No abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of alkaline and acid amendments as management techniques for the remediation of firing point soils at Camp Edwards, MA for U.S. Army Engineer District, New England. It was assumed that the major potential source of dinitrotoluene (DNT) contamination was from firing 105 mm howitzers on the gun and mortar ranges over several decades. M1 propellant is approximately 90% nitrocellulose and 6-8% DNT with the remaining percentages being binders and plasticizer. Soil from the J1 IBA Range was shipped from Camp Edwards to the ERDC Environmental Laboratory, Vicksburg MS for characterization. Both caustic and acid treatments failed to leach more than 10% of total DNT from the nitrocellulose matrix, even following significant abrasion and size reduction of the propellant. The low extraction efficiency of DNT may be due to the manufacturing processes used to produce the propellant. The small proportions which may have been released during leaching tests were rapidly destroyed as seen in prior experiments carried out with laboratory grade propellants at ERDC. The study confirms that propellants encapsulated in nitrocellulose are essentially unavailable and will not therefore present an unacceptable environmental or ecological risk.

No abstract

Studies have been conducted at Engelhard Research Laboratories under an EPRI sponsored subcontract from Westinghouse to experimentally determine performance characteristics of Catcom* catalysts at simulated gas turbine combustion conditions using No. 2 fuel. A comparison study was carried out using a 1-in. diameter laboratory reactor and a 9-in, diameter burner. 5-in. and 6-in, catalysts lengths were tested in the laboratory reactor and the 6-in, length in the burner. Effects of vitiated versus indirect preheat were investigated together with varying adiabatic flame temperature (based on fuel/air ratios), catalyst inlet reference velocity and catalyst length. Process variable upset conditions were simulated in the 9-in, burner and over fueling was simulated in the 1-in. reactor. The temperature profiles, combustion efficiencies and pressure drop data obtained can be used to assess performance of anticipated catalytic combustor designs for gas turbine systems. These results continue to show that CATCOM catalysts and the Catathermal* mode of combustion can be applied practically to large scale gas turbine equipment.

No abstract