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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)
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      Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)


      Mission: The safe elimination of chemical weapons at Pueblo and Blue Grass by Sept. 30, 2023

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      Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP)

      BGCAPP is safely destroying the chemical weapons stockpile currently in storage at the Blue Grass Army Depot near Richmond, Kentucky.

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      Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP)

      PCAPP is safely destroying the chemical weapons stockpile currently in storage at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado.

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Repairs Complete for Explosive Destruction System in Pueblo

Published: September 28, 2015 | Category: PCAPP News, Technology
  • A repair technician from Grayloc Corp. welds the Explosive Destruction System Sept. 21 to repair the door seal surface that was damaged Aug. 6.

    A repair technician from Grayloc Corp. welds the Explosive Destruction System Sept. 21 to repair the door seal surface that was damaged Aug. 6.

  • A repair technician from Grayloc Corp. performs machining work on the Explosive Destruction System Sept. 23 to restore the door to its original condition.

    A repair technician from Grayloc Corp. performs machining work on the Explosive Destruction System Sept. 23 to restore the door to its original condition.

  • System operators discovered the damage during routine vessel cleanout operations Aug. 7. The indent was about one-quarter inch wide and three-quarter inch long.

    System operators discovered the damage during routine vessel cleanout operations Aug. 7. The indent was about one-quarter inch wide and three-quarter inch long.

Technicians completed repairs to the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Explosive Destruction System Sept. 26, and the system will undergo inspections before operations resume.

“With approval of the repair documentation package by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, agent operations can resume,” said Bruce Huenefeld, PCAPP EDS site project manager.

An indent on the sealing surface was machined down and built back up with specialty welding then the newly welded surface was machined back to original specifications, Huenefeld said. After each step of the welding was completed, a dye penetrant test was performed, which was followed by a final helium leak test, and the vessel was certified to be returned to its original condition.

Damage to the EDS door seal was discovered Aug. 7 during cleanout operations after the last successful destruction of munitions in the unit.

“We believe that during the door closing and sealing process, a tiny piece of metal fragment became lodged between the two metal surfaces,” said Huenefeld. As the two surfaces were pressed together during the door sealing step, an indent to the EDS door sealing surface was made.

Prior to this unplanned downtime, the PCAPP EDS surpassed the halfway point in its initial campaign by destroying 347 of the 560 chemical munitions and Department of Transportation bottles identified for elimination.

Employees from Grayloc Corp., a subcontractor of Sandia National Laboratories, conducted the repair work.

Editor’s Note: On Oct. 5, the PCAPP EDS successfully resumed operations with the destruction of four 155mm projectiles containing the chemical agent mustard.

More PCAPP Technology Articles

  • The Improved Cavity Access Machine was proposed to safely destroy 4.2-inch mortar rounds in the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant automated process. Based on existing Cavity Access Machine technology, the ICAM uses a vacuum-powered probe to remove agent.

    Improved Equipment Could Accelerate Destruction at Pueblo Plant

    Published: July 5, 2022
  • Agent-filled 4.2-inch mortar rounds are monitored during Static Detonation Chamber agent trial testing operations at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

    Static Detonation Chamber Trial Testing Concludes

    Published: May 13, 2022
  • After a chemical weapon is drained of agent and rinsed with high-pressure hot water, Agent Washwater Separator tanks collect fluid before sending it to Agent Neutralization Reactors to destroy the mustard agent. The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant has two tanks, providing the plant with redundancy when neutralizing agent.

    Backup Systems Allow for Safe Repairs

    Published: March 28, 2022
  • All chemical weapons from the Colorado stockpile are sorted into four color-coded lots to reduce delays in destruction due to problematic munitions.

    Color Coding Boosts Chemical Weapon Destruction

    Published: March 23, 2022
  • A Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant ordnance technician holds the first 4.2-inch mortar round to be processed in the Static Detonation Chamber complex.

    First Agent Destroyed in Static Detonation Chamber

    Published: February 22, 2022
  • Static Detonation Chamber ordnance technicians Rachelle S. and Mike W. remove a 57mm conventional ammunition round from its fiber tube during SDC non-agent Trial Burn Testing.

    Conventional Explosives Demonstrate Static Detonation Chamber Capability

    Published: February 15, 2022
  • Munitions transporters unload inert 4.2-inch mortar rounds from the back of a Modified Ammunition Vehicle during Integrated Operations Demonstrations. (Portions of this photograph have been blurred in accordance with Department of Defense guidelines)

    Pueblo Static Detonation Chamber Team Demonstrates Operations

    Published: February 2, 2022
  • Ethylene glycol and monochlorobenzene are being used as mustard agent surrogates during testing of the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant’s Static Detonation Chamber units.

    Mustard Agent Alternatives Used in Testing

    Published: January 12, 2022
  • Control room footage shows Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant workers preparing a cardboard box containing an empty, inert projectile for trial burn testing in a PCAPP Static Detonation Chamber unit.

    Detailed Timeline Guiding Pueblo Static Detonation Chamber Testing

    Published: December 2, 2021
  • Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant ordnance technicians place an empty, inert projectile into a cardboard box to begin trial burn testing at the PCAPP Static Detonation Chamber.

    Pueblo Static Detonation Chamber Trial Burn Testing Begins

    Published: November 2, 2021
PCAPP EDS

Related Pages and Facts

  • Explosive Destruction System

    November 15, 2016

Related News

  • Rejected Munitions Take Different Route to Destruction

    Rejected Munitions Take Different Route to Destruction

    October 3, 2016
  • Special Containers Protect Some Projectiles

    Special Containers Protect Some Projectiles

    August 10, 2016
  • First Explosive Destruction System Campaign Successfully Completed

    First Explosive Destruction System Campaign Successfully Completed

    February 19, 2016
  • Site Project Manager Recounts Year of Accomplishments

    Site Project Manager Recounts Year of Accomplishments

    January 8, 2016
  • System Restarts Chemical Agent Destruction Operations in Colorado

    System Restarts Chemical Agent Destruction Operations in Colorado

    October 6, 2015

Related Videos

  • Colorado System Completes First Step in Munition Elimination

    Colorado System Completes First Step in Munition Elimination

    March 8, 2016
  • U.S. Army Destroys Reject Chemical Weapons Safely, Efficiently

    U.S. Army Destroys Reject Chemical Weapons Safely, Efficiently

    October 22, 2015
  • ACWA Snapshot: PCAPP Explosive Destruction System: The First Step in Eliminating Munitions

    ACWA Snapshot: PCAPP Explosive Destruction System: The First Step in Eliminating Munitions

    October 9, 2015
  • PCAPP Explosive Destruction System: The First Step in Eliminating Munitions

    PCAPP Explosive Destruction System: The First Step in Eliminating Munitions

    October 7, 2015
  • Honoring Our Commitment: The Start of Chemical Stockpile Destruction in Colorado

    Honoring Our Commitment: The Start of Chemical Stockpile Destruction in Colorado

    February 12, 2015

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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)