During the course of pilot testing and operations at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP), there will be munitions unsuitable for processing by the plant’s automated system.

“A reject is a munition that cannot be processed in the plant’s Enhanced Reconfiguration Building or Agent Processing Building,” said Rick Holmes, Bechtel Pueblo Team project manager, at the Sept. 29 Colorado Chemical Demilitarization Citizens’ Advisory Commission meeting.

Once identified, the reject is overpacked in a Single Round Container and returned to the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot for storage. Rejects will be processed by the program’s Explosive Destruction System (EDS) at a later date, said Holmes.

During the plant’s initial 155mm campaign, projectiles are treated as rejects if the PMD cannot remove the energetics, the lifting plug, fuze well cup or burster, after two attempts.

“We make good effort to get the parts separated, but it is better to have a reject than to create a leaker [a munition that releases liquid or vapor],” said Holmes.

Similarly, if the Munitions Washout System cannot access agent, if the ram gets stuck in the munition or if it is overweight at the Munitions Treatment Unit, the munition will be rejected, Holmes said.

PCAPP ordnance technicians manually inspect all munitions before sending them to the PMD. If the technicians observe a condition that could affect worker safety or plant processes, the munition is rejected.