Published on August 31, 2004 By nmrhth In Misc
I work for a large company. I design control systems for cryofracture plants. What is a cryofracture plant you say? Well, it is a large plant that is meant to dispose of old ammunition without it exploding. For example, the current plant I am working on is meant to destroy what were thought to be inert explosives. Well, someone almost blew their hand off with one during a demonstration. Wisely, the military decided they ought to get rid of these explosives, seeing as how they were useless, yet dangerous. So, in comes the cryofracture plant, a large expensive complicated (well, this one is simple as far as cryofracture plants go, but it really is complicated) plant. And what does this plant do? It freezes the explosives with liquid nitrogen, smashes them, and throws them away. That’s all. The end result is a bunch of worthless metal and no longer explosive powder and a plant that will not ever be used again. Which is fine. But the same thing could be accomplished by tossing all these explosives in a big whole in the middle of a desert and exploding them with a couple of sticks of TNT. Which would cost several tens of thousands of dollars less. But the government won’t allow that. Why? No one knows. It’s just another example of wasteful spending by the government/military.
Comments
on Aug 31, 2004
I suspect it is because blowing up munitions is entangled by a huge amount of environmental red tape that a plant such as yours does not. Blowing up munitions has the net effect of dispersing contaminants all over the place. I suspect your process keeps them contained.

There was a time they used to just bury them. Then they used to blow them up. Now they are resorting to this.

Some day the red tape will catch up to this and they will be forced to do something else.

Just a guess.
on Aug 31, 2004
The point of a cryofracture plant is that they don't explode. They are frozen, then smashed. but they don't explode.
on Aug 31, 2004
Yes...wasn't your point that the government is wasting money by not 'splodin them in the desert?

What I was trying to say is that the environmental regulations regarding of an explosion probably makes it a pain in the ass in the long run to do it.
on Aug 31, 2004
At least it's giving you a job...