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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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Heating Technique to Eliminate Residual Chemical Agent

Published: April 5, 2016 | Category: PCAPP News, Technology
The Pueblo plant’s Munition Treatment Units heat munition bodies and mortar baseplates to a minimum temperature of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 minutes in order to thermally destroy any residual agent.

The Pueblo plant’s Munition Treatment Units heat munition bodies and mortar baseplates to a minimum temperature of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 minutes in order to thermally destroy any residual agent.

The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) will use the Munitions Treatment Unit (MTU) to eliminate residual chemical agent from munitions, employing a heating technique similar to baking a pizza.

“The MTU is essentially a large pizza oven, about 80 feet long,” said Kent Ladd, training specialist. “After a thorough washing, the munitions spend about an hour on a moving belt, being heated up to a temperature sufficient to decontaminate any organics that may be left in the munition.”

During the destruction process, energetic-free munitions are first drained and rinsed by Cavity Access Machines (CAM) before the munition bodies are sent to the MTU to complete decontamination.

The drained munitions are fed to the MTUs by robots, where they are heated to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 minutes. To ensure the munitions are agent-free, each one is weighed, said Art Shinn, training specialist, PCAPP.

“We are looking for no more than five percent of total agent weight. For example, the weight of agent in a 155mm projectile before being processed is 11.7 pounds so if it weighs more than .59 pounds, the projectile is sent back to the CAM for processing,” said Shinn.

As decontaminated munitions exit the cooling section of the MTU, dislodged paint dust and flakes are air blasted and vacuumed away. This takes place in the Paint Residue Removal System, where a rotary discharge valve loads, cleans and then unloads munitions, one at a time, said Shinn.

Finally, gases from the MTU are discharged to the Off-gas Treatment System (OTS). Any gaseous byproduct from the MTU is drawn to the OTS where it is decontaminated, Ladd said.

The decontaminated munition bodies are deposited into containers to await off-site shipment for recycling.

More PCAPP Technology Articles

  • 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
PCAPP Equipment

Related PCAPP News

  • Antistatic Gear Improves Safety

    Antistatic Gear Improves Safety

    September 20, 2018
  • Washout System Tested for Optimal Performance

    Washout System Tested for Optimal Performance

    July 28, 2017
  • Heel Test Anticipates Plant Washout System Failures

    Heel Test Anticipates Plant Washout System Failures

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  • Solution Devised for Over-Pressurized Rounds

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  • Pueblo Plant Uses Present-Day Technologies to Clean up the Past

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Related Videos

  • Pueblo Plant Control Room Prepares for Operations

    Pueblo Plant Control Room Prepares for Operations

    January 13, 2016
  • Overpacked Pallets Carry the Load

    Overpacked Pallets Carry the Load

    March 15, 2015
  • Modified Ammunition Vehicles Ensure Safe Transportation of Chemical Weapons

    Modified Ammunition Vehicles Ensure Safe Transportation of Chemical Weapons

    September 9, 2014
  • PCAPP Projectile/Mortar Disassembly Systems

    PCAPP Projectile/Mortar Disassembly Systems

    April 18, 2014
  • Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Self-Operating Vehicles

    Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Self-Operating Vehicles

    September 30, 2013

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