How the Static Detonation Chamber Works
The SDC uses thermal destruction technology to process the chemical weapons stored at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado that cannot be easily processed by the main plant’s automated equipment. Chemical munitions are placed in a feed tray, conveyed to the SDC vessel and fed into the electrically heated detonation chamber. The high heat (approximately 600 degrees Celsius or 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit) detonates the munition, and the chemical agents and energetics are destroyed by thermal decomposition. Gases generated as a result of the detonation are treated by an off-gas treatment system that includes a thermal oxidizer, scrubbers and a carbon filter system. All waste streams generated are screened. Scrap metal is sufficiently decontaminated and recycled.
