F R A U N H O F E R I N S T I T U T E F O R C H E M I C A L T E C H N O L O G Y I C T

RoBEMMDEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF A ROBOTIC UNDERWATER SALVAGE AND DISPOSAL PROCESS

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Kiel

Emden

Lübeck Wismar

Hamburg

Rostock

Cuxhaven

Flensburg

Stralsund

Greifswald

Bremerhaven

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55°0'0"N 55°0'0"N

54°30'0"N 54°30'0"N

54°0'0"N 54°0'0"N

53°30'0"N 53°30'0"N

Munitionsversenkungsgebiet

munitionsbelastete Fläche

Munitionsverdachtsfläche

! ! Seewärtige Begrenzung des Küstenmeeres

Grenze der Ausschließlichen Wirtschaftszone

Im Rahmen dieser Studie wird folgende Unterscheidung getroffen:In ehemaligen Munitionsversenkungsgebieten ist der Eintrag dort lagernderKampfmittel auf eine dokumentierte Nutzung zur offiziellen Verklappungzurückzuführen. Innerhalb munitionsbelasteter Flächen sindKampfmittelfunde dokumentiert, die Art der Einbringung erfolgte jedochnicht über offizielle Verklappungsmaßnahmen (sondern z.B.Schiffshavarien) oder ist nicht dokumentiert. Für Munitionsverdachtsflächenbesteht ein begründeter Verdacht der Anwesenheit von Kampfmitteln.

Vereinfachte Übersichtskarte munitionsbelasteter Flächen in deutschen MeeresgewässernVereinfachte Übersichtskarte munitionsbelasteter Flächen in deutschen Meeresgewässern

iL e g e n d e

Munition in deutschenNordseegewässern:rd. 1.300.000 t konventionellrd. 90 t chemisch

Geodetic datum: WGS 84Map projection: Mercator (54°N)

Achtung! Die Ausdehnung der Flächen gibt nicht die Größenordnung der etwaigen Munitionsbelastung wieder!

Munition in deutschenOstseegewässern:

rd. 300.000 t konventionellrd. 5.000 t chemisch

Geodaten der Landmassen: http://www.gadm.org

AMMUNITION IN THE SEA – EXPLOSIVE LEGACYAccording to current estimations there are still 1.6 million tonnes

of ammunition in the North and Baltic Sea, most of which result

from the demilitarization of Germany after World War II. One

problem is that the ships chartered by the allies often disposed of

the dangerous materials before arriving in the designated disposal

areas. For this reason the exact location of many explosive

ordnances is unknown. The ammunition casings are increasingly

being carried away or corroded by the effects of currents and

the saline environment. A variety of toxic and carcinogenic subs-

tances are being released into the water, causing environmental

damage.

The poor condition of many marine explosive ordnances

and the amounts of explosives contained pose a significant

risk to flora and fauna as well as to personnel involved in

recovering the materials. As a result, “objects of concern” are

generally moved to another location or detonated. The effort

involved in this method of disposal and the resulting costs,

especially during the construction of offshore wind parks,

have increased the demand for alternatives. For this reason,

RoBEMM (“Development and testing of a robotic underwater

salvage and disposal process, including technology for the

disassembly of ammunition in the sea, especially in coastal

and shallow waters”) aims to develop a viable process and the

corresponding technology to expose and thermally destroy the

explosive ordnances on site without detonation, leaving only

scrap metal which can be returned to land.

For over 60 years, Fraunhofer ICT has been engaged in the

characterization and investigation of explosive substances.

The knowledge and experience obtained form the basis for

a fundamental understanding of safety issues in the field

of energetic systems. Within the collaborative R&D project

RoBEMM, the institute is therefore working on the safety

design of the process chain from the handling of ammunition

and explosives through to their disposal. The concepts and

parameters for the planned process are based on safety

investigations of the historic explosives mixtures. It is also

important to determine the composition of the explosive, so

that safety risks can be identified.

General investigations for the characterization of explosives: J Measurement of the detonation speed J Assessment of storage stability

– Temperature of autoignition

– Holland test J Impact and friction sensitivity J Koenen test to determine sensitivity to temperature

increases J GAP test to measure the initiation pressure J Differential scanning calorimetry

Methods to measure the composition: J Gas chromatography J High-performance liquid chromatography J Ion chromatography IC J X-ray diffractometry

KeyMunition disposal areas Seeward boundary of coastal waters

Areas contaminated with munition Border of the exclusive economic zone

Areas of suspected contamination

Identify the ammunition

Thermal treatment of

residues

Disassemble the ammunition

Handling of explosive suspension

Destruction of the explosive

Storage of the scrap metal

Determine the type of ammunition

Determine the orientation

Separation of solids

Increase the handling safety

Open the casing

Rinse out the explosive

Suspectedsite

Platform

Underwater

Map of the areas contaminated with ammunition in German waters

(MELUND Schleswig Holstein – Bund/Länder-Ausschuss Nord- und Ostsee 2011

URL: http://www.schleswig-holstein.de/DE/UXO/Berichte/PDF/Karten/karte_1.html)

In general substances with an impact sensitivity of less than

40 Nm are considered sensitive, and those with an impact

sensitivity of less than 4 Nm are considered especially sensitive.

Initial results show that almost all samples of marine explosive

ordnances are sensitive to impact.

It follows that in the planned process only equipment (e.g.

pumps) with low mechanical stress should be used.

To ensure a holistic assessment of all influencing factors rele-

vant to the project, work safety and environmental protection

issues have shaped developments from the beginning.

Emphasis is placed on increasing the handling safety of all

explosives involved in the system. This includes desensitizing

the explosives with water at the beginning of the disassembly

process, and a subsequent fragmentation of the explosive

particles in the suspension to a subcritical diameter.

This diameter is a characteristic value for each explosive that

defines the threshold after which only parts of the explosive

react, and no mass detonations or further reactions occur.

1

The expected results are: J Statistical characterization and quantification of the

substances in the ammunition J Selection of suitable equipment J Identification of whether conventional technologies can

be used, and areas where adjustments are needed J Development of a process and safety concept

Impact sensitivity [Nm]

25

25

50

7,5

6

15

2,5 – 4

Torpedo heads

Moored mines

Ground mine, British (Mark IV)

Ground mine, British booster charge (Mark IV)

OS 9 (rinsed out material, non-specified)

Pure TNT2

Lead azide (primary explosive)2

Investigation of the impact sensitivity of different samples.

2 Köhler J., Meyer R., Homburg A. (2008) Explosivstoffe. 439 pages, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA; Issue 10, ISBN 978-3527320097

PICTURES

Pictures included in the teaching materials of

the explosive ordnances disposal team (Kampf-

mittelräumungsdienst) of Schleswig-Holstein.

Left: Moored mine EMA/B. Center: British

ground mines. Right: Depth bomb.

PROJECT PARTNERS

FUNDING AGENCIES

Boskalis Hirdes J Investigation of explosive ordnances on the seabed J Recovery of explosive ordnances J Destruction of explosive ordnances

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic

Affairs and Energy, Grant Agreement No. 03SX403A.

automatic Klein J Engineering and automation of testing units J Planning and construction of measurement, regulation

and control units

University of Leipzig J Environmental management J Resource management J Quality control

PICTURES

BAM drop hammer and samples of

explosives from a moored mine.

Fraunhofer Institute for

Chemical Technology ICT

Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Strasse 7

76327 Pfinztal (Berghausen)

Germany

Director:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Elsner

Contact

Paul Müller

Phone +49 7 21 46 40-754

paul.mueller@ict.fraunhofer.de

www.ict.fraunhofer.de

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