Incineration Systems for the Disposal of Explosive
and Propellant Waste Materials
WILLIAM HEIDELBERGER, Project Engineer
Facilities & Protective Technology Division
Manufacturing Technology Directorate
Picatinny Arsenal
Dover, New Jersey 07801
INTRODUCTION
The US Army is a major producer of munitions for the United States. In the course of
the manufacturing and load assembly pack operations conducted at government owned
contractor operated (GOCO) plants throughout the United States nonrecoverable and
nonrecyclable waste propellant and explosive is accumulated. The current method of
disposing this waste is by open burning. Here the material is spread on concrete pads and
remotely initiated. Stock piling of hazardous waste materials, air and water pollution,
personnel exposure, and inefficiency characterize the problems associated with open
burning and emphasize the need for a safe, reliable, pollution free alternative.
Controlled combustion is the most logical, technical solution, but little information of
an engineering nature is available on this subject from the literature. Therefore, the
objective of this study was to develop the necessary engineering technology for a total
system (Figure 1) and to test and evaluate the systems, developed as pollution abatement
vehicles, to eliminate the open burning disposal practice. Three incinerator designs, a
vertical induced draft, fluidized bed and a rotary kiln were operated on a laboratory and
pilot scale. The feasibility of this concept was shown by successfully destroying TNT,
Composition B, RDX and HMX in the vertical induced draft unit. The rotary kiln
incinerator was successfully piloted, at 250 lb/ hr, and the results of the pilot plant effort
were incorporated into a Design Criteria Package for implementation of a full scale (1350
lb/hr) complex. Studies on a laboratory scale fluidized bed incinerator were extremely
interesting; and it was during the course of this effort that the reduction of NOX in the
exhaust products was noted.
This paper discusses the results of the work accomplished, to date, on this program.
UtB OPERATION PaUTICULAttS
. INJECTION * SULFUH OXIDES   So,
TION NI1HOGEN OXIDES INO,'
QIHEH roilUT*NlS
Figure 1 — Explosive   waste   incineration as a system.
VERTICAL INDUCED DRAFT INCINERATOR
Initial studies centered around an existing vertical induced draft liquid explosive
incinerator. This unit was built in the early 1950's to dispose of hazardous liquid wastes
from an explosives pilot plant operating at Picatinny Arsenal. However, since it was indeed
designed to burn dissolved explosive and since it had the required safety features,
combustion control system and capacity, it was decided to reactivate and modify the unit
for the planned combustion studies. It is basically a cylindrical refractory lined furnace 8 ft
in diamter and 30 ft tall. The top portion of the unit contains the oil burners and equipment
required to generate the heat for combustion. The middlezone, just below the burner, is
used for injection of the material to be burned. An induced draft fan, (rated at 10,000 cfm at
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