Method and apparatus for the destruction of suspected terrorist weapons by detonation in a contained environment

• US 6,354,181 B1
• Filed: 12/09/1999
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Progress Rail Services Corporation (Caterpillar Incorporated), Meridian Rail Acquisition Corp. (Greenbrier Cos., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Demil International, Inc.
• Inventors: Donovan, John L.
• Primary Examiner(s): TUDOR, HAROLD JAY
• Application Number:
  US09/457,976
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 86/49, 86/50, 588/202, 588/203, 110/203, 110/237, 110/242
• US Class Current: 86/50
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 33/06 Dismantling fuzes, cartridges, projectiles, missiles, rockets or bombs F42B33/004 and F42B33/04 take precedence; elimination of undesirable components of explosives C06B21/0091
• CPC Class Codes: F42D 5/045 Detonation-wave absorbing or damping means

Abstract

An apparatus and method for the destruction of terrorist weapons, including explosives chemical and biological agents, by detonation in an enclosed double-walled steel explosion chamber having its walls, access door and floor filled with granular shock damping material. The chamber is vented through orifices into vent pipes which converge in a manifold which exhausts into an expansion tank or scrubber for cooling, testing, and environmental treatment of the explosion products. A weapon to be destroyed is placed into the chamber with a donor explosive charge and held in place by a disintegratable string hammock, along with one or more plastic polymer film bags containing water. After closing the access door, the donor charge is detonated by an electrical detonation means. For use in destroying known or suspected chemical or biological weapons the donor charge is augmented with an oxidizing material such as potassium nitrate, and the resulting fireball is enhanced by powdered metal such as aluminum, to achieve an instantaneous pressure of 100 kilobars and instantaneous temperature of 3,000 degrees Celsius.

Claims

1. A device for the destruction of weapons by explosion, comprising:

a pressure-resistant vessel having an inner casing and an outer casing surrounding and spaced from the inner casing, said inner casing defining an enclosed chamber having walls, a floor and a ceiling, with at least one door opening penetrating said casings and being closed by a sealable access door;

an external manifold;

a plurality of orifices penetrating the inner casing of said enclosed chamber, each said orifice being connected to the external manifold by a vent pipe;

spacer means for connecting the inner and outer casings to define a plurality of cavities substantially surrounding the enclosed chamber, with each said cavity being substantially filled with a granular shock-damping material;

the floor of said enclosed chamber being substantially covered with a layer of granular shock-damping material;

means for detonating said weapon comprising a donor charge of explosive sufficient to destroy the weapon, ignition means for detonating the donor charge;

at least one liquid-filled energy absorption module in proximity to said donor charge and weapon; and

disintegratable support means within the enclosed chamber for suspending said donor charge, weapon, and at least one liquid-filled energy absorption module above the chamber floor at about the midpoint of the chamber.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the energy absorption modules comprise vaporizable containers filled with water.

3. The device of claim 2 in which the mass of water in the vaporizable containers is selected to modulate the instantaneous peak pressure of a detonation of the donor charge and weapon to a level which said pressure-resistant vessel is capable of withstanding repeatedly.

4. The device of claim 1 in which the granular energy-absorbing material filling the cavities is silica sand.

5. The device of claim 1 in which the granular energy-absorbing material covering the floor is pea gravel.

6. The device of claim 1 in which said disintegratable support means consists of a material which will be substantially consumed by the detonation of the donor charge and weapon.

7. The device of claim 6 in which the disintegratable support means is a mesh made of a material selected from the group consisting of natural organic fiber, polymer monofilament, and fine metallic wire.

8. The device of claim 1 in which the external manifold is connected to testing means for detecting and measuring toxic residues in said explosion products, and treatment means for removal of such toxic residues before the release of said explosion products to the environment.

9. The device of claim 8 further including a removable external leak suppression hood positioned over the door opening to collect leaked explosion products escaping from the chamber around the door through the door opening, and conduit means for conveying said leaked explosion products to the testing means and treatment means.

10. The device of claim 1 in which the donor charge consists of an augmented high-energy explosive which, when detonated, will create within said chamber a pressure of at least 100 kilobars and a temperature of at least 3,000 degrees Celsius.

