Phlegmatization of TATP using a Vacuum Oil: Comparison with Diesel Oil and Demonstration of the Effect using a Large-Scale Impact Tester

TATP is a home-made explosive that was used in several terrorist attacks. It is highly sensitive to impact and friction. Consequently, safe disposal methods are required for the Explosive Ordnance Disposable (EOD) teams. One such method is the phlegmatization of TATP. In this article, the ability of a vacuum oil to phlegmatize TATP is presented and compared to that of Diesel oil. The friction sensitivity of the mixtures containing the two tested phlegmatizers, as determined with a standard BAM friction test device, was slightly lower when the vacuum oil was used. The impact sensitivity obtained using a standard BAM Fall Hammer was low when a large amount of vacuum oil was used. By comparison, a mixture prepared in the same condition with Diesel oil at the place of the vacuum oil exhibits a high sensitivity to impact. A homemade sensitivity impact device was used to test the sensitivity of TATP in a different way: larger amounts of TATP and less confined samples were tested. Similar results were obtained for both phlegmatizers when the homemade test device was used. This could be attributed to the lower confinement of the sample when tested on a larger scale. Following the results obtained with the standard BAM Fall Hammer and the precautionary principle, the use of the selected vacuum oil, Invoil oil is recommended to phlegmatize TATP. The phlegmatization of wet TATP was also investigated. Similar results were obtained for dry and wet TATP.