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RDECOM ALR Program
Lead-Free, DBX-1 Projects
Neha Mehta
Oct 2016
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Unclassified
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Neha Mehta
Technical Lead, Chemical Engineer
Explosives Development Branch
973-724-2912
Airborne Lead Reduction IPR
Qualification of Green Primary Explosive,
DBX-1 (ALR 14-01)
08/30/2016
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Qualification of Green Primary Explosive,
DBX-1 (ALR 14-01)
Project Description
ARDEC will qualify Copper (I) 5-
Nitrotetrazolate (DBX-1) at 500-gram scale to
Army performance requirements
Replace lead azide and lead styphnate in
detonators, some primers, blasting caps, etc.
(studies already completed at lab scale)
Produce and qualify green NOL-130 (stab
mix) for detonators
Transition to field through SWO-10
Requirement/Impact
Addresses AERTA PP-12-09-02 by qualifying
a lead-free primary explosive for Army use
Until DBX-1 is qualified, there are no Army
qualified primary explosive alternatives to lead
based compounds in detonators, primers, etc.
NAS study on lead exposure on firing ranges
finds current occupational exposure level in
not protective of soldiers/workers on ranges.
M115 Primer 25mm Round
Progress ReportKey dates
Endorsement signed by PEO-AMMO: 3Q-FY13
TTA signed by PM-CCS: 4Q-FY16
End/transition point: 3Q-FY16
Recent accomplishments/issues
12 month aging completed
All results compare to PSEMC batch
Working on final qualification report
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What is the intended end product? Qualify DBX-1 as an Army primary explosive as a replacement of lead azide,
lead styphnate and DXN-1 Established process to make more environmentally sustainable stab mix
qualified for use in the Army Transition upon approval by Army Energetic Material Qualification (EMQ)
Board, incorporate DBX-1 into SWO-10
What is the technical approach? Perform testing according to Army EMQ matrix with 12 months aging PSEMC produce 5-100 grams batches of DBX-1 blended to one lot Load M55 Detonators with DBX-1 as transfer charge and green stab mix at DZI Complete First Article Testing DBX-1 not currently qualified to Army requirements PHC completed Toxicology Assessment of DBX-1 (leverage ESTCP)
What specific weapon system applications will the product transition to? Stab detonators (M55, M98, M61) Primers (#41, M42, M115) Blasting Caps (M6, M7, M11) APOBS Hand Grenade Fuze Detonator
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Project Description (ALR-14-01)
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What performance, regulatory and other drivers is the project addressing?
Addresses AERTA PP-12-09-02 by qualifying a lead-free primary explosive for
Army use
Revision to lead NAAQS for airborne lead
NAS study on lead exposure on firing ranges finds current occupational
exposure level is not protective of soldiers/workers on ranges
What are the impacts and benefits of the project?
ESOH: Reduce lead from the environment and lead exposure for
soldiers/workers in potentially 1000s of items
Economic: Title III Defense Production Act (OSD) office is investing in
producing DBX-1 at larger scale, work will start FY16 onwards. Once
qualification is complete, material produced through the Title III effort will be
used to test in items. Anticipate production costs same as lead azide
($700/lb); reduction in cost of more than 50%.
Scientific: Industry has approved use of DBX-1 but not yet approved to Army
requirements. Lead-free primers in industry do not meet Army performance
requirements.
Other: Potential range restrictions if firing ranges are not compliant with
occupational exposure levels or if occupational exposure level are reduced.
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Requirement/Impact (ALR-14-01)
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Neha Mehta
Technical Lead, Chemical Engineer
Explosives Development Branch
973-724-2912
Airborne Lead Reduction IPR
Continuous Process to Produce NaNT/DBX-1
(ALR 13-02)
08/30/2016
Andrew Pearsall/Jerry Salan
Nalas Engineering
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Continuous Process to Produce
NaNT/DBX-1 (ALR 13-02)
Project DescriptionARDEC/Nalas Engineering will develop one-
pot, high yielding, safe process to produce
NaNT (for production of DBX-1)
Develop kinetic model for the synthesis of
NaNT (Nalas Engineering) to understand the
reaction kinetics to determine process variables
that avoid hazardous conditions and impurities
From one-pot process directly convert the
crude NaNT solution to make DBX-1
Transition process specification to manufacturer
Requirement/Impact
Addresses AERTA PP-12-09-02 by
developing a large-scale production process
for a lead-free primary explosive: DBX-1
Current production processes can not meet
Army production requirements. Continuous
process will increase throughput and reduce
worker exposure to sensitive materials.
