Defence Research and Development Canada Recherche et développement pour la défense Canada Canada Improvised Explosive Assessment Tool CRTI 06-0204RD Presented.

Defence Research andDevelopment Canada

Recherche et développementpour la défense Canada Canada

Improvised Explosive Assessment ToolCRTI 06-0204RD

Presented at the Public Security S&T Summer Symposium 2009

15-18 June, Ottawa, Ontario

Defence R&D Canada • R & D pour la défense Canada

INTRODUCTION

• Project Review

• Progress and Results

• Leverage

• Low-Hanging Fruit

Information Leveraging

Canadian Indicator Booklet

Urban Modeling Protocols

Public Security Support

• Conclusions

CRTI06-0204RDImprovised Explosives Assessment Tool


CRTI 06-204RD: Improvised Explosive Assessment Tool

• PM: John Anderson• Delivery by: Suffield (lead), Valcartier, CERL,

CSIS, RCMP, Amita• Start-End: October 2007 – December 2011• Total Funding : $3.25 Million + 2.66M in-kind• Total FTE: 18.5 total (7.7 Suffield)• Client sponsor(s): CRTI• Linkages (National): CSIS, RCMP, CERL, Valcartier, DSTI

• Linkages (International): TSWG/FBI/ATF, UK, AUS

Objective(s): To deliver a capability/tool that will provide investigators and first responder organizations with a means for obtaining rapid, evidence-based and scientifically sound assessments of many improvised explosive formulations, compositions and recipes. This information will be of direct utility to end users by providing accurate information on over two dozen critical factors for a minimum of forty (40) improvised explosive (IE) formulations and/or technologies.

Outcomes:- Improved appreciation of threat spectrum and

associated implications- Establishment of pan-national capability to assess, and

advise on the improvised explosive threat- Database of experimental results and a software tool for first responder and expert investigator use.- Provision of data for the CRTI project “Protocol for

Modeling Explosive Threats in Urban Environments

Outputs / deliverables:-Reports on improvised explosives characteristics-A scientifically sound formulation assessment tool.-A database of experimental data for use in other

improvised explosive programs.



The IEAT Team• DRDC Valcartier

P. Brousseau, S. Desilets, S. Turgeon

• NRCan-CERL

P. Lightfoot

• PSCan

T. Patraboy, P. Caron

• RCMP

Ian Summerell

• DSTI

Tony Heron

• AMITA

Larry Chop

DRDC SuffieldJ. Anderson


APPROACH• Literature surveys

• Information fed from variety of sources

• Explosives Assessments Methods of synthesis/precursors

Sensitivity/stability

Detonation Properties (Velocity, Critical Diameter, Initiation)

Blast Properties (free-field, semi confined, confined)

TNT “equivalency”

• All info fed into Assessment tool



POTENTIAL COMPOSITIONS

– Peroxides (TATP, HMTD, MEKP etc.)

– Peroxide-based (H2O2 + organic material-OM, other additives as required)

– Non-ideal or other oxidizer-based (AN, UNi, Metal Nitrates, Perchlorates, Chlorates, KMnO4 etc.)

– Liquids (NM, NE, IPN, HN, EHN, NG, EGDN etc)

– Liquid-based (energetic liquids plus additives such as metals)

– Precursor materials

– “Other” (R-salt, HM-RDX, HM-HE (HM-homemade), other candidates from intel assessments)



APPROACH

• Four Phases

Phase I: Review of Information Sources

Phase II: Prioritization of formulations to be assessed

Phase III: Technical Assessments/Database Development

Phase IV: Database population, integration and testing



Last Year:• Focus was on Urea Nitrate and Mixtures (urgent

requirement for knowledge from our international partners)

– CERL: Sensitivity Studies

– Suffield: Blast Properties

– Valcartier: Chemical and Structural Analysis

IEAT Tool/Database Outline



Project Progress Update:• Peroxide Desensitization

• HME based on Metal Nitrates

• MEKP Characterization

• Decomposition Mechanisms for UNi

• Update on Development of the Improvised Explosives Assessment Tool (Software/Database)



PEROXIDES: HMTD/TATP (what’s already known)

• Extremely Sensitive to Mechanical Stimuli (friction/impact)

• Extremely Sensitive to Thermal Stimuli

• TATP has high vapor pressure, HMTD much less so

• ESD Results vary

Question: Can these HMEs be desensitized with other materials



PEROXIDES: HMTD/TATP (what we’ve done)

