A Portable Burn Pan for the Disposal of Gun Propellants

• Main Author: Walsh,Michael R
• Other Authors: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab Hanover United States
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Solid Wastes Pollution and Control; Ammunition and Explosives; waste disposal facilities; groundwater; propellants; artillery units; burns; portable equipment; environmental protection; gun propellants; department of defense; energetic materials; environmental security; Training; Efficiency; Bombing and gunnery ranges; Burning; Chemical agents (Munitions); Energetic residues; Heavy metals > Decontamination; Pollution control equipment; Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD1022498; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD1022498

Munitions for indirect fire weapon systems are issued with a full complement of propellant charges. Excess charges are typically not turned in and are destroyed by open burning as part of the units training. Burning of the charges can result in up to 20 of the propellant remaining in the form of residues on the ground. A portable propellant burn pan system was design and demonstrated as part of Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) Project ER-201323 to enable safe, environmentally effective training of the military. Tests have demonstrated a 99.98 reduction in combustible mass of the charges, less than 0.001 of the energetics in the burn pan ash, energetics concentration of less than 0.5 in the residual ash, and no detectable difference in energetics in the soil surrounding the pan after burning over 450 kg of charges. Performance objectives for the burn pan device were met or exceeded by the final system design. Costs associated with acquisition, implementation, use, and maintenance of the burn pan system are reasonable. The U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory portable propellant burn pan training device has been enthusiastically accepted by all who have participated in the ER-210323 test and demonstration program.