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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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      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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Experts Make Big Lift Look Easy

Published: December 18, 2020 | Category: BGCAPP News, Construction
Experts Make Big Lift Look Easy

A crew offloads a 67-ton thermal oxidizer for the Blue Grass Static Detonation Chamber 2000 from a specialized trailer Dec. 11. During operations, the thermal oxidizer system will cleanse gases from the destruction process.

A team of experts lifted one of the larger deliveries to the Blue Grass site from a trailer and placed it in a laydown area Dec. 11.

“It’s a critical lift… and the first one we’ve done here in quite a while,” said Bruce Skelly, field engineer – superintendent, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. “Because of this, we performed a ‘test pick’ first. The construction coordinator said the actual lift was ‘picture perfect.’”

The subject of the heavy lift, the Static Detonation Chamber (SDC) 2000 thermal oxidizer, was fabricated overseas and shipped to the U.S. Weighing 67 tons, it was transported to the site on a trailer designed for the load. When installed, it will cleanse the gases from the destruction process to ensure the protection of the workforce, community and environment, like the ones in operation at the main plant and the Explosive Destruction Technology facility.

“Munitions placed into the chamber will undergo a thermal destruction process called deflagration or detonation,” said Fred Barnes, Explosive Destruction Technology engineering lead, Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. “Gases from that process will flow through the thermal oxidizer, and any organics that might not have been destroyed in the detonation chamber are destroyed in there.”

Assembly of the SDC 2000 off-gas treatment system is scheduled to begin in the second half of January. The detonation chamber is scheduled to arrive later in 2021.

More BGCAPP Environment Articles

  • A skid of containerized, drained rocket warheads stands in the Static Detonation Chamber 2000 Enclosure Building to await destruction.

    Permit Modification Request to Increase Feed Rate Open to Public Comment

    Published: February 6, 2023
  • Operators move hoses to prepare for the transfer of hydrolysate into a truck tanker trailer at the Tanker Loading Station at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

    Blue Grass Plant Marks Secondary Waste Destruction Milestone

    Published: October 21, 2022
  • Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant crews inspect containerized drained rocket warheads before they are shipped to temporary storage.

    Public Comment Sought on Blue Grass Permit Modification

    Published: August 25, 2022
  • Workers install portions of the automated loading system for the Blue Grass Static Detonation Chamber (SDC) 2000 in the SDC 2000 Enclosure Building April 4. This equipment will take the place of human munitions handlers in loading containerized or overpacked munitions and components into the chamber for destruction.

    State Regulator Approves Two Blue Grass Permit Modifications

    Published: May 23, 2022
  • Workers remove used carbon filters from the Blue Grass Explosive Destruction Technology air filtration system for disposal as hazardous waste.

    Teamwork Key to Removing Used Carbon Filters

    Published: April 19, 2022
  • Workers pass a piece of plywood up the Static Detonation Chamber 1200 stairs in preparation for opening the roof to allow a new piece of equipment to be lowered into the building. The building passed decontamination verification testing in January, which means workers do not have to wear chemical protective gear as they prepare for the system’s next activity.

    Former Mustard Destruction Facility Passes Crucial Test

    Published: March 1, 2022
  • Workers drill holes for structural steel placement on the Static Detonation Chamber 1200 Off-gas Treatment System Building foundation at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. A public comment period is open through March 16 for a permit modification request for this system.

    Comment Period Open for Public Input on Draft Environmental Permit

    Published: February 23, 2022
  • A worker guides a crane after its placement of the thermal oxidizer for the Static Detonation Chamber (SDC) 1200 unit at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. The SDC 1200 requires a completely new off-gas treatment system in order to process drained, containerized VX nerve-agent warheads.

    New Pollution Abatement System Under Construction

    Published: August 30, 2021
  • A forklift operator is guided by spotters as he loads a crate of non-contaminated rocket motors onto a truck at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant July 20. The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection has opened a public comment period for plant modification requests that include additional storage space for the motors.

    Public Comment Period Open for Hydrolysate Shipment, Rocket Motor Storage

    Published: July 29, 2021
  • A truck and tank trailer sit in the tanker loading station at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant.

    Project Managers to Discuss Hydrolysate Shipment at June 9 Public Meeting

    Published: June 3, 2021
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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)