• TATP/Al mixtures

• TATP/AN; HMTD/AN mixtures

• TATP/grease, HMTD grease mixtures

• TATP/alcohol, HMTD/ alcohol mixtures

• TATP/H2O, TATP/AN/H2O mixtures



Question: Can these HMEs be desensitized with other materials

Answer: Yes – but large amounts of material required

Don’t use 50% HP Use 35% HP

Variation in ESD measurements for HMTD a concern



HME based on Metal Nitrates

• NaNO3, KNO3, Sr(NO3)2, Ba(NO3)2, Ca(NO3)2 (planned)

• Looked at variety of mixtures with metal and elemental fuels

• Evaluated the hazard and explosive properties of a broad range of potential HMEs

• No apparent safety issues - mixtures are relatively safe to handle and easy to make by grinding/mixing

• Clear potential for large-scale detonation devices using binary mixtures with specific metal powder, particularly for KN and SN



Still to do:– Small-scale detonation tests on ternary mixtures– 2-kg airblast testing on selected ternary mixtures– 50-kg airblast testing on a few mixtures– VOD determination for selected mixtures– Ca(NO3)2 “workup”



• MEKP Characterization• MEKP is easily prepared with readily available chemicals:

• The preparation of MEKP does not require sophisticated equipment

• Most publications describe MEKP as a mixture of organic peroxides (mainly the dimer form) which are intrinsically unstable due to the peroxide group (C-O-O-C).

• MEKP (diluted in a plasticizer) is widely used in the plastic industry as a catalyst for initiating and cross-linking polymerization.

• In 1996, the worldwide yearly consumption of MEKP was estimated at 22,000 tons (Shu et al. Thermochim. Acta, (2005), 430, 67-71).

• MEKP is extremely sensitive to friction, impact and heat.



• Hypothesis

– Evaporation of Nitric acid

– Sublimation under vacuum

– Revert back to Urea & producing Nitric acid boiling

– Decomposition reactions (producing volatile organic species)

Vacuum Stability Test (VST): 100oC for 40hrs – 27% Weight loss and decomposition observed ?

Decomposition Mechanisms for UNi



Aging Experiments of Urea Nitrate at 100oC in an Oven

IR and NMR Spectroscopy Studies

• 24hrs - Urea Nitrate was mainly present

• 48hrs - Ammonium Nitrate (AN) strongly present

• 72hrs - AN strongly presents + Urea + Biuret

• 144hrs - AN + Urea + Biuret



Urea Nitrate DecompositionProposed Mechanism below melting point

H2N NH2

OH

NO3 H2N NH2

O

+HNO3

HN C OH2N NH2

O

+NH3

HN C OH2N N

HNH2

O O

H2N NH2

O+

+ HNO3NH3 NH4NO3

(Urea)

(Ammonium nitrate)

(Biuret)

(Isocyanic acid b.p: 24oC)



• Decomposition processes are complex and were characterized by numerous techniques – could this help with development of detection techniques?

• Urea nitrate appears stable at room temperature

• Urea nitrate is very acidic – could produce secondary decomposition process when mixed with other ingredients.

• Which can lead to “unplanned thermal events”!



• Give First Responders, Investigators, Forensics, Scientists access to reliable information about Improvised Explosives (HMEs) to better assess threats

• Key players : Defence Research and Development Canada, Canadian Explosives Research Laboratory, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Public Safety Canada.

– Evaluate selected HMEs

– Build a user-friendly software tool


Update on Development of the Improvised Explosives Assessment Tool (Software/Database)


• Adopted an Agile approach for software development

– Small iterations

• Fewer functionalities implemented at a time

– Frequent releases

– Quick and regular feedback

– Build GUI Prototypes accessible from a web browser

Version 1 : Data Entry



Data ArchitectureImprovised Explosives

Synthesis Procedures

Documentation Characteristics

Precursors Waste Materials

PersonsSuppliers Organization Instrument

Scenarios Of Use

Render Safe Procedures

Applied Test Method

Judgement Sheet



• Explosive Outputs– Velocity of detonation – TNT Equivalency (Air blast)

• Structure and Analysis– NMR Spectra– Microscopy

• Observed Properties– Physical state (solid, liquid)– Odor

• Hazard – Sensitivity to friction – Thermal stability

• Disposal– Solubility in water, in acetone

• Other Properties– Melting point – Toxicity

Examples of Characteristics



Activities of IEAT

The actors:

