dangerous amateur
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Ammonium Perchlorate - does it get useless or impure with age?
Hi guys,
How does AP behave when you store it for along time?
It seems like it decomposes slowly over time, but how fast does that happen?
Is it likely that 10 or 15 year old stuff has degraded in a way that it affects rocket fuels or other compositions?
And how does it degrade just from lying around, does it decompose completely or do I get something like chloride contamination?
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Hennig Brand
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This is something that could be found easily with a little help from Google. It is used extensively in military solid rocket propellants, so that
speaks volumes about its qualities. I also did a quick Google search and apparently it is very stable in pure form at ordinary temperature, but
decomposes when the temperature is increased to 150C and above.
"A risk-free world is a very dull world, one from which we are apt to learn little of consequence." -Geerat Vermeij
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dangerous amateur
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No.
There is a lot of information about AP being heated, yes, but I'm looking for a decomposition rate at room temperature or something in that range.
I remember reading somewhere that AP decomposes over time, but I cant remember where it was.
[QUOTE]
Ammonium perchlorate, used in solid rocket engine fuels, has a limited shelf life and must periodically be replaced
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]
Within DOD, a backlog of perchlorate-based solid propellant rocket and missiles that have exceeded their perchlorate shelf life are currently in
storage.
[/QUOTE]
It says PERCHLORATE shelf life, not propellant shelf life.
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VladimirLem
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i have no experience with AP but i have too agree with Henning Brand - Military-Stuff have extremely high savety standards, if they use it (AND THEY
DO} then it is definitivly save enough for amateurs like us...
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Loptr
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Quote: Originally posted by dangerous amateur  | Hi guys,
How does AP behave when you store it for along time?
It seems like it decomposes slowly over time, but how fast does that happen?
Is it likely that 10 or 15 year old stuff has degraded in a way that it affects rocket fuels or other compositions?
And how does it degrade just from lying around, does it decompose completely or do I get something like chloride contamination?
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I would think the EPA would have some nice figures of this since they track these sorts of things, especially with its use in military rockets, and
the known effects of perchlorates on the thyroid gland, bone marrow, and muscles. I will see if I can pull up some figures.
I know that biodegradation is one route that is used to cleanup in waste treatment, meaning that is possible it can be attacked by micro-organisms.
[Edited on 25-8-2014 by Loptr]
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Loptr
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In no way conclusive, but here is a quote from an environmental report.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/CLEANUP.NSF/PH/Arkema+Technical+...
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In dilute concentrations typically found in groundwater, perchlorate behaves conservatively, with the center of mass of the plume moving at the same
average velocity as the water. Dispersion results in the contaminant front actually moving faster than the average groundwater velocity. Perchlorate
is kinetically very stable under environmental conditions and will not react or degrade in solution under ambient conditions. Biodegradation of
perchlorate in groundwater will not occur unless significant levels of organic carbon are present, oxygen and nitrate are depleted, and
perchlorate-degrading anaerobic bacteria are present.The combination of high solubility, low sorption, and lack of degradation tends to create plumes
that are large, persistent, and difficult to remediate.
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nitro-genes
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Pure AP is stable as far as I can remember. Maybe the military disposes of old propellants due to phase transition issues like for AN based
propellants? Slow reaction with aluminium, partial breakdown of the binder?
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