Advanced designs and improved operating procedures for the Eglin Air Force Base depleted uranium firing facility

Armor-penetrating projectiles fabricated from depleted uranium (DU) are routinely test fired at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) as part of the ammunition surveillance program. The catchment facility for the projectiles consists of a large sand butt in a reinforced concrete building that contains all spent DU rounds and DU-contaminated byproducts. The sand is screened periodically to remove DU projectiles and other oversized materials. Complete sand replacement is required after three firing/sifting cycles to reduce the quantity of fine material in the butt. The current system is effective, but disposal of the uranium-contaminated sand is very costly. This paper describes equally effective but less costly systems that can be generally grouped as (1) alternate catchment media and catchment design, (2) sand/DU separation, and (3) improved operations using the current facility. A detailed economic model was developed to compare systems involving sand/DU separation, sand reuse and changes in operating procedures.