Listcharacteristics

Write scientificreports

Add data to IEATV1

Make expertjudgment

Integrate adv iceinto IEAT V2

Consolidate andsynchronize data

Share with 1stresponderscommunity

Write summaries

Performsynthesis

procedures

Rev iewscientificlitterature

Apply TestMethods

List V1Requirements

Build GUI

Build DataModel

List V2Requirements

Release IEATV2

Release IEATV1

Scientists

Technicians 1st Responders

Software Dev elopers



• Assign responsibilities within the end-users community

– They define requirements

– Regular meetings with representative from each organization

• Talk to users with a functional prototype, not paperwork

• Build a common vocabulary (ex: recipes, synthesis procedures, test methods)

• Data ≠ Advice

– Scientists are hungry for data

– Public Safety people are hungry for advice

– Implement good communication between them

Lessons learned to date



Future work and challenges

• Data population

– Enter data beyond document upload

– No centralized data

• Assess data and judgment taken from literature

– Level of confidence? Reliability?

– Piles of papers => Huge amount of work!

• Have a good search tool

– Meaningful and useful to the different end-users

• Not for all first responders because it is classified

– Desensitize information



LINKAGES/LEVERAGING

UK/CPNI/DSTL/METROPOLITION POLICE

- HPOM data, other HME “tidbits”

FBI/ARA/ATF

- CHP, ASN and FGAN data and more “tidbits”

AUS

- Recent Distribution of Reports

All done through linkage with TSWGHME-WG’s and International Workshops

Low Hanging Fruit: Information Sharing



Low Hanging Fruit: Indicators/Warnings for HME

Canadianized EH!



Protocols for Modeling Explosive Threats in Urban Environments

S&T Thrust : CRTI 6-252RDClients : CRTI, CSISSA : Dr. Fan ZhangPM : Mr. Pierre CaronDelivery : DRDC Suffield / CSISStart-End : April 2007 – March 2011Resources over life of project:

Collabor. : CSIS, RCMP, Martec Ltd., U of WaterlooLinkage : US TSWG, DTRA, UK Dstl

FTE R&D Total Funds

1 $2200K $ 2700K

Outcomes and Deliverables:• Physical models for non-ideal blast explosives and target interactions• Accurate near-field solutions in urban elements and scenarios• Chinook Code update as a first-principle continuum modeling tool for threats of explosive devices and urban target interactions• Multiple scaling rules for non-ideal explosives• Protocols as guidelines & database for urban explosive threats, loading, structure/ personnel vulnerability for best explosion modeling practices• Protocols in both printed manuals and a user-friendly electronic platform

Objectives: • Develop protocols serving as standards and guidelines for modeling both ideal and non-ideal explosive threats in the close proximity of urban environments, so that the threats on structures and personnel in real-world urban scenarios can be assessed and the range of applicability of the fast tools can be extended• The Protocols are based on physically-correct models and will consist of a large number of first-principles, accurate, near-field modeling solutions including pressure (static and dynamic), impulse and temperature histories and P-I curves on structural elements of a comprehensive class of fundamental urban environments and scenarios.


Support to Law Enforcement: Large Scale FGANFO Trial

Low Hanging Fruit: Public Security



Support to Law Enforcement: SME advice on TATP/Al mixtures

Support to TC/DHS Development of Simulants for TATP/HMTD

DRDC Support

(synthesis of HMEs)

Installation of CT-80 on Range (2 days/-30C)

Data for HMTD, HMTD/grease and HMTD/AN acquired (all three instruments)

Data for TATP and mixtures, AN and mixtures to be acquired July 09

Low Hanging Fruit: Public Security



Closing Remarks

• CA working on a variety of Improvised Explosives-related programs: Ops Infrastructure Protection, HME, Improvised FAE, Modelling/Software, and database development programs

• IEAT/database coming along nicely

• Render Safe Procedures (RSP) a Gap area – project starting soon (dedicated site and equipment in design phase)

• Wealth of information generated/collected – allowing us to offer SME advice on large number of compositions



Acknowledgements

• DRDC Suffield: P. Lambert, L. Gagne

• DRDC Valcartier: D. Chamberland, A. Marois, E. Sinelnikov

• CERL: B. Ridley, K. Armstrong


and last but certainly not least

Ms. Louise Ripley & her Team


QUESTIONS?

Defence Research and Development Canada Recherche et développement pour la défense Canada Canada Improvised Explosive Assessment Tool CRTI 06-0204RD Presented.

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