Richmond Register
February 10, 2002

Competing weapons disposal methods presented to local group

by LUKE BRADSHAW
Register News Writer

When the munitions are destroyed at the Blue Grass Army Depot, the output from the process will have to go somewhere. Is it a matter of whether to pollute the air or a landfill in another state when deciding between incineration or the alternatives to do the job?

Not exactly.

Either process will leave a waste product that will have to go to a hazardous landfill. With the alternatives to incineration, there will be no pollution of the air due to the nature of technology.

"You are either going to ... go through the air, the water or a solid," said Bill Pehlivanian, program manager for Assembled Chemical Weapon Assessment Program. "It's hard to distinguish is it as safe as (the other). We have come to the conclusion that one is not necessarily safer than the other."

Richmond City Commissioners, members of the Citizen's Advisory Commission and representatives from the BGAD wrapped up their three-day tour of the Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Maryland on Friday.

The morning was spent listening to several representatives of the Army as they addressed numerous concerns that the community may have. Army representatives provided, information that would be applicable when considering the ramifications of the destruction of chemical weapons.

On Thursday, the day was spent listening to alternatives to incineration from ACWA group. Friday was spent focusing on the Project Manager of the Chemical Demilitarization's presentations on how the chemical weapons have been destroyed using incineration technologies.

A chemical stockpile disposal project update was the first presentation the group heard. In it, reverse assembly and baseline incineration for M55 rockets, bulk containers and projectiles were outlined.

According to Army Col. Christopher Lesniak, all furnaces are now tied into the pollution abatement system. Another new development has been the addition of the pollution filtration system. This has been troublesome because the HEPA filters are a new variable being entered into the equation. Lesniak said that otherwise, if incineration was chosen to destroy the chemicals at the BGAD, this would be a fifth generation technology because of the accumulation of information from the other sites in the U.S.

"The strength of our program is lessons learned," he said. "When you implement something for the first time, you are going to have anomalies. The longer you do something the better you get at it because of the learning curve."

The Army has had experience in destroying 10 different types of munitions, Lesmak said. The GB (Sarin) nerve gas campaign at that facility is set to finish in the second quarter of 2002. Agent operation for Anniston, Ala., will begin at the end of this year. The site at Umatilla, Ore., will begin the process in the second quarter of 2003.

Lesniak said technical decisions will be reached for the final two chemical agent storage facilities by the end of this year. This includes the Pueblo, Colo., site as well as the BGAD in Madison County.

There are a number of challenges the Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization will face in the years ahead. They include defense funding competition, processing secondary waste, personnel retention and setting procedure for continental United States facilities' closure. This comes on the heels of the closing of the Johnson Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System in the South Pacific. What is learned there will be invaluable when deciding procedures for other sites after all of the chemical weapons are eliminated.

Another problem arising is the stockpile degradation. The munitions have been reportedly frothing, gelling and crystallizing, not to mention the content of certain metals in the agent itself. The most recent problem is the discovery of mercury.

"If anyone told anybody in this program that there was mercury in GB ton containers nine months ago they would have all laughed," Operation Technician Bill McLay said. "No one knows where it came from, but it's there. And now they are looking through the stockpile of HD and VX and if you don't know where it came from you better find it quick."

A tour of the Chemical Demilitarization Facility followed for the citizens of Madison County. McLay led the group through the facility and talked about reverse assembly of rockets and incineration. The group learned that when cutting a munition it is only cut across to prevent sparking. He talked about how munitions that were gelled or frothing were dealt with using miniature models.

"The mustard projectile remains sealed even after removing the burster," McLay said.

Almost every munition is put into an enhanced on-site container. Every munition on the BGAD would fit into this containment device, he said. A diesel truck takes it from there to the destruction site going no faster than 5 mph.

In incineration, the burnt munitions are monitored in the stack by two devices. The
first device is the Automatic Continuous Agent Monitoring system to detect any left over agent, McLay said. The next safety measure, the Depot Agent Area Monitoring System, confirms there is no agent remaining. A battery back-up for both ACAMS and DAAMS is
mandatory.

A minimum temperature of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes reportedly would destroy the munitions. The air for the majority of the process is pulled from inside of the plant. The only time air is pulled from outside is for the afterburner.

The six differerent safety suits were demonstrated for the group. To decontaminate the worker goes through three separate airlocks. Each time they enter a new room they have to ask the control room permission. The worker only wears the suit for two hours, upon which it is destroyed.

Then, the group learned about reverse assembly in the training facility. Each of the containers were addressed. The punch and drain method was demonstrated for the group. Clamps fasten to the rocket and then two holes are punched into it. Fifteen seconds pass before the agent is drained. The removal of the burster follows that. Two attempts are made to remove the burster at 100 psi before 300 psi is applied. McLay said they have never had to make a fourth attempt.

"When we built these rockets, they were built by some of the most patriotic citizens in the United States," McLay said. "They were only going one way then. Now, we are challenged with sending themtheother way to destroy them."