SBIR-STTR Award

Processing of Energetic Materials with Supercritical Fluids
Award last edited on: 8/8/2012

Sponsored Program
SBIR
Awarding Agency
DOD : Navy
Total Award Amount
$574,724
Award Phase
2
Solicitation Topic Code
N91-289
Principal Investigator
M Lalith Kumar

Company Information

Thar Technologies Inc (AKA: Thar Designs Inc)

730 William Pitt Way
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
   (412) 826-3939
   murray@thardesigns.com
   www.thartech.com
Location: Multiple
Congr. District: 17
County: Allegheny

Phase I

Contract Number: N00174-92-C-0071
Start Date: 5/19/1992    Completed: 11/19/1992
Phase I year
1991
Phase I Amount
$49,725
The various departments of defense possess explosives and propellants produced since 1948. The stability of these old explosives and propellants are in question and the Army is required to dispose these explosives. The total amount of obsolete explosives is around 300 million tons and increasing every year. These can be disposed of by burning using the Open Pad Burning Method which is virtually been abolished by the EPA and alternate mehtods such as the incinerator have been proposed. Current incinerator systems can handle only 0.5 lbs/hr of explosives because they contain to much. Currently extraction mehtodology for demilitarization of propellants and explosives use carcinogenic hydrocarbon solvents, are time consuming, insufficiently sensitive, labor intensive and costly. Besides, bydrocarbon solvents are expensive, require vacuum distillation to remove the solvent from the extracted compounds, and the plant has to explosion proof. A new process, safe to personnel, meeting both OSHA and EPA requirements, using inexpensive solvent, not requiring explosion proof plant would be very useful in the demilitarization of the explosives and save the government considerable amount of money. The proposed research seeks to apply supercritical fluid technology to extract and separate energetic materials, stabilizers and non-polymerics from propellants and explosives.

Keywords:
supercritical explosives extractions energetic nitroglycerine nitroamines demilitarization

Phase II

Contract Number: N00174-95-C-0011
Start Date: 12/31/1994    Completed: 1/18/1997
Phase II year
1994
Phase II Amount
$524,999
There are numerous problems at the Department of Defense requiring a new and novel technology that can reduce pollution problems, meet both OSHA and EPA requirements and still be cost effective. Supercritical fluid technology have a potential to meet these requirements. Some of the problems that could use this technology are demilitarization of explosives, extraction of organic contaminants from water, production of void free nitrgunadine and RDX, extraction of organics from woil, reduction of radioactive wastes, extraction of pentachlorophenols from wook, and replacing freons for cleaning. THAR Designs has developed the equipment technology on the laboratory scale and is planning to refine this technology and develop it for a 100 liter pilot plant. Some of the other features include "Pulseless Pumping", automated opening and closing with "finger tight closures" and a smart self regulating depressurizing valve. Both extractions from solids and liquids will be investigated in this phase.

Keywords:
supercritical explosives hmx rdx extraction high pressure