State metal reserves are stored in military depots

One tonne of ammunition contains 83 kilos of recyclable nonferrous metals.



State metal reserves are stored in military depots

Vitaly BEGMA, expert

One tonne of ammunition contains 83 kilos of recyclable nonferrous metals.

Industrial recycling of obsolete and deteriorated weapons and ammunition is a headache of all the developed countries worldwide.

For instance, Ukraine alone possesses over 300 ths. metric tons of ammunition, which ought to be discarded. Expiry of storage terms annually adds some 10-15 ths. metric tons to this figure. Discarded ammunition embraces more than 100 different items ranging from air-to-air and air-to-surface aircraft missiles to various shells, torpedoes, depth charges and anti-ship missiles. Each of the mentioned ammo items weighs from several kilos to several metric tons. Ukraine has also inherited chemical weapons containing various poison gases, defoliants, etc. Previously, the discarded ammunition was blasted, dumped in the sea or piled in the abandoned mines. So far not too many people have realized that, should the vast munitions arsenal be further disposed of in a similar way, this will inevitably lead to ecological disaster.

Storage of expired ammunition constantly poses a threat of accidental explosions and conflagrations. In a number of cases, these accidents turned into true disasters leading to casualties and irremediable ecocide. Throughout 1977-1995, USSR and later on CIS ammo depots and bases were exposed to more than 40 large-scale fires, which completely destroyed the total of 10 ths. railway freight trucks with ammunition, i.e. some 200 ths. metric tons of explosives.

Further storage of discarded ammunition requires a much more painstaking control. The terms of proof tests become more narrowed and scheduled operations become more laborious, which all requires efforts of skilled maintenance specialists. For instance, the discarded military equipment (which mainly has value as a scrap metal source) can be stored for a relatively long time without much harm to the environment, while ammunition cannot be left without reliable guard, proper fire protection, quality control system over condition of the stored ammo, etc. Therefore, storage of discarded ammunition is much more costly. This turns into a great problem under the conditions of scanty financial backup of the armed forces and acute social tension at the sites of depots.

At the same time, deteriorated ammunition is a state reserve of valuable secondary materials.

The available Ukrainian technologies enable efficient salvage of most types of weapons and military equipment, including ammunition. This makes the material salvage works quite attractive to independent investors.

Back in January 1995, the Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers approved "The State program for disposal of conventional ammunition unsuitable for further use and storage". Two companies perform the largest amounts of ammo reclamation, namely closed JSC Ellaent Kiev (which has planned to salvage 220 ths. metric tons of munitions) and Sodruzhestvo association of Ukrainian enterprises (which will deal with the remaining 100 ths. metric tons of ammunition). Recycling of all the ammunition is expected to bring in 50 ths. metric tons of brass, 170 ths. metric tons of steel, 6 ths. metric tons of explosives and 44 ths. metric tons of gunpowder.

The technology used at JSC Ellaent Kiev enables thorough and efficient reclamation of faulty munitions and guarantees environment safety of the recovery process.

It has been stipulated to separate ammunition at the existing facilities. This will save money; ensure utilization, integrity and expansion of the existing facilities; as well as create all the prerequisites for employment and advanced training of logistics specialists.

A number of companies, including Sodruzhestvo association of Ukrainian enterprises, were set up in Ukraine to deal with the issue of ammo disposal. During the five and a half years of existence, Sodruzhestvo association reclaimed 36,121.8 metric tons of ammunition including:

  • 21,373.8 metric tons of shells;

  • 1,898.6 metric tons of missile parts from various missile systems;

  • 6,307.9 metric tons of gunpowders;

  • 6,072.9 metric tons of various empty cartridges;

  • 445.2 metric tons of other munitions.

The constantly functioning facilities to reclaim TNT-based ammunition have been built at the grounds of Donetsk Chemical and Metallurgic Works. Pavlograd Chemical Plant owns facilities capable of salvaging shells.

Sodruzhestvo association, together with JSC Frunze scientific and manufacturing association of Sumy, has designed and manufactured equipment to transform gunpowder into industrial-purpose explosive and equipment to reclaim large-caliber shells and aircraft bombs. At the moment, the latter equipment is being assembled and gets ready for the recycling routine.

