U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Trace explosive vapors of TNT and RDX collected on sorbent-filled thermal desorption tubes were analyzed using a programmed temperature desorption system coupled to GC with an electron capture detector. The instrumental analysis is combined with direct liquid deposition method to reduce sample variability and account for instrumentation drift and losses.

A method to characterize the potential failure hazards of lithium batteries is achieved with accelerating rate calorimetry. Heat and pressure release, visual observation of the failure event, and the capture of evolved gases are collected in this experiment to identify the worst credible threats of batteries taken to failure.

Here, we present a method utilizing two-dimensional gas chromatography and nitrogen chemiluminescence detection (GCxGC-NCD) to extensively characterize the different classes of nitrogen-containing compounds in diesel and jet fuels.