PCAPP Monthly Recap – November 2021 - Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)

PCAPP Monthly Recap – November 2021

Published: December 3, 2021 | Category: Monthly Recap, PCAPP News

Highlights

Trial burn testing continued at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) Static Detonation Chamber. The testing, required to demonstrate that the SDC units operate as designed, consists of two phases. The first phase follows a detailed 14-week timeline, with testing activities to include the deflagration of empty, inert projectiles, containers filled with surrogate non-agent chemicals, and conventional munitions. Trial burn testing began Oct. 28.
The testing of non-agent chemicals in SDC Unit No. 2 began in November. Inert projectiles containing ethylene glycol, which is undiluted antifreeze, and monochlorobenzene, an agent surrogate, were processed to observe the system’s ability to destroy chemicals.
A new Bechtel Pueblo Team project manager joined PCAPP. Todd Ailes was most recently the site manager for the Pantex plant in Amarillo, Texas, overseeing daily aspects of plant operations involving nuclear weapons, plutonium pit storage, high explosives and general administration. He spent 12 years working with the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Program. Ailes has worked in the nuclear industry for more than 35 years.
Two PCAPP Entry Support Area tenders completed their 300th Demilitarization Protective Ensemble entry into toxic maintenance areas. Entries are common at the plant, occurring when equipment maintenance is required in areas where liquid agent may be present. DPE entries have occurred more than 10,000 times at PCAPP since agent destruction began in 2016.
The PCAPP workforce safely destroyed more than 15,000 105mm projectiles in November, destroying more than 1,000 in a single day three times. Since the 105mm projectile destruction campaign began in December 2020, more than 237,000 105mm projectiles have been destroyed, representing more than 62% of the original 105mm projectile inventory stored at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD), Colorado.

Upcoming Meetings

Permitting Working Group and Biotreatment Utilization Group Meetings
Dec. 8, 2021, at 2 p.m. MST

Colorado Chemical Demilitarization Citizens’ Advisory Commission
Dec. 8, 2021, at 2:30 p.m. MST

Zoom meeting information:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85125795932
Call-in:
Phone: 1 346 248 7799
Meeting ID: 851 2579 5932

New to PCAPP?

PCAPP is a state-of-the-art facility built to destroy the chemical weapons stockpile stored at PCD. The main plant uses neutralization followed by biotreatment to destroy the mustard agent stockpile. The safety of the workforce and neighboring communities is the project’s most important priority.