Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research · 1998 · 10 citations · 9 references
Natural SciencesChemical EngineeringChemistryChemical KineticsInorganic ChemistryReaction EngineeringChemical Reaction KineticsExplosion HazardsGas-phase Reaction KineticsKinetic ModelingNitrogen OxidesPowder ProcessingChemical Degradation KineticsExplosivesHmxHydrolysisNitrous OxidePlastic Bonded ExplosivesReaction Rate ModelingReaction Rate Prediction
Sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ) is identified as a hydrolysis reagent for decomposing HMX and HMX-based explosives to water-soluble, nonenergetic products. The reaction kinetics of Na 2 CO 3 hydrolysis are examined, and a reaction rate model is developed. Greater than 99% of the explosive at an initial concentration of 10 wt % PBX 9404 was destroyed in less than 5 min at 150 °C. The primary products from Na 2 CO 3 hydrolysis were nitrite (NO 2 ), formate (HCOO - ), nitrate (NO 3 - ), and acetate (CH 3 COO - ) ions, hexamethylenetetramine, (hexamine: C 6 H 12 N 4 ), nitrogen gas (N 2 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), and ammonia (NH 3 ). The rate of hydrolysis was characterized for HMX powder and PBX 9404 molding powder from 110 to 150 °C. The rate was found to be dependent on both the chemical kinetics and the mass transfer resistance. Since the HMX particles are nonporous and external mass transfer dominates, gas−liquid film theory for fast chemical kinetics was used to model the reaction rate.
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