Active Projects
N,N’-Di-2-naphthyl-p-phenylenediamine (DNPD) is a component of the antioxidant package used in air-to-air missile propellants, including the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile. DNPD is the primary antioxidant in this propellant, working to maximize propellant shelf life by inhibiting oxidation of the binder network. A continental United Status (CONUS) source of DNPD has not existed since its U.S. manufacturer discontinued the product. Production of propellant using DNPD has proceeded with outside the continental United States (OCONUS)-sourced material since then.
The objective of this EMTC project is to develop and scale up a cost-effective method for synthesis and purification of DNPD that meets customer material specification HS 6-0089A. A further objective is to establish a reliable, CONUS-based source for DNPD of consistent quality and availability for propellant production. If such a source were established, DNPD may become the antioxidant of choice for next-generation propellants owing to its combination of performance, price, and availability. Click here for more info.
The objective of this EMTC effort is to enable the advanced manufacture of U.S. Navy/U.S. Marine Corps critical, solid propellant grains for use in cartridge actuated devices (CADs) and propulsion systems. Additive manufacturing (AM) is an advanced manufacturing technology that has the potential to produce lower cost propellant grains with little-to-no induced thermal stress/strain during cure. Under this effort, two types of AM technology are explored for use in propellant manufacturing: material extrusion and vat photo-polymerization. Adaptation of these AM technologies for energetics will enable both composite and single- and double-base forms of propellants to be manufactured using advanced techniques. Click here for more info.
Many of the currently fielded air- and surface-launched Navy missile programs were developed 20-30 years ago. As such, these programs experience issues including material obsolescence, discontinued products, inconsistent quality or characteristics of material from manufacturers, and diminished manufacturing sources.
The established method for the production of hexanitrostilbene (HNS) is the classic one-step Shipp process. The Shipp process produces a crude yield of 30-55% that requires further purification and results in even lower overall yield. A two-step process for small-scale synthesis of HNS also exists. The first step is the synthesis of the intermediate hexanitrobibenzyl (HNBB) and the second step is the oxidation of HNBB to HNS. The objective of this work is to optimize the two-step process in such a way that a large-scale synthesis of HNS becomes feasible and cost effective. This will provide the Navy and the Department of Defense with a reliable CONUS source of HNS. Click here for more info.
The objective of this EMTC project was to demonstrate and qualify a novel initiating explosive for use in ultra-low energy exploding foil initiators (uLEEFI) and then demonstrate and qualify a novel ultra-low energy initiator. The warfighter needs lightweight, safe, and reliable initiation systems. This technology is an enabler for future smart weapons when employed in multi-point configurations that facilitate directional, deformable, and tailorable effects warheads, as well as inclusion in smaller smart munitions that may currently employ out-of-line devices and hot wire detonators. Future in-line safe initiation systems must consume less energy, volume, and weight. This state-of-the-art explosives technology can meet the requirement for smaller, less energy-intensive systems.
The uLEEFI is a qualified in-line initiator (ILI) permitted for use without interruption. Advancements in ILI technology are required to enable much smaller initiation systems with lower energy demands. This project will demonstrate uLEEFI technology enabled by the use of sub-micron nitramines. Click here for more info.
The objective of this Energetics Manufacturing Technology Center (EMTC) project is to provide a modular agile system for the synthesis and crystallization of energetic materials called the Continuous Acoustic Chemical Reactor / Continuous Acoustic Crystallizer (CACR /CAC). The design work will be predicated on the synthesis and crystallization of 2.6-diaminopyrazine-1-oxide (DAPO), a precursor to LLM-105 from N-nitrosodi (cyanomethyl) amine (IDAN-NO). The ultimate objectives are to design, build, and install a system capable of producing a variety of energetic materials.
Multiple energetic materials may be synthesized and/or crystallized. The CACR / CAC has the ability to process solid materials up to 200 microns in size in a liquid stream. This is a feature that is an improvement over alternatives such as an Advanced Flow Reactor (AFR). Solid precipitates form during energetics synthesis and plug the flow path of an AFR. Additionally, tunable crystallization allows control of particle size and distribution to desired parameters. Click here for more info.
The objective of this EMTC project is to design, build, and commission a continuous post-treatment system of energetic materials from a Corning G1 Advanced Flow Reactor (AFR). The system will be designed to quench and purify methyl / ethyl nitratoethylnitramine (NENA) but will be suitable for use with a variety of liquid energetic materials.
