Trace Multi-Analyte Chemical Detection System for Underwater UXO Applications

Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) response teams encounter a variety of underwater explosive threats including limpet mines, naval mines, underwater improvised explosive devices (UW-IEDs) and other UXO. If successful, the proposed trace chemical/explosive sensor system will provide improved classification and identification of suspect underwater targets in missions for which acoustic and/or visual imaging alone are not effective. The envisioned chemical sensor package will be capable of being integrated into a man-portable remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The goal of this project is to expand the existing trace chemical detection capability to include TNT and other nitro-based underwater UXO analytes of interest, such as RDX, PETN and HMX, as well as home-made explosive (HME) compound such as ammonium nitrate, triacetone triperoxide (TATP), and hexamethylene triperoxide diamine (HMTD). The current state-of-the-art is a single analyte sensor for detection of TNT, which only partially addresses the Navys requirement to detect the full range of explosive threats. The team will define and develop a concept for a multi-analyte sensor system to detect explosive threat compounds of interest at operationally relevant concentrations in seawater.