Alternative Mixing Technologies for High-Energy, Solid Materials for Large Gas Generator Propellant

The proposed technology is an advanced method to continuously mix propellants that shortens mixing times, improves safety, reduces costs, and environmental impact. Continuous ResonantAcoustic® Mixing (RAM) quickly mixes highly solids-loaded pastes using acoustic energy with no embedded blades or scrapers reducing the potential for accidents and waste. A RAM based Clean-in-Place process eliminates the need for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) when cleaning the equipment preventing personnel exposure to VOCs and release of the VOCs to the environment. The Continuous Acoustic Mixing (CAM) module is one component of a system required to achieve acceptable continuous mixing of propellants. Currently, the continuous RAM technology has been demonstrated in a simulated operational environment on surrogate explosive material (TRL 6). The approach to develop the technology is to design equipment and systems to continuously mix and degas surrogate propellants and continuous sense the material’s mixedness. At the end of this project, the CAM module, the systems that feed powders and liquids into the process as well as the systems downstream that measure the mixedness of the material and continuously degas the material will be developed to the point of a Phase III demonstration at an energetics processing facility on actual propellants (TRL level 7).