DBX-1 could be used in 1000s of systems
Progress ReportKey dates
Endorsement signed by PEO-AMMO: 3Q-FY13
TTA signed by PM-CCS: 4Q-FY16
End/transition point: 1Q-FY17
Recent accomplishments/issues
Nalas Engineering received and installed the 5-
L reactor with the sampling system – Dec 2014
Produced 3 batches of NaNT successfully
DBX-1 produced successfully from NaNT
Design and Testing of 20-L reactor completed
2 out of 3 batch produced and were successful
Lean Process to Produce NaNT/DBX-1
NaNT Manufacture
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What is the intended end product? Develop a one-pot, high yield and safe process to make NaNT and
integrate the process to produce DBX-1 Process specification will be transitioned to proposed manufacturer
What is the technical approach? The current synthetic process for NaNT can not be scaled further since
there are issues with unsafe micro-detonations during the process and also requires further purification through a controlled laboratory titration
Design a remote, scalable process that produces high quality NaNT Fabricate a 20L reactor suitable for “one-pot” NaNT process Demonstrate that NaNT produced is suitable for DBX-1 process
What specific weapon system applications will the product transition to? 1000s of items use lead based primary explosives Stab detonators (M55, M98, M61) Primers (#41, M42, M115) Blasting Caps (M6, M7, M11)
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Project Description (ALR-13-02)
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What performance, regulatory and other drivers is the project addressing?
Addresses AERTA PP-12-09-02 by developing a large-scale production process for a lead-free
primary explosive: DBX-1
Need a scalable, safe process to make NaNT, as it is the precursor for DBX-1
NAS study on lead exposure on firing ranges finds current occupational exposure level is not
protective of soldiers/workers on ranges
What are the impacts and benefits of the project?
ESOH: Reduce lead from the environment and lead exposure for soldiers/workers. Using DBX-1 as
LA replacement, DoD will save cost and simultaneously be in compliance with executive orders
requiring the replacement of toxic materials. It will also enable DoD to reduce lead exposure on
firing ranges and shoot houses.
Economic: Eliminated ~30% labor (e.g. titration, isolating NaNT solids) and ~25% material costs
(e.g. titration, waste). Eliminated NaNT solution storage costs (e.g. just in time manufacturing).
Title III OSD office is investing in producing DBX-1 at larger scale, work will start FY17
onwards. This would benefit to have a one-pot process and not delay in the production. This
will bring cost of DBX-1 to same or lower than lead azide, $700/lb.
Scientific: This process consists of fewer steps and is a continuous and one pot process instead of
tedious unsafe process initially developed.
Other: The current process has challenges with unsafe micro-detonations during the process and
requires further purification to afford DBX-1. Need a high yield one pot process to make NaNT.
This will reduce worker exposure to material as the current process requires manual separation.
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Requirement/Impact (ALR 13-02)
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Neha Mehta
Technical Lead, Chemical Engineer
Explosives Development Branch
973-724-2912
Airborne Lead Reduction IPR
DBX-1 Particle Size Characterization (ALR 15-01)
08/30/2016 Jerry Salan
David Ford
Daving Piercey
Nalas Engineering
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DBX-1 Particle Size Characterization
(ALR 15-01)
Project Description
ARDEC and Nalas Engineering will develop a
process to produce different particle size of
copper(I) 5-nitrotetrazolate (DBX-1), similar to RDX
and HMX, for different applications
Having different particle size of DBX-1 will benefit
all items such as primers, detonators, blasting caps
Optimize process parameters, categorize particle
size distributions and test in different items
Process specifications transition to manufacturer
selected in Title III DPA project
Requirement/Impact
Addresses AERTA PP-12-09-02 by developing
new particle sizes for lead-free primary explosive
Although a viable candidate for a drop-in
replacement has been identified in DBX-1,
transition towards commercialization is hindered
by particle size distribution and ability to load the
material in various units
Particles sizes increase packing fraction and
number of potential applications for DBX-1
Progress Report
Key dates
Endorsement signed by PEO-AMMO: 3Q-FY13
TTA signed by PM-CCS: 4Q-FY16
End/transition point: 1Q-FY17
Recent accomplishments/issues
Working with different process to achieve
different particle size
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What is the intended end product? A controlled process will be specified to formulate different particle sizes of
DBX-1 - different particle sizes will help meet performance requirements for diverse component sizes of detonators, primers, initiators, etc.