11. The device of claim 1 in which the means for detonating said weapon further includes:

an oxygen-enrichment ingredient selected from the group consisting of potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, and ammonium nitrate; and

a fireball-enhancement ingredient selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, and iron, said ingredient being in the form of a finely divided powder.

12. The device of claim 1 in which the donor charge comprises an enriched plastic explosive containing

a primary energetic ingredient selected from the group consisting of PETN, RDX, HMX, C-2, C-4 and TNT;

an oxygen-enrichment ingredient selected from the group consisting of potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, and ammonium nitrate; and

a fireball-enhancement ingredient selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, and iron, said ingredient being in the form of a finely divided powder.

13. The device of claim 1 in which the energy absorption modules comprise vaporizable containers filled with water, and the mass of water in the vaporizable containers is selected to match the energetic mass of the donor charge.

14. The device of claim 13 in which the mass of water in the energy absorption modules is chosen from the following table according to the principal explosive component of the donor charge:

15. The method for the destruction of weapons by explosion, comprising:

providing a pressure-resistant vessel having

an inner casing and an outer casing surrounding and spaced from the inner casing, said inner casing defining an enclosed chamber having walls,

a floor and a ceiling, with at least one door opening penetrating said casings and being closed by a sealable access door;

an external manifold;

a plurality of orifices penetrating the inner casing of said enclosed chamber, each said orifice being connected to the external manifold by a vent pipe;

spacer means for connecting the inner and outer casings to define a plurality of cavities substantially surrounding the enclosed chamber, with each said cavity being substantially filled with a granular shock-damping material;

the floor of said enclosed chamber being substantially covered with a layer of granular shock-damping material covering;

placing a weapon within said chamber along with means for detonating said weapon comprising a donor charge of explosive sufficient to destroy the weapon, ignition means for detonating the donor charge, and at least one liquid-filled energy absorption module in proximity to said donor charge and weapon;

suspending said donor charge, weapon, and at least one liquid-filled energy absorption module with a disintegratable support means above the chamber floor at about the midpoint of the chamber;

closing and sealing the chamber door; and

detonating said donor charge.

16. The method of claim 15 in which the energy absorption modules comprise vaporizable containers filled with water.

17. The method of claim 15 in which the mass of water in the vaporizable containers is selected to modulate the instantaneous peak pressure of a detonation of the donor charge and weapon to a level which said pressure-resistant vessel is capable of withstanding repeatedly.

18. The method of claim 15 in which the granular energy-absorbing material filling the cavities is silica sand.

19. The method of claim 15 in which the granular energy-absorbing material covering the floor is pea gravel.

20. The method of claim 15 in which said disintegratable support means consists of a material which will be substantially consumed by the detonation of the donor charge and weapon.

21. The method of claim 20 in which the disintegratable support means is a mesh made of a material selected from the group consisting of natural organic fiber, polymer monofilament, and fine metallic wire.

22. The method of claim 15 including the further steps of measuring for toxic residues in the explosion products exiting the external manifold, and treating such toxic residues to render them harmless before they are released into the environment.

23. The method of claim 15 in which the donor charge consists of an augmented high-energy explosive which, when detonated, will create within said chamber a pressure of at least 100 kilobars and a temperature of at least 3,000 degrees Celsius.

24. The method of claim 15 in which the means for detonating said weapon further includes:

an oxygen-enrichment ingredient selected from the group consisting of potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, and ammonium nitrate; and

a fireball-enhancement ingredient selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, and iron, said ingredient being in the form of a finely divided powder.

25. The method of claim 15 in which the donor charge comprises an enriched plastic explosive containing

a primary energetic ingredient selected from the group consisting of PETN, RDX, HMX, C-2, C-4 and TNT;

an oxygen-enrichment ingredient selected from the group consisting of potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, and ammonium nitrate, and

a fireball-enhancement ingredient selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, and iron, said ingredient being in the form of a finely divided powder.

26. The method of claim 15 in which the energy absorption modules comprise vaporizable containers filled with water, and the mass of water in the vaporizable containers is selected to match the energetic mass of the donor charge.

27. The method of claim 26 in which the mass of water in the energy absorption modules is chosen from the following table according to the principal explosive component of the donor charge: