Mixed Base Hydrogen Peroxide (MHP) has been utilized and well documented in its application to Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser (COIL) and Airborne Laser (ABL) systems. There is, however, a need to vary recipes of a variety of solid caustics with H2O and mix these in a system that is portable. Design of a small scale, air transportable unit, capable of mixing/blending a variety of solid caustic recipes will be completed in Phase I. This unit will be unique in its design in that the components, including instrumentation and controls, are sized/located in a novel manner to assure air transportability with simple and quick assembly/disassembly. Vitok has significant experience (35 years) in development of chemical processes, and incorporating these process designs with equipment selection to assure conformance to predetermined size constraints. Vitok has outlined a comprehensive Phase I plan for development of process and design of process system equipment to achieve good blending and mixing as well as air transportability. This system has the capability to easily be increased in size from 3000 kg per three (3) hours (Phase I parameters) to well over twenty (20) times this volume, which would apply to commercial production and applications. Anticipated Benefits/Commercial Applications: The development of a simple and quick setup, deployable crystalline solid caustic processing system will establish a system capable of being utilized at almost any location. The initial small-scale air transportable unit developed primarily for the military will be extremely useful and beneficial to commercial companies who desire to obtain a pilot (test) facility. This facility can be set up on companiesÂ’ premises to test the concept of solid caustic production and allow for long-term evaluation of the system and its products(s) to determine applicability for each commercial application. Based on the initial design and success in prototype testing, commercial scale systems can be designed and developed. This system may be skid mounted (modularized) or, more likely, scaled up to much larger sizes, which would require larger scale, and permanently mounted components. While the government applications related to COIL and ABL and propulsion are well known, it is likely that the final products could achieve a wide variety of commercial uses in areas such as textile, polymers, foods, dairies, minerals, petrochemicals, waste water applications, and the like.
Keywords: Mixed Base Hydrogen Peroxide, Caustic, Caustic Solid/Liquid Production, Caustic Heat of Solution, Crystalline Caustic Blending, Solid Caustic Blending, COIL, ABL
