 RDX/HMX 250 130,000 4.4 %

2 RDX/HMX 150 450,000 15 %

3 RDX/HMX 380 650,000 22 % * Mass of analyte per round estimated in plume (Collected chunks + analysis)

** As a percentage of the original mass of the analyte in the round

One low-order detonation = 1,000 high-order dets

Test Results Conventional Rounds: Blow-In-Place Detonations

Weapon

System

Number

tested

Analyte

Plume

Area (m2)

Mass of

Analyte* (mg)

Residue per

Round**

Mortars

60-mm 7 RDX/HMX 500 200 2.7E-02 %

81-mm 7 RDX/HMX 820 150 1.4E-02 %

120-mm 7 RDX/HMX 1500 25 1.1E-03 %

Howitzers

105-mm 7 RDX/HMX 860 50 2.8E-03 %

155-mm 7 RDX/HMX 1600 16 3.2E-06 %

7 TNT 2000 15 8.9E-05 %

Demolitions

C4 Block 13 RDX 138 5.9 1.1E-03 %

* Mass of analyte per round estimated in plume

** As a percentage of the original mass of the analyte in the round + donor block

Test Results Conventional Rounds: Close-Proximity Detonations

Weapon

System

Damage Descriptor*

Number of

Rounds

Distance from

Detonating

Round

Mortars

81-mm Intact: Surface damage 4 0.5 – 0.8 m

Pierced to HE filler 9 0.5 – 1.2 m

Low-order / Partial detonation 7 0.3 – 0.6 m

High-order detonation 1 0.5 m

Not recovered** 2 0.3 – 0.5 m * Visual assessment of damage to recovered “UXO”

** Round was ejected from the test area

Low Order Detonations

Pierced

Round

Partial

Detonations

UXO Damage from Close-Proximity Detonations

Test Results Conventional Rounds: Close-Proximity Detonations

Round

Distance

From

Detonation

Damage

Assessment*

Pieces

Recovered

Mass of HE

Recovered**

Deposition

Area (m2)

% Analyte

Recovered

4b 0.3 m Partial det 839 220 g 600 20%***

8a 0.5 m Low-order det 12 26 g — 1.1%

8b 0.5 m Pierced body 20 22 g 2 1.8%

9a 0.5 m Partial det 11 12 g — 1.0%

10a 0.5 m Low-order det 16 60 g 140 5.5%

* Visual assessment of damage to recovered “UXO”

** Mass recovered external to and intact munition

*** Percent of original mass of analyte in HE filler

Test Results: Conventional Munitions

Summary

• High-order detonations will leave very little

residues: 10-3 to 10-6 % of original HE load

• Blow-in-place will leave slightly higher levels

of residues: 10-2 to 10-6 % of original HE load

• Low order detonations will leave high levels

of HE over a large area

• Close-proximity detonation outcomes varied

but most UXO compromised

Insensitive Munitions Tests

• 60-mm Mortar Rounds

– PAX-21 IHE filler

– IMX-104 IHE filler

• 81-mm Mortar Rounds

– IMX-104 IHE filler

• Series of four tests

– High-order

– Low-order

– BIP: C4 Donor block

– BIP: Shaped charge

IM Tests

• High-order and BIP w/

C4 donor block

– Snow-covered ice

– Residues deposition

• Low-order and BIP

w/EFP or shaped

charge

– Cleared ice pad

– Particles & chunks

• BIPs fuzed

• HO & LO used fuze

simulators

Results: PAX-21

Low-order Detonations

• 33 – 34 g per detonation

• 12% of IHE

EFP BIPS

• 21 – 70 g per detonation

• 15% of IHE

High-order Detonations Donor Chg. BIP Detonations

Mass (g) Efficiency* Mass (g) Efficiency*

Organic Compounds

RDX 0.009 99.99% 0.87 99.9%

DNAN 0.007 99.99% 0.74 99.4%

Inorganic Compound

AP 14 85% 35 62%

1

10

100

1000

10000

0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000

Cumula

venumberpar

cles

Mass(g)

PAX21LO4

PAX21LO1

PAX21LO8

PAX21LO6

PAX21LO2&3

TNTLO

CompBLO

Donor Charge BIPs

*Percent of compound consumed during detonation

Results: PAX-21

• Photomicroscopy

– Characterization of AP

– AP Particles ≈400μm

• Raman spectroscopy

– Developed method for

perchlorate (935 nm)

– Confirmed AP crystals

935 nm

Courtesy David Ringelberg, CRREL

Results: PAX-21

• Dissolution Testing

- 98%+ of detected AP in

melted samples (0°C

water)

- Rapid dissolution of AP

from post-detonation

particles

- Leaves weakened RDX

/DNAN matrix

1 mL Water -

Drip Dissolution

Test

AP

Courtesy of Dr. Susan Taylor, CRREL / Dartmouth

Size ≈ 2 x 3 mm

Dartmouth µCT Scan

Voids

Results: PAX-21

• Organic Energetics

– Slightly higher deposition rates

– Consistent with hypothesis

• Perchlorates

– Very high deposition rates

– Loosely tied to organic deposition rates

– Severe implications for range sustainability

• Drinking water limits very low (≈2 ppb)

• 98% of mass recovered in aqueous portion of sample at

0.1°C

• High-orders: 3 – 13 million L of water contaminated per round

• BIPs: 10 to 27 million L of water contaminated per round

Results: IMX-104

Compound

High-order Detonations Donor Chg. BIP Detonations

Mass (g) Efficiency* Mass (g) Efficiency*

60-mm Mortar Rounds

RDX 0.005 99.99% 4.3 99.3%

DNAN 0.005 99.99% 10 90%

NTO 2.2 98.8% 15 74%

81-mm Mortar Rounds

RDX 0.016 99.99% 20 97%

DNAN 0.027 99.99% 45 83%

NTO 1.9 99.6% 233 45%

*Percent of original compound consumed during detonation

Results: IMX-104

• Photomicroscopy

– NTO Particles ≈400μm

– Very irregular shapes

• Dissolution Testing

– 99%+ of NTO in the

melted samples

– Rapid dissolution of NTO

from post-detonation

particles

– Leaves weakened

RDX/DNAN matrix Courtesy Dr. Susan Taylor, CRREL / Dartmouth

NTO

8 mL Water -

Drip Dissolution

Test

Dartmouth µCT Scan

Dissolution

Voids

Size ≈ 2 x 3 mm

Results: IMX-104

• RDX / HMX / DNAN

– Slightly higher deposition rates

– Consistent with hypothesis

• NTO

– Very high deposition rates

– Correlates with but much higher than other compounds

– Implications for range sustainability?

• High solubility in water

• 99% of mass recovered in aqueous portion of sample

• Toxicology tests not complete

• Do we take the chance?

Research Products • Developed method to obtain per-round post-

detonation energetic residue mass

• Developed method to detonate munitions

high order without firing or external charges

• Conducted first close-proximity detonation

tests to assess UXO damage

• Able to simulate LO detonations

• Built detonation efficiency / residues table for

detonation and BIP of common munitions

• Field data will enable range managers to

assess impacts of training with live

munitions

• Data is proving critical to weapons designers

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