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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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Heel Test Anticipates Plant Washout System Failures

Published: February 28, 2017 | Category: PCAPP News, Technology
A munition, used in high heel testing, sits on the Munition Treatment Unit discharge conveyor. Its paint was cooked off, down to metal, which is not typical for normal processing and is indicative of heel being present in the munition.

A munition, used in high heel testing, sits on the Munition Treatment Unit discharge conveyor. Its paint was cooked off, down to metal, which is not typical for normal processing and is indicative of heel being present in the munition.

Testing was performed at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) in February to determine what a failure in the Munitions Washout System (MWS) would mean during full-scale operations.

“Members of the Hazardous Waste Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) wanted to know how we would determine if a failure occurred in the MWS,” said John Jackson, plant support specialist, PCAPP. “Key indicators of heel were reviewed while processing in the Munitions Treatment Unit (MTU).”

Technicians performed testing to determine what would happen if unwanted agent remained in the munition body after the washout cycle – an event they call high heel testing. For the test, which is a requirement of the Pilot Test Demonstration Plan, heel was intentionally left inside munition bodies and run through the MTU to demonstrate how the instrumentation reacted when residual agent was being destroyed.

“We knew there would be higher than normal heat levels due to volatilization of the heel,” Jackson said.

Jackson said when heel was run through the MTU, the team saw significant carbon dioxide spikes. Off-gas temperature also increased and the Off-gas Treatment System (OTS) filters began to clog.

“MTU zone temperatures went higher than normal, which had a visible effect on the munition coatings,” he said.

PCAPP staff gathered enough data during the first heel test to satisfy CDPHE requirements.

“The heel test conclusively demonstrated which parameters would indicate an unwashed munition was fed to the MTU and will enable the plant to secure operations and correct the condition if found during normal operations,” Jackson said.

Like other pilot test demonstrations, emissions data was collected at the OTS, Agent Filtration Area (AFA) and AFA stack and sent for analysis. The data will then be reviewed by CDPHE and will need to be approved before full-scale operations can begin.

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
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
  • Solution Devised for Over-Pressurized Rounds

    Solution Devised for Over-Pressurized Rounds

    February 17, 2017
  • Heating Technique to Eliminate Residual Chemical Agent

    Heating Technique to Eliminate Residual Chemical Agent

    April 5, 2016
  • Pueblo Plant Uses Present-Day Technologies to Clean up the Past

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

    February 17, 2016

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)