Rockwell International Corporation

John C Newcomb

Jerold Guon

Richard L Gay

David Stelman

Albert E Stewart

Ricahard L Gay

A feed system for feeding solid propellant or explosive energetic materials, e.g. in the form of chunks, into a molten salt furnace for destruction of said materials by oxidation with air, while substantially avoiding the danger of detonation of such materials during feeding. The system comprises a feed hopper separated from the molten salt furnace by a barrier such as a concrete wall. The feed hopper is preferably vibrated to move the chunks of waste to an inclined chute which passes through a penetration in the barrier to the furnace, the chute also being preferably vibrated to facilitate passage of the waste material. The chunks of waste are discharged from the inclined chute either directly into the molten salt bath in the furance, or added incrementally thereto by a lock valve arrangement.

Energetic material feeder

A process for destroying alkali metal and alkaline earth metal-containing wastes, such as sodium, by feeding such waste into a molten bath containing a molten salt such as sodium carbonate, or a mixture of salts having a lower melting point, such as a mixture of sodium carbonate and an alkali metal halide, e.g. sodium chloride, or mixtures of alkali metal chlorides, feeding a mixture of carbon dioxide and oxygen into the molten salt bath and reacting the alkali metal or alkaline earth metal such as sodium in the waste with the carbon dioxide and oxygen to form alkali metal carbonate, e.g. sodium carbonate, in the molten salt bath.

Molten salt destruction of alkali and alkaline earth metals

A dilution cooled lithium reactor for producing hot hydrogen which in turn drives a power-generating device such as a turbine is disclosed. Within the reactor are injected heat-generating reactants such as liquid lithium and liquid oxygen. The reactants combine to heat hydrogen which in turn is filtered and delivered to a power-generating device such as a turbine.

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Simi Valley, CA, United States of America

John C Newcomb