Impulse plant, Shostka, has manufactured an armored furnace to dispose percussion caps and bullets.

Until recently Ukraine had grave problems with disposal of cyclonite-based ammunition. To solve this problem, Sodruzhestvo association and German firm EBV signed a contract for supplies of appropriate technologies and equipment to Ukraine. At the moment, one of the pilot production lines is undergoing tests and trials. Recycling of cyclonite is the distinguishing feature of this salvation process.

Along with this, Ukraine is engaged in active research & development of new ammo reclamation technologies and application of the reclaimed waste.

For example, scientific and technical center Lazerniye Tekhnologii (Laser Technologies) has designed, manufactured and tested a set of machinery to treat materials with high-pressure water jet (using either pure water or water mixed with abrasives). This type of material treatment completely prevents thermal hardening of edges, does not leave any burrs, chips, micro- or macro-cracks in the cutting area. There have been conducted successful experiments on using high-pressure water jets to wash out explosive-imitators from mockup shells. Quality of the process meets the posed requirements, namely it splits composite materials, up to 100 mm thick. The following materials were cut with hydro-abrasive jets: titanium, 150 mm thick; steel, 120 mm thick; reinforced concrete, 300 mm thick.

It is a point of special interest that Ukrainian-made (and no foreign) equipment was used in designing of this pilot set of machinery.

The State Tube Institute and the State Academy of Mines of Ukraine engineered a highly efficient technology for direct recovery of tungsten-based heavy armor-piercing cores made of WNi alloys and carbide WCo6-WCo20 alloys occurring as manufacturing wastes of tube plants, instrument-making and hardware factories. This allows recovering such valuable metals as tungsten, cobalt and nickel.

The elaborated process stands out among the existing technologies owing to its high technical and economic performance, output efficiency, low power consumption and environment safety. Tungsten-nickel armor-piercing cores of discarded shells and tungsten-cobalt wastes are used the primary feedstock for the process.

At present, tools made of reclaimed wastes are 10-20% cheaper than the industrially manufactured instruments, which allows saving up to UAH 1,300 on manufacturing a tonne of tools. Besides, this eliminates the need in importing costly tools.

The Physical and Technological Institute for Metals and Alloys under the Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences has designed a unique resource-saving casting MHD equipment for induction fusion, vacuum refinement and adjustment of chemical composition of electromagnetic dosed casting of fused ferrous and nonferrous alloys.

The backbone of the process is the transformer principle of producing induction current in a turn of liquid metal making use of a stand-alone meshed electromagnetic system (induction coil). This enables wide adjustments of temperature range of liquid metal and ensures high efficiency of electric power transformation into heat power. The main facilities employed in this process have been successfully tested in remelting, refining and casting of lead-based storage-battery and type-metal alloys, as well as on tin-based solders. In this process, waste of metal reduces as low as 30-40% and power consumption – as low as 20%. Besides, the amount of harmful releases into the environment has been eased fundamentally.

MHD units for melting, vacuum refinement and electromagnetic mould casting of aluminum alloys have been designed and applied in industry. Furthermore, industrial models of MHD equipment for melting and electromagnetic casting of brass and various types of iron have been developed and found their application. Utilization of this equipment in reclamation of metal-based military machinery will result in saving metal and power, as well as will allow arranging efficient metal recycling in the Ukrainian industry.

After all, the materials salvage efficiency will depend on such figures as losses of unusable weapons and ammunition, cost of the recycling process and financial backup of the recycling works.

Recycling costs of weapons and ammo can be divided into three groups. Costs within the first group directly relate to the salvage process. Within the second group, costs relate to development and modification of the recycling systems (research & development costs, etc.), re-equipment of reclamation companies, improvement of transportation systems and recovery processes. Costs within the third group are allocated on environment protection, i.e. these are the future expenditures on elimination of the pollution’s aftermath.

Thus, the issue of industrial reclamation has its definite peculiar traits originating from diversity of scientific and manufacturing activities in various economic sectors. Recovery of valuable metals should be viewed as a separate state problems. Solution of this problem will enable efficient use of the available Ukrainian scientific, technical and manufacturing potential for environment-safe disposal of weapons and munitions, as well as for recovery of valuable materials.

  • the Metal

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