August 2, 2010
Design of chemical weapons destruction facility concludes

Special to the Register

RICHMOND — The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) team reached a significant milestone in July with completion of all engineering design packages for the plant.

“This milestone constitutes the completion of the design phase of the Blue Grass chemical weapons destruction program,” said Jeff Brubaker, BGCAPP site project manager.

Mark Seely, project manager for prime contractor Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass, noted that the design was completed in phases to expedite construction.

“Our first priority was to complete design of the site infrastructure and the three main processing buildings,” he said. “This approach allowed us to start site preparation and procure long-lead-time equipment while finishing design of support facilities.”

The phased approach to design and construction has resulted in a great deal of progress at the construction site, Brubaker said.

“For the main processing building our team has completed foundation work, poured the first concrete walls, and started erecting structural steel,” he said. “We also installed the first piece of process equipment, the Metal Parts Treater, and started work on the Supercritical Water Oxidation Building and the Utility Building.”

“Even more important, our team is working safely,” he added.

Throughout the past seven years, the project team has worked more than 5.4 million hours without a lost-time accident (an injury that prevents an employee from returning to work for the next shift). Additionally, the project’s “recordable injury rate” (a measure of less severe injuries) is one-sixth the national average for construction projects.

Design of the complex facility was an integrated effort, coordinating design with operations and closure.

“Our design team worked hand-in-hand with our staff who will build, operate, and close the plant, allowing us to optimize the design early in the process,” Seely said.

The design team, located at the Bechtel Parsons office in the Richmond Mall, produced 25 major design packages containing 17,866 drawings and 326 specifications. The complexity of the design effort is illustrated by the quantities of materials in the plant.

When completed the facility will contain 1,400 miles of electrical wire and cabling, enough to reach from Lexington to Albuquerque. It will also contain 39,000 cubic yards of concrete, enough to cover a football field 18 feet deep, including the end zones. Other quantities in the plant include:

• 3,050 tons of reinforcing steel,

• 5,800 tons of structural steel,

• 214,000 linear feet of pipe,

• 8,500 valves,

• 900,000 linear feet of conduit and

• 37,000 linear feet of cable trays.

The chemical weapons destruction plant will destroy a stockpile of chemical weapons containing 523 tons of nerve and mustard agents.