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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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      Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP)

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      Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP)

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New Tank Safely Lowered Through Roof

Published: March 30, 2022 | Category: BGCAPP News, Safety, Technology
Workers lower a 30,000-pound buffer tank into the Blue Grass Static Detonation Chamber 1200 building through an opening in the roof. This tank will buffer exhaust gases from the destruction process of the drained nerve-agent rocket warheads before the gases are processed in the off-gas treatment system.

Workers lower a 30,000-pound buffer tank into the Blue Grass Static Detonation Chamber 1200 building through an opening in the roof. This tank will buffer exhaust gases from the destruction process of the drained nerve-agent rocket warheads before the gases are processed in the off-gas treatment system.

A team of specialists placed a 30,000-pound buffer tank through a roof opening in the former Blue Grass mustard-agent destruction facility March 14 to ready the building for the next chemical weapons destruction effort.

“It took almost four months of preparation for this one-day operation,” said Tom Mitchell, construction project field engineer, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. “On the big day, it went smoothly and the equipment went in very well.”

The tank, part of the Static Detonation Chamber 1200 system, was delivered and placed in two pieces, the lower frame and the boxed tank, Mitchell said. The tank was delivered horizontally and required two cranes to lift it to the vertical position before it was rigged for placement. Workers had previously shored up the structure of the building to support removal of a section of the roof and cut the hatch the day before the lift.

This tank replaces the smaller buffer tank from the mustard-agent destruction campaign. It is designed to lessen, or buffer, the pressure wave of gases generated in the detonation chamber by the destruction of the nerve-agent rocket warheads previously drained of their agent in the main plant, which are now considered hazardous waste. This will allow a more constant flow of gases into the first step of the off-gas treatment system. The tank was too large to be brought into the building by other methods, so the lift was carefully planned.

“Getting the buffer tank into place is a large step toward being able to process the drained rocket warheads and eliminate that category of waste from the stockpile in Kentucky,” Mitchell said. “It will be great day when we can turn the lights out on this project and say mission complete.”

Workers are now reinstalling the structural materials adapted or removed for the tank placement and will replace the roof hatch and place a membrane roofing system over the area to prevent leaks. The next steps will be to hook up internal components, make the connections to the rest of the new off-gas treatment system and prepare for testing.

More BGCAPP News 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)