Recovery of aluminum and hydrocarbon values from composite energetic compositions
AssigneeAerojet-General Corporation
InventorsBoris D. Nahlovsky, Michael K. Wong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Waste energetic compositions such as solid rocket propellant are treated to reclaim aluminum particles in a form in which they can be reused for the same purpose and to convert the hydrocarbon values of the binder to a useful oil product, by leaching out oxidizer, and heating the aluminum-filled binder in a non-oxidizing atmosphere. The resulting pyrolysis causes the evolution of the oil components as a vapor which is removed, condensed and collected for use as an oil having properties similar to those of diesel oil, leaving as a residue the aluminum particles in the same form in which they were used in the original preparation of the composition now being treated as waste.
Claims14
A process for the recovery of useful materials from a solid composite propellant composition comprising a polymeric binder, an oxidizer and aluminum particles, said process comprising:
- (a) removing oxidizer from said composition to achieve a substantially oxidizer-free composition;
- (b) heating said substantially oxidizer-free composition in the substantial absence of oxygen to pyrolyze said polymeric binder to vaporized oils, leaving said aluminum particles as a residue;
- and
- (c) condensing at least a portion of said vaporized oils as a liquid oil, and separately recovering said liquid oil and said aluminum particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.