Standardized process will transition to manufacturing partners
What is the technical approach? Leverage prior experience in optimizing NaNT/DBX-1 process to understand
the effect of impeller speed and geometry on DBX-1 particle size
Modeling software will be used to design a series of scaled-down
experiments in which mixing parameters and resulting influence on particle
size will be examined.
Study the effect of seed type on final crystal form (i.e., agglomerated vs.
single crystal). Other parameters such as reaction time, concentration will
be evaluated.
What specific weapon system applications will the product transition to? All items that are proposing to use DBX-1, which includes
Stab detonators (M55, M98, M61)
Electric Detonators (M100)
Primers (#41, M42, M115)
Blasting Caps (M6, M7, M11)
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Project Description (ALR 15-01)
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What performance, regulatory and other drivers is the project addressing? Addresses AERTA PP-12-09-02 by increasing potential applications for lead-free primary
explosive (DBX-1) Scaling up DBX-1 requires utilization of larger equipment. Crystallizations do not scale-up
predictably; mass transfer and mixing depend on the equipment geometry and its configuration. The existing particle size distribution (PSD) is not ideal for all potential applications using DBX-1.
Revision to lead NAAQS for airborne lead NAS study on lead exposure on firing ranges finds current occupational exposure level is
not protective of soldiers/workers on ranges
What are the impacts and benefits of the project? ESOH: Reduce lead in up to 1000s of weapon systems and lead exposure for
soldiers/workers Economic: There would be no extra cost associated with producing different particle size
as it would be part of the process. This project will save cost from milling to smaller size when needed for electric detonator to replace lead styphnate spot charge.
Scientific: Current processes produce single particle size DBX-1. Process characterization is needed to consistently produce multi-particle size DBX-1 for a variety of Army applications. This new process can be applied to other material production processes.
Other: Transition towards commercialization is hindered by particle size distribution and ability to load the material in various units. Different particle size can effect the performance and loading ability. Having different classes of DBX-1 and identifying the process would employ consistent material process and performance.
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Requirement/Impact (ALR-15-01)
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Neha Mehta
Technical Lead, Chemical Engineer
Explosives Development Branch
973-724-2912
Airborne Lead Reduction IPR
Green Improved Process to Load Primers
(ALR 14-02) 08/30/2016
Matthew Puszynski
Zac Doorenbos
Innovative Materials and Processes, LLC
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Green Improved Process to Load Primers
(ALR 14-02)
Project Description
ARDEC and Innovative Materials and
Processes, LLC (IMP) will develop an
automated loading process for lead-free
primer formulations.
Develop DBX-1 based formulation for potential
use in percussion primer.
Leverage prior research in primer loading
technologies to apply to DBX-1 based
formulations.
Requirement/Impact
Addresses AERTA PP-12-09-02 by developing a process to produce lead-free primers -currently all the primers are based on lead styphnate.
New, automated loading process will reduce operator error (reducing malfunction) and increase # of primers produced per shift/year.
Process will reduce worker exposure to hazardous and very sensitive explosives.
Progress Report
Key Dates:
Endorsement signed by PEO-AMMO: 3Q-FY13
TTA signed by PM-CCS: 4Q-FY16
End/transition point: 4Q-FY18
Recent accomplishments/issuesSolvent and binder selected;
DBX-1 based primer formulation selected;
Slurry loading of M42 primers demonstrated.
Current
Manual Process
Future Automated
Dispensing Process
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What is the intended end product? Automated loading process for lead-free primer formulations. Transition to GOCO plants such as LCAAP for loading primers as
part of modernization.
What is the technical approach? ARDEC, with EQT P2 support, developed a new DBX-1 based
formulation for potential use in percussion primers. Leverage Innovative Materials and Processes (IMP) automated
loading process core technology developed under Army and Navy SBIR programs (can be applied to process sensitive energetic mixtures, which require precise dosing into applications).
