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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: Destroy Chemical Weapons Stockpile

      Vision: Chemical Weapons Free by 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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Essential Test Complete for Secondary System

Published: April 21, 2020 | Category: BGCAPP News, Technology
Workers install the first supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) reactor in the SCWO Processing Building at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in November 2013. The SWCO system completed shakedown testing with surrogate and simulant materials in early April.

Workers install the first supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) reactor in the SCWO Processing Building at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in November 2013. The SWCO system completed shakedown testing with surrogate and simulant materials in early April.

Operators tested the Blue Grass hydrolysate processing system using chemical solutions that simulate real hydrolysate processing during a 30-day shakedown period that ended in early April. This follows a successful system demonstration using water plus isopropyl alcohol in January.

“The shakedown was designed to be as realistic as possible to train each crew to be proficient on the operation of the supercritical water oxidation, or SCWO, system,” said Dave Apodaca, SCWO deputy manager. “We used a surrogate solution to replace the energetics hydrolysate, as it will now not be produced in the main plant, and a solution to simulate GB nerve agent hydrolysate during this shakedown period.”

Crews started up, operated and shut down SCWO reactors during the shakedown to gain familiarity with the equipment and procedures, Apodaca said. They also tweaked and tuned instrumentation for optimal operations. The crews concentrated on two of the three reactors with one reactor to be selected for a four-month pre-operational assessment after the shakedown results are complete.

“The shakedown went well and provided us good information,” said Chuck Hieronimus, interdisciplinary engineer, Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. “The SCWO team is preparing a report on the results of the activity. Once the report is reviewed and approved, the system is scheduled for a pre-operational assessment to evaluate the sustained performance of the system before we start processing the agent hydrolysate produced by the main plant.”

In operations, the SCWO system will process hydrolysate, the product of the chemical weapons neutralization process, using a high-pressure and -temperature process. Water, carbon dioxide and a brine solution will be the end result.

Progress continues at the site and includes workforce measures in accordance with the most up-to-date guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure their health and to prevent the potential spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

BGCAPP Technology Articles

  • In this file photograph from August 2018, Dr. George Lucier, deputy chief scientist, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass, explains to members of a public working group the rerouting of piping in the Supercritical Water Oxidation Processing Building to prepare for the possibility of hydrolysate shipment at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. The decision was made in August 2020 to ship the hydrolysate to a permitted disposal facility for final destruction.

    Decision Made on Hydrolysate Treatment

    Published: March 31, 2021
  • VX Destruction Requires Change in Air Monitoring

    VX Destruction Requires Change in Air Monitoring

    Published: March 3, 2021
  • Specialized Equipment Arrives at Blue Grass Plant

    Specialized Equipment Arrives at Blue Grass Plant

    Published: November 18, 2020
  • Public Comment Invited on Plant Permit Modification Request

    Public Comment Invited on Plant Permit Modification Request

    Published: October 27, 2020
  • New Equipment Installed for Training

    New Equipment Installed for Training

    Published: October 26, 2020
  • Decision Made Regarding Use of Secondary System

    Decision Made Regarding Use of Secondary System

    Published: September 10, 2020
  • A munitions handler marks a box containing mustard agent-filled projectiles prior to destruction in the Explosive Destruction Technology facility at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. Destruction of 50% of the mustard munitions was achieved Sept. 1.

    Half of Blue Grass Mustard Agent Destroyed

    Published: September 2, 2020
  • Testing Simulated Warheads Assists Destruction Efforts

    Testing Simulated Warheads Assists Destruction Efforts

    Published: August 31, 2020
  • A worker drills holes in the concrete floor to install an equipment mounting plate in the Munitions Demilitarization Building at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

    Rocket Processing Changes Lead to Plant Updates

    Published: July 31, 2020
  • A robot places a containerized test rocket warhead on an autonomous vehicle during factory acceptance testing of the Rocket Warhead Containerization System for the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

    New Rocket Processing System Passes Test

    Published: July 9, 2020
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Other Recent BGCAPP News

  • Public Involvement Opportunities for Permit Modification Requests

    Public Involvement Opportunities for Permit Modification Requests

    April 5, 2021
  • Decision Made on Hydrolysate Treatment

    Decision Made on Hydrolysate Treatment

    March 31, 2021
  • BGCAPP Monthly Recap – March 2021

    BGCAPP Monthly Recap – March 2021

    March 31, 2021
  • VX Destruction Requires Change in Air Monitoring

    VX Destruction Requires Change in Air Monitoring

    March 3, 2021
  • Equipment Placement Continues Despite Harsh Weather

    Equipment Placement Continues Despite Harsh Weather

    February 26, 2021

BCGAPP Technology Videos

  • Kentucky Workers Prepare for Next Campaign

    Kentucky Workers Prepare for Next Campaign

    August 12, 2020
  • Robots Take Apart Nerve Agent-filled Rockets

    Robots Take Apart Nerve Agent-filled Rockets

    April 20, 2018
  • Piping Pressure Builds at Blue Grass Plant

    Piping Pressure Builds at Blue Grass Plant

    February 8, 2018
  • Blue Grass Air Filter Banks Prepared for Testing and Operations

    Blue Grass Air Filter Banks Prepared for Testing and Operations

    January 31, 2018
  • What is BGCAPP?

    What is BGCAPP?

    November 17, 2017

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