In the unlikely event of an explosion, blast valves are designed to contain pressure change. Once complete, plenums will house the blast valves in an airtight cube. This safety precaution is important because the MDB is the plant’s main processing building, which houses the equipment and systems that will disassemble the munitions and remove and neutralize the energetics and chemical agent.

A total of 21 plenums with an average measurement of 6.5 feet and an average weight of two tons each will be installed at the Blue Grass plant.

Assembling, welding and placement of the plenums requires a combined effort from iron workers, who will perform more than 6,100 inches of welding work for each plenum; sheet-metal workers who will connect the plenums to the HVAC ductwork; and painters who will apply protective coatings and fire-proofing material. Next steps for the plenums include balancing the HVAC system to ensure proper air flow throughout the MDB.