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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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Specialized Equipment Arrives at Blue Grass Plant

Published: November 18, 2020 | Category: BGCAPP News, Technology
  • Specialized Equipment Arrives at Blue Grass Plant

    Robots and other Vertical Rocket Cutting Machine equipment sit on a trailer in preparation for delivery to the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Nov. 5. This equipment will be installed to cut M55 rockets to separate the warheads from the motors for processing during the upcoming VX rocket campaign.

  • Specialized Equipment Arrives at Blue Grass Plant

    Vertical Rocket Cutting Machines sit on the factory floor prior to their delivery to the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Nov. 5. This equipment will be installed to cut M55 rockets to separate the warheads from the motors for processing during the upcoming VX rocket campaign.

Equipment that will cut M55 rockets to separate the warheads from the motors for processing arrived at the Blue Grass plant Nov. 5 and 6.

“The Vertical Rocket Cutting Machines were fabricated and successfully tested at the Louisville vendor location,” said Jeff Brubaker, technical advisor, Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. “As soon as the factory acceptance testing concluded, technicians loaded the equipment and began delivery to the site.”

The rockets have been stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot for more than 60 years, which has resulted in some warping the previous equipment was not designed to handle, Brubaker said. Once the need was discovered, the equipment was designed, fabricated, successfully tested and delivered to the Blue Grass plant in less than a year.

“Part of the new rocket processing system includes the ability for the control room operator to inspect the cutting location for indication of agent leakage,” Brubaker said. “If a leaking rocket is detected, the station robot will place it directly into a staged overpack container and it will be destroyed in the Static Detonation Chamber 2000. This will greatly reduce potential contamination of the new equipment and be safer for the workforce.”

The new equipment was received at the Blue Grass plant and placed into the Munitions Demilitarization Building. It will now be installed in preparation for systemization. The VX rocket destruction campaign is anticipated to begin in 2021.

More BGCAPP Environment Articles

  • First-Time Filter Change Activity

    First-Time Filter Change Activity

    Published: December 29, 2020
  • Comment Period Open for Plant Permit Modification

    Comment Period Open for Plant Permit Modification

    Published: October 13, 2020
  • Blue Grass plant munitions handlers unpack filters in anticipation of the Explosive Destruction Technology Service Magazine filter changeout at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant

    Workers Complete Filter Change

    Published: August 20, 2020
  • Site preparation continues at the Blue Grass Static Detonation Chamber (SDC) 2000 at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

    Comment Period Open for Plant Permit Modifications

    Published: July 16, 2020
  • A waste operator practices moving waste drums on pallets at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Container Storage Facility. The plant’s hazardous waste is regulated by a standard hazardous waste permit through the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection.

    Permit Conversion Public Comment Period Open Through Dec. 11

    Published: December 5, 2019
  • A technician watches as a tray of test projectile bodies moves through the Metal Parts Treater (MPT) for a conveyor alignment check at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. The MPT Surrogate Test Plan was the subject of a recent Class 1 modification to the plant’s hazardous waste permit.

    Minor Permit Modifications Routine Business for Plant

    Published: August 20, 2019
  • Col. Joseph Kurz, commander, Blue Grass Army Depot, discusses Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant processes with Ron Hink, project manager, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. The commander signed his acceptance of a Finding of No Significant Impact generated from a May 2019 environmental assessment for augmentation of plant processing capability July 1.

    Signature Signals Path Forward for Additional Equipment

    Published: July 25, 2019
  • Madison County, Kentucky, residents listen to a presentation about the environmental assessment for the proposed action for processing nerve agent-filled munitions at the Blue Grass Army Depot at a May 21 public meeting. The public comment period for this action ends June 17.

    Environmental Assessment Public Comment Period Open Through June 17

    Published: May 31, 2019
  • A Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant team member slides a carbon filter into place in one of the Munitions Demilitarization Building filter banks. This filter is designed to trap substances that could otherwise volatilize or evaporate into the air.

    Organic Air Emissions Topic of Kentucky Public Meeting

    Published: October 30, 2017
  • A Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant startup team member and a contractor test a robot as it moves a hopper in the Explosive Containment Room. The plant has 59 independent systems that must be integrated and tested during the systemization phase.

    Plant Enhancements Prompt Permitting Updates

    Published: September 26, 2017
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Related News

  • VX Nerve Agent Destruction Begins at Blue Grass Army Depot

    VX Nerve Agent Destruction Begins at Blue Grass Army Depot

    January 12, 2021
  • First-Time Filter Change Activity

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    December 29, 2020
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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)