Technology Description

This project will demonstrate a portable burn pan for the expedient field disposal of excess howitzer and mortar propellants. In its simplest form, the pan is a box-like structure with perforated sides integrated into an open-topped removable bonnet. The bonnet prevents a chimney effect that will loft propellant charge constituents out of the pan and into the environment while containing charge debris within the burn zone. The lightweight aluminum base contains a removable stainless steel false bottom that protects the structure from the high heat of deflagration. The pan provides a dry, semi-enclosed platform that will separate the burning propellant charges from the soil and contain the debris (ash) from the propellant burn for easy removal and treatment. The device will be small enough to transport in a standard small military trailer and light enough to be handled by four or fewer personnel. The target propellant charge load will be in the 120 kg range for a full-size unit. The portable device can be transported to the training site, enabling troops to burn excess propellant following training without having to transport the charges to a central burn facility, thus reducing transportation hazards. Currently, no portable burn device exists in the U.S. inventory. The performance objectives for the demonstration are a 99.9% reduction of the original combustible mass, a total of less than 0.1% of the energetics remaining following the burn, and less than 0.01% of the original mass of energetics recovered outside the burn pan. The performance objective for lead is less than 10% of the original mass ejected from the burn pan. In addition, integration of the pan into the standard training doctrine will be a major measure of success.