Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

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The Program Manager for the U.S. Army’s Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (formerly, Assembled Chemical Weapons Assessment) program requested that the National Research Council (NRC) form a committee to review and evaluate the facility design being developed for the Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) in Pueblo, Colorado. After an elaborate selection process, the Department of Defense (DOD) chose a hydrolysis (neutralization) process followed by a secondary biotreatment process to destroy the chemical agents and energetic materials in the chemical munitions at Pueblo Chemical Depot. The contract for the design for PCAPP was awarded to Bechtel National, Inc., which formed a group with subcontractors, and together they are known as the Bechtel Pueblo team.

This interim report highlights issues that the Committee to Assess Designs for Pueblo and Blue Grass Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plants (referred to as the ACWA Design Committee) has identified on the basis of a review of the information for the initial PCAPP design made available to the committee. Although the committee first met in November 2003, the subsequent delivery of sufficiently detailed information concerning the initial design for the Pueblo facility was seriously delayed because new security regulations were instituted by the Army. The NRC is subject to Federal Advisory Committee Act and Freedom of Information Act regulations established by Congress regarding public access to the information used in developing its reports. Since the Army’s chemical stockpile is considered a possible terrorist target or source of munitions for terrorists, information about sites where these stockpiles are located is subjected to an operations security (OPSEC) clearance process to prevent the publication of information that might benefit any terrorist activity. This procedure requires that all of the design documentation, as well as related reports and briefings provided to the committee, must first be scrutinized by the appropriate Army authorities. Any sensitive material used by the committee must be exempted from public access requirements. Thus, material not cleared by OPSEC could not be used in this report. This impasse is gradually being resolved, and possible means to improve the timely availability of information for future studies by the ACWA Design Committee are being investigated.

In the meantime, the contractor has been proceeding with the facility design. Thus, while the committee has received only the initial design plans, the contractor has already completed the intermediate design. However, the committee has availed itself of all information that it could in preparing this report. The committee was briefed regularly on the design, members paid site visits to locations where the testing and construction of machinery are under way, and certain members attended the periodic design reviews given by the Bechtel Pueblo team.

The committee is indebted to both the Program Manager for Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives and the Bechtel Pueblo team for their complete openness, sincerity, and cooperation during the committee’s data-gathering sessions and resultant discussions. The committee believes that the overall process has been

effective and constructive and that it will lead to an improved plant design. Appreciation is extended to Joseph Novad and Yu-Chu Yang from the Army Program Office and to Craig Myler from the Bechtel Pueblo team, who have been primary points of contact during this study.

A study such as this always requires extensive logistics support. The committee is indebted to NRC staff for their assistance, particularly to the study director for this report, Donald L. Siebenaler, and Nancy T. Schulte, who courageously assumed responsibility for this study during Mr. Siebenaler’s leave of absence. Invaluable contributions were also made by Harrison T. Pannella, who provided suggestions for organizing the report, coordinated initial text submissions by committee members into a first draft of the report, and edited subsequent drafts. Considerable assistance was also provided by the senior project assistant Carter W. Ford and research associate James C. Myska.

Robert A. Beaudet, Chair

Committee to Assess Designs for Pueblo and Blue Grass Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plants

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Hyla S. Napadensky, Napadensky Energetics, Inc. (retired). Appointed by the National Research Council, she was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

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ACWA

Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives

ANR

agent neutralization reactor

APB

agent processing building

ATS

agent transfer system

BGCAPP

Blue Grass Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant

BRS

brine recovery system

CAM

cavity access machine

CATOX

catalytic oxidation

CDC

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CDPHE

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

COD

chemical oxygen demand

CST

continuous steam treater

CSTR

continuously stirred tank reactor

DCD

Deseret Chemical Depot

DOD

Department of Defense

DPE

demilitarization protective ensemble

DSC

differential scanning calorimetry

ECR

explosion containment room

EDS

engineering design study

ENR

energetics neutralization reactor

EPA

Environmental Protection Agency

EPB

energetics processing building

ERH

energetics rotary hydrolyzer

ETS

energetics transfer system

HD

distilled mustard agent

HDC

heated discharge conveyor

HEPA

high-efficiency particulate air

HT

mustard agent containing mustard-T

HVAC

heating, ventilation, and air conditioning

ICB

immobilized cell bioreactor

IPT

integrated product team

JACADS

Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System

LEL

lower explosive limit

MCRT

mean cell retention time

MPT

metal parts treater

MWS

munitions washout system

NEPA

National Environmental Policy Act

NRC

National Research Council

OPSEC

operations security

OTS

offgas treatment system

PCAPP

Pueblo Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant

PCD

Pueblo Chemical Depot

PMACWA

Program Manager, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives

PMD

projectile/mortar disassembly

PPE

personal protective equipment

RCRA

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

RD&D

research, development, and demonstration

RFP

request for proposal

SRT

solids retention time

SSPP

system safety program plan

STEL

short-term exposure limit

SUPLECAM

Surveillance Program for Lethal Chemical Agents and Munitions

T

bis[2-(2-chloroethylthio)ethyl] ether

TAP

toxicological agent protective

TDS

total dissolved solids

TNT

trinitrotoluene

TOC

total organic carbon

TRA

technical risk assessment

TRRP

technical risk reduction program

VOC

volatile organic compound

WHEAT

water hydrolysis of agent and energetics treatment