Evaluate automated system for very precise, remote, reliable and repeatable dosing of lead-free primer mixtures.
What specific weapon system applications will the product transition to? Primers (#41, M42, #34, #50M, M115)
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Project Description (ALR 14-02)
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What performance, regulatory and other drivers is the project addressing? Addresses AERTA PP-12-09-02 by developing a process to produce lead-free primers
Currently all the primers are based on lead styphnate Revision to lead NAAQS Multiple federal environmental regulations NAS study on lead exposure on firing ranges.
What are the impacts and benefits of the project? ESOH: Reduce operator exposure to lead-based primary exposure and breathing of
solvent vapors. Reduction in hazardous waste. Also, reduction of dusting via proper binder control
Economic: New automated loading process will reduce operator error (reducing malfunction) and increase # of primers produced per shift/year. Anticipated primer loading will be less expensive using this process.
Scientific: State of the art uses manual loading processes. Automated processes have been developed for alternative primer formulations; however, they have not been optimized for DBX-1 formulation. Controlled Process – Producibility will increase 100% as material will be homogeneous and loading will be done with accuracy.
Other: Currently two operators can load 3600 primers in one shift (918,000 primers/year). Depending on the # of stations set up, this can be automated process and can make over 100,000 in one shift. There is only one processing method to make primers and is dependent on operators and conditions. This would eliminate the operator dependent process.
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Requirement/Impact (ALR 14-02)
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Neha Mehta
Technical Lead, Chemical Engineer
Explosives Development Branch
973-724-2912
Airborne Lead Reduction IPR
Detonator Demonstration (ALR 15-02)
08/30/2016
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Detonator Demonstration (ALR 15-02)
Project Description
ARDEC will demonstrate DBX-1 as a
replacement for lead azide and lead styphnate
in:
Detonators for projectile/mortar fuzes
Detonators for hand grenade fuzes
Blasting caps
Leverage prior formulation efforts in EQT
program
Requirement/Impact
Addresses AERTA PP-12-09-02 by replacing lead based primary explosives with DBX-1 in detonators and blasting caps
Reduce lead styphnate and lead azide with one material
Loading process will reduce worker exposure to hazardous and very sensitive explosives
Progress ReportKey Dates
Endorsement signed by PEO-AMMO: 3Q-FY13
TTA signed by PEO Ammo: 4Q-FY16
End/transition point: 2Q-FY18
Recent accomplishments/issues
M100 electric detonator: 100+ spot charged
with DBX-1 and transfer charge as DBX-1, all
successful fired – LAT completed and
successful
C70 detonator: In-house testing successful
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What is the intended end product? DBX-1 demonstrated as a viable lead azide and lead styphnate
alternative for lead-free Detonators, Blasting Caps for mortars, projectile and grenade fuzes
What is the technical approach? ARDEC, with EQT support, have tested DBX-1 as lead azide
replacement in stab and electric detonators Load M55 and M100 electric detonators with DBX-1, lead-free material
and evaluate the performance and compare to standard detonators Perform LAT and performance testing with Lead/booster output test Perform dent depth testing for detonators and blasting caps and
compare
What specific weapon system applications will the product transition to? Mortars Fuzes Projectile Fuzes Hand Grenade Fuzes Blasting Caps – M6, M7, etc.
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Project Description (ALR 15-02)
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What performance, regulatory and other drivers is the project
addressing? Addresses AERTA PP-12-09-02 by developing lead-free end items
Currently all the detonators, blasting caps are based on lead styphnate/lead azide
Revision to lead NAAQS Multiple federal environmental regulations NAS study on lead exposure on firing ranges shows that current OEL
is not protective of workers and soldiers on firing ranges.
What are the impacts and benefits of the project? ESOH: Reduce operator exposure to lead-based primary exposure
and breathing of solvent vapors. Reduction in hazardous waste. Economic: DBX-1 works as lead azide and lead styphnate replacing
in many detonators and primers. When replacing lead material with DBX-1, usually requires 30-40% less material due to its density and performance output.
Scientific: There will be only one replacement for both material and will avoid separation and loading issues.
Other: Current mix is not government owned TDP
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Requirement/Impact (ALR 15-02)