Alliant Techsystems Inc.

Richard S Hamilton

Kirstin F Warner

Andrew J Sanderson

CL-20 is crystallized from a solution containing a CL-20 organic solvent and a CL-20 non-solvent miscible with the solvent. The CL-20 non-solvent is a nitrate ester, preferably poly(glycidyl nitrate) and/or triethyleneglycol-dinitrate, although other nitrate ester plasticizers having acceptable volatilities and impact sensitivities can be used. The solution is saturated with CL-20, and CL-20 is then crystallized from the saturated solution by adding &egr;-polymorph CL-20 crystalline seeds to the solution and evaporating off the CL-20 solvent, preferably under vacuum. The nitrate ester non-solvent is then separated from the crystalline CL-20, such as by filtration of the CL-20 crystals or by diluting the slurry of non-solvent and CL-20 with an environmentally acceptable solvent that is miscible with the non-solvent but in which the CL-20 is insoluble.

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Bear River City, UT, United States of America

Richard S Hamilton