(490b) Automated Pilot Plant System Producing 3,3-Diamino-4,4-Azoxyfurazan

The United States Navy developed a novel continuous process to produce kilogram quanitites of 3,3-diamino-4,4-azoxyfurazan (DAAF) for inclusion in explosive formulations. The process required extremely tight control of pH to maintain the desired impurity profile and resulting thermal stability of the final product. The process required the development of offline analytical techniques to monitor starting materials, intermediates, product and impurities in reaction mixtures and isolated solids. This data was incorporated into a kinetic model which was utilized to design a continuous process to DAAF. The details of the process development, kinetic model and final pilot plant controls will be discussed.