The Navy requires an on-demand capability for production and purification of liquid energetic plasticizers (NENAs) that are more stable and less sensitive than nitroglycerin. This project aims to develop a post-processor that will meet that need. The design will be based on the synthesis and purification of methyl / ethyl NENA (Me/Et NENA), although other energetics materials may be synthesized. The use of the Corning G1 AFR for upstream production, in combination with an automated downstream quench, neutralization, and separation unit, allows for continuous production of NENAs. This approach offers improved heat transfer, finer control over product quality, and a smaller energetics footprint (less energetic material in one physical processing unit) as compared to a Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR). Multiple liquid energetic materials may be purified and processed through this system. While the equipment configuration is based on the synthesis of Me/Et NENA, other energetic materials may be synthesized using the post-processor with agile modular design. Click here for more info.
Energetics are among the longest lead items for munition production, which significantly delays their delivery to the warfighter. Lack of supply chain transparency from materials procurement interferes with the Navy’s ability to mitigate critical energetic material (EM) issues. The project objective is to refine and expand the proof-of-concept Navy Industrial Base Assessment Tool (N-IBAT) into a functional prototype and demonstrate its capabilities, which will help the EMTC improve acquisition readiness, meet sustainment requirements, and meet emerging performance requirements for PEO/PM/prime contractor transition.
Iterative testing of N-IBAT will be done in close collaboration with Decision Sciences Incorporated (DSI) to develop the N-IBAT into a functional tool with data storage, analysis, retention, update, and retrieval capabilities for tracking Navy energetic supply chains. Data will continue to be organized and added into the N-IBAT database so that periodic updates can be performed to monitor changes in the supply chain and identify future needed efforts.
The N-IBAT has benefactors across several levels. It will aid EMTC in tracking manufacturing data and developing investment strategies for critical chemicals. Stakeholders, such as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition (ASN RD&A), Deputy Assistant Secretary of Sustainment (DASN), and Navy PEOs and PMs benefit from the database because it will improve their supply chain risk planning and provide increased awareness of Navy supply chain issues. By integrating the N-IBAT with other DoD supply chain management systems, DoD can then use a joint IBAT to perform supply chain risk planning across all DoD weapons acquisitions. It is possible that the N-IBAT will improve the effectiveness of leveraging DoD investments, including Innovation, Capability, and Modernization (ICAM), the Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III, and the Manufacturing Science and Technology Program (MSTP). This tool can maintain a more robust industrial base to support future EM requirements because it can provide insights that will help suppliers’ better address government needs and facilitate planning for efficient incorporation of novel manufacturing technologies into the supply chain. Click here for more info.
Many of the currently fielded naval underwater weapons programs require materials that do not have reliable Continental United States (CONUS) sources and the underwater explosive (UNDEX) formulations for those systems are in need of updating. These programs are continually faced with issues due to: 1) material obsolescence – current qualified supplier(s) have discontinued products or product lines; 2) the quality or characteristics of material coming from current manufacturers is inconsistent; and/or 3) critical materials only have a sole-source point of domestic manufacture. In many instances the materials that are being discontinued are no longer available from alternate domestic manufacturers.
This EMTC effort aims to establish manufacturing of the L-series energetic products: L721 and L725. Although a certified lab-scale process from the inert precursor, L701 to L721 has been submitted before, prior attempts at scale-up of the process proved difficult and inefficient. In collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center, the EMTC is designing and executing modern scalable processes for these selected L-series materials that can be fitted for pilot-scale production. Click here for more info.
The objective of this effort is to develop a continuous flow process for 1,2,4-butanetrioltrinitrate (BTTN) lacquer. This process would be inherently scalable to a Corning G1 Advanced Flow Reactor (AFR) which will provide enhanced safety in its design to avoid neat BTTN stream formation in the flow reactor. Downstream process development will also be conducted for continuous acid neutralization and solvent swap such that BTTN can be continuously produced as a lacquer that can be delivered directly into a mixer for cast cure formulations.
As part of this effort, the EMTC is developing, optimizing, and demonstrating the inherent scalability of a flow process to BTTN. This process will by design avoid neat BTTN stream generation in the nitrating acids. This demonstration will begin with proof-of-concept validation using microreactors that integrate within a larger reactor. Throughout these studies, in-situ Raman, in-situ infrared, and in-situ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) will be used to enable rapid, data-rich optimization and trackable quality metrics for further scale-up. BTTN material quality will be tracked, and calibrated methods for BTTN concentration at steady-state operation will be established to determine projected per-hour BTTN production.
This project aims to develop and deliver a modeling tool and platform for Resonant Acoustic Mixing (RAM) that continues to support the demonstration of this technology for energetics materials (EMs) manufacturing. This platform for energetics manufacturing includes generation of a laboratory information management system (LIMS) for RAM mixers, development and analysis of laboratory- and production-scale methods for liquid-powder mixing, and demonstration of a modeling tool and platform for energetics mixing.
This project aims to mature the manufacturing process of two new perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS)-free and plasticizer-free novel binder systems for pressed explosive (molding powder) applications. The goal was to develop a manufacturing process for these binder systems at the pilot-scale to optimize and advance their Technology Readiness Level (TRL)/Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) and make these binder systems readily available for explosive formulations.
First, Modified-Polydimethylsiloxane (M-PDMS) and Polymerized-Lauryl Methacrylate (p-LMA) are two novel binder systems that are free of PFAS within the polymer and the manufacturing process. They show great promise for lead, booster and main charge explosive applications. Next, in addition to being PFAS-free, both M-PDMS and p-LMA polymers have additional desired attributes in that they require no plasticizer to generate binder properties acceptable for use in pressed explosive applications. Currently, several pressed explosives use plasticizers with polymers to improve the mechanical and sensitivity of these energetic materials. These plasticizers are extremely effective in reducing the sensitivity of pressed explosives along with improving the density of end items using the pressing manufacturing process: however, they also migrate out of the explosive and cause changes to the sensitivity of the explosive and the initiation reliability upon aging. The fact that the new M-PDMS and p-LMA do not need plasticizers expands their potential applicability into main charge explosives.
Lastly, both M-PDMS and p-LMA can be manufactured using a simple synthesis process from common off-the-shelf ingredients without using extremely toxic or restricted materials, such as PFAS. Both binders can be synthesized by Department of War (DoW) sites and the organic industrial base (OIB) to ensure that the manufacturing supply of these binders stays available.
A perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) is the sole process fluid utilized by the Department of War (DoW) and the defense industrial base (DIB) for the non-aqueous slurry manufacturing process of pressed explosive formulations containing aluminum and water-soluble ingredients. PFAS, a family of chemicals heavily monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency in January 2023, 3M announced it would be phasing out all PFAS products, leading to the process fluid’s complete discontinuation by 2025. The ban on PFAS fluids has put all research and development, qualification, and production efforts for pressed explosive formulations containing aluminum or water-soluble ingredients at risk because they cannot be processed with the conventional method, a water-based slurry process.
Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Indian Head Division (IHD) uses this process fluid to manufacture PBXN-13, which is used as the M72A10 FFE warhead and is undergoing evaluation of similar formulations for integration in other weapon systems, e.g., HYDRA-70/APKWS family, Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW), and anti-structural munition (ASM) weapon systems. PBXN-13 can't be manufactured using the conventional water slurry process due to the reactivity of aluminum with water, and with the imminent ban of this process fluid, PBXN-13 production could halt in 2025.
Currently, there are no other qualified manufacturing processes for PBXN-13, leaving the M72A10 system at risk. The development of a RAM process to manufacture PBXN-13 will introduce a new method to produce the material at a lower cost and a higher rate while eliminating the afflicting supply chain issue. The objective of this project is to scale up, optimize, and qualify such a process at the five-gallon RAM (RAM5) scale.
Statistical Design of Experiments (DoEs) have been used for over a hundred years to increase the information-per-unit-experiment at all stages in chemical and materials discovery and manufacturing process development. However, it lacks some key features. Traditional polynomial models and factorial designs are insufficient for many highly complex systems, such as chemical processes with multiple kinetically significant steps or pathways. In addition, such models do not naturally provide mechanistic insight, which should be a key component of discussions when developing a manufacturing process. While it is possible to develop a DoE around physical models, doing so typically requires apprehension of physical nuances that are not often present at the outset of a development life-cycle.
The rapid rise in artificial intelligence (AI) models has opened one route to address both concerns. Machine learning (ML) algorithms, such as neural networks, are designed specifically for flexibility to data, and numerous architectures have been developed to handle chemical processes within the federal government, including at the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and multiple National Labs, such as Oak Ridge, Sandia, and Lawrence Livermore. However, many of these efforts are used primarily at the chemical lab scale, whereas process scale-up sits at the complex interface of chemistry, physics, engineering, and surface science. AI models are a natural tool for use in handling the physical complexity of the systems involved, shortening the scale-up life-cycle and bringing energetics manufacturing to production scale faster.
Currently NSWC IHD is developing these AI capabilities by creating a cloud-based app for continuous, real-time monitoring of active chemical processes using automated reactors and process analytical technology. The data collected will be used for training cloud-based AI models that will, in turn, analyze and recommend new experiments to the scientists and engineers and act to build digital representations, or digital twins, of the processes under study. These digital twins will allow for advanced analysis and planning of reaction scale-up.