Analysis of Engineering Design Studies for Demilitarization of Assembled Chemical Weapons at Pueblo Chemical Depot (2001) / Chapter Skim
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3. General Atomics Technology Package
3. General Atomics Technology Package
Pages 27-48
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From page 27... ...
The GATS design for Pueblo would use two ERHs. Hot water and NaOH solution, along with energetic materials and associated metal parts from the PMD operation, are fed into the ERH and flow
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From page 28... ...
The spiral flights in the ERH, which transport material axially along the cylinder, create baffles that divide the cylinder into a series of batches. The lifting flights slowly agitate the hydrolyzing solution with the energetic materials and metal parts.
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From page 29... ...
~100°C (212°F) Ambient Ambient o 0.6 29 hydrolysis of the energetic materials in the munitions at Pueblo.
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From page 30... ...
Cryotracture of Munitions (Step 7J Step 7 of the GATS process is the projectile agent removal system. After the energetic materials and associated metal parts have been removed and sent to the ERH, the agent cavity of the munition body is accessed by cryofracture and the free agent is drained.
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From page 31... ...
The specifications in Table 3-4 also apply to the two other SCWO reactors in the GATS process treating combined-energetics hydrolysate and slurried dunnage (described in Step 15~. The reactors are intended to oxidize organic materials, including the agent hydrolysate, in an aqueous solution of about 10 weight percent hydrolysate.
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From page 32... ...
In the current design, the metal parts are sent to one of the HDCs. Step 14 is the slurrying of the dry, size-reduced dunnage materials and nonprocess wastes from Step 12 with energetics hydrolysate in preparation for feeding to one of two dedicated SCWO reactors.
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From page 33... ...
to process their respective feed materials in a reasonable time and with acceptable safety and reliability Engineering Design Studies Tests The GATS EDS tests were designed to provide data for the evaluation of the ERH, DSHS, and SCWO components of the GATS process (DOD, 2000~. Demonstration I tests conducted in 1999 were designed to address the issues of SCWO reactor design and reliability (General Atomics, 1999a)
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From page 34... ...
SCWO Testing The GATS SCWO system is designed to oxidize an aqueous organic feed to carbon dioxide, water, and salts. The EDS testing of the SCWO system had the following objectives (General Atomics, 2000b)
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From page 35... ...
Serious corrosion of the SCWO reactor resulted, a problem that had been identified previously (NRC, 2000~. On the basis of preliminary EDS testing, General Atomics determined that platinum might be an appropriate liner material to treat both nerve agent VX and mustard agent HD hydrolysate.
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From page 36... ...
Although VX is not stored at Pueblo, and the EST results for treatment of VX hydrolysate are not directly applicable to the use of SCWO in the GATS design for Pueblo, these test results were useful for the overall evaluation of the operability of the GATS SCWO system. The following test description is taken from a letter report prepared by another NRC committee (NRC, 2001~: The EST facility in Corpus Christi, Texas designed, constructed, and presently operated by General Atomics is a one-tenth-scale pilot version of the SCWO reactor planned for NECDF (Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility)
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From page 37... ...
EDS tests for processing of the wood dunnage and for the granulation of DPE suit material were performed using existing General Atomics process equipment (low-speed shