Other

Ch2m Hill Constructors, Inc.

Demil International, Inc.

American Innovations Corporation

Ch2m Hill Engineers, Inc.

Ch2m Demilitarization, Inc.

Meridian Rail Information Systems Corp.

Donovan, John L.

Ch2m Hill Demilitarization, Inc.

John L Donovan

Jay M Quimby

McRea B Willmert

David C Abbe

Alan T Edwards

Richard A Johnson

A transportable explosion chamber and method of operation for containing, controlling and suppressing explosive detonations, including the explosion surface hardening of impact-hardenable rail components. The apparatus comprises an elongate cylindrical steel containment vessel having an access door for introducing workpieces and a vent door for discharging explosion products. Both doors extend convexly into the vessel to facilitate the dissipation of explosion shock waves. Orificed vent pipes penetrate the vessel walls to controllably release explosion products into one or more exhaust manifolds. The vessel is surrounded and enclosed by steel skins supported by spaced octagonal steel support ribs fabricated by welding from interlocking elements. The hollows formed between the containment vessel and steel skins are filled with granular shock-damping silica sand which is introduced through filler openings at the top of the apparatus. To lighten the apparatus for transport, the shock-damping material may be drained through dump valves beneath the apparatus.

Method and apparatus for containing and suppressing explosive detonations

A portable containment chamber for disposing of explosive threat devices comprises a cylindrical chamber body with a hinged interiorly convex outward-opening access door. The door closes against a tapered seat whereby explosion pressure enhances a gas-tight seal. In closed position the door is locked by interconnected expandable locking shoes which engage an annular locking channel in the mouth of the chamber with a simultaneous crank-and-piston linkage. The door is actuated by a pneumatic mechanism which first traverses laterally it into alignment with the chamber, then traverses it axially into sealing engagement with the chamber mouth, and then moves the expandable locking shoes into locked position. A first interlock prevents axial door movement when in standby position, and a second interlock inhibits detonation of a donor explosive charge within the chamber if the door locking shoes are not fully locked.

Portable explosion containment chamber

Systems and methods for treating hazardous materials are disclosed. One exemplary implementation provides a system for rendering chemical weapons materiel less hazardous. This system includes a detonation chamber, an expansion chamber, and an emission treater adapted to treat gas from detonation of the chemical weapons materiel. The emission treater yields a substantially dry residual waste stream and a treated gas suitable for venting to atmosphere. The emission treater may treat the gas with an alkaline powder that interacts with the gas, producing the residual waste stream.

System and method for treatment of hazardous materials, e.g., unexploded chemical warfare ordinance

Apparatus and methods are provided for purging an airlock cavity created between the airlock access door and the primary explosion chamber opening sealing mechanism. According to one embodiment of the present invention, an airlock device is used to ensure that, in the event toxins are released from the primary explosion chamber opening sealing means, the toxins are properly handled and are not inadvertently released into the atmosphere. In one embodiment, negative pressure is used to vacuum the entrained air within the airlock cavity subsequent to an explosion. To facilitate the sweeping and exhausting of the cavity, an orifice in the access door may be operable to allow the flow of ambient air through the airlock access door.

Purging an airlock of an explosion containment chamber

A method and apparatus to hermetically seal openings in an explosion suppression chamber. The present invention utilizes an air lock device to ensure that, in the event toxins are released from the primary explosion chamber opening closing means, the toxins are properly handled and are not inadvertently released into the atmosphere. The preferred embodiment of the present invention uses negative pressure to vacuum the entrained air within the airlock cavity subsequent to an explosion. An alternate embodiment of the present invention uses positive pressure within the air lock cavity to force air through integral filter membranes.

Method and apparatus for hermetically sealing openings of an explosion containment chamber

A method of suppressing shrapnel ejection inherent with fragmentary and shrapnel munition destruction. The present invention utilizes a method of imploding an initiating explosive onto the munition device whereby the munition device is exploded. The method has the counterbalancing effect between the explosion and the implosion, thus controlling and drastically decreasing the quantity, velocity, and kinetic energy of the resultant shrapnel ejection. An alternate embodiment of the present invention utilizes a combination of a cylindrical container with the wrapped munition device. The munition device to be destroyed is wrapped with flexible explosive material and placed into the cylindrical container and the resultant void space between the container walls and the munition is filled with pourable or fluid explosive material. Upon detonation of the flexible explosive material and fluid explosive material, an implosion and simultaneous chain reaction occurs whereby detonating the munition device itself. The resultant implosion substantially destroys the munition device and negates the need for any further manual dismantling.

Method for suppressing ejection of fragments and shrapnel during destruction of shrapnel munitions

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.

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

A mobile apparatus, and method of operation, for controlling and suppressing the explosive destruction of munitions by detonation in an explosion chamber. The apparatus comprises a double-walled steel explosion chamber which is moved by wheeled carriage means to a desired location. Granular shock-damping silica sand is introduced into fillable cavities within the chamber walls, ceiling and floor prior to use. After use, the sand is removed to lighten the chamber prior to transport. The floor of the chamber is covered with granular shock-damping pea gravel which may be added before use and removed before further transport. A munition to be destroyed is placed within an open-topped steel fragmentation containment unit. Vaporizable plastic bags of energy-absorbing water are disposed about the munition in a spaced array. An array of vent pipes vents the chamber into manifolds leading to an expansion tank or scrubber for further cooling and environmental treatment of the explosion products.

A method and apparatus for enclosing, controlling and suppressing the explosive destruction of munitions, including cluster-bomb munitions by detonation in an explosion chamber. The apparatus comprises a double-walled steel explosion chamber in which the of the chamber walls and access doors are filled with granular shock damping silica sand. The floor of the chamber is covered with granular shock-damping pea gravel. An array of vent pipes vents the chamber into manifolds leading to a scrubber for further cooling and environmental treatment of the gaseous combustion products. Within the chamber, plastic bags of water are suspended over the detonation. A munition to be destroyed is placed within an open-topped manganese steel fragmentation containment unit, which is then placed within the chamber under a woven steel blast mat secured to the chamber roof. The method of operation for destroying munitions, particularly cluster-bomb munitions, comprises the steps of removing the end closures of the munition, expelling the clustered array of bomblets into a plastic carrier tube, positioning the carrier tube full of bomblets within a separate open-topped steel fragmentation containment unit, placing the fragmentation containment unit within the chamber on the granular bed, suspending plastic bags containing an amount of water chosen according to the type and amount of explosive in the munition, attaching a starter charge and ignition wires to the carrier tube and bomblets, closing the access and vent doors, electrically detonating the explosive, and exhausting the combustion products of the detonation from the chamber through a scrubber.

A method and apparatus for enclosing, controlling and suppressing the detonation of explosives in an explosion chamber is disclosed. The device comprises an elongate double-walled steel explosion chamber anchored to a concrete foundation, and having a double-walled access door for charging new workpieces, and a double-walled vent door for discharging the products of the explosion. The double walls of the chamber, access door and vent door are filled with granular shock damping material such as silica sand, and the floor of the chamber is covered with granular shock-damping bed such as pea gravel. Along the outside of the chamber are steel manifolds from which a linear array of vent pipes penetrates the double walls of the chamber, with each pipe terminating in a hardened steel orifice through which the explosion combustion products pass. Within the chamber, plastic polymer film bags containing water are suspended from steel wires over the explosive material, and at each end of the chamber.

Growing community of inventors

Danvers, IL, United States of America

John L Donovan