Current production of AF-M315E relies on foreign sourced materials. It also includes a nitration step to make HEHN from HEH which is currently done in a slow batch process. This program will build a microreactor to continuously produce HEHN, reducing the total time spent on the nitration process from weeks to days. This program will also scale up the electrolytic cell built in the Phase I program to produce HAN on a large enough scale to meet the needs for AF-M315E. DSSP has already successfully demonstrated that HAN can be made in a electrolytic cell which has the capability to produce very clean HAN with very low metals contamination. As stockpiles of Arch Chemical HAN are depleting, a domestic source of HAN is needed to meet the increasing demand for AF-M315E while maintaining a high quality product. When the GPIM mission flies, demand for AF-M315E is expected to increase. This program will allow DSSP to keep up with demand more efficiently with a small lab and keep the price of AF-M315E reasonable.
