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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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Heat Reduces Equipment, Waste Contamination at Pilot Plant

Published: December 14, 2016 | Category: PCAPP News, Technology
The Supplemental Decontamination Unit stands inside the Agent Processing Building of the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. The system vaporizes agent from waste materials.

The Supplemental Decontamination Unit stands inside the Agent Processing Building of the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. The system vaporizes agent from waste materials.

Two different types of heating devices, similar to industrial-sized kitchen appliances, help the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) decontaminate equipment and wastes.

“Our goal is to get to the lowest possible level of contamination for reuse, when appropriate, or for shipment to an off-site regulated and permitted Treatment Storage and Disposal Facility,” said Brian Jackson, waste management supervisor, PCAPP.

A Supplemental Decontamination Unit (SDU) provides PCAPP the ability to decontaminate contaminated secondary wastes to meet a specified airborne exposure limit. Items are heated up to a maximum of 500 degrees Fahrenheit for a duration required to destroy the agent during decontamination. The potentially contaminated air from within the SDU goes through the Off-gas Treatment System (OTS), Jackson said.

“The SDU is like a convection oven,” said Jackson. “It reduces the agent contamination level to an amount safe for transport.”

Like the SDU, an autoclave decontaminates secondary wastes and reusable nonporous equipment such as tools. Here, the items are heated to maximum temperature of 257 degrees Fahrenheit with steam, and a vacuum is applied to cool the contents. The OTS handles potentially contaminated vapors, said Jackson.

“The autoclave is like a pressure cooker. It provides short-term steam exposure,” Jackson said.

Both processing units are located in the Agent Processing Building and will also be used to treat secondary wastes generated during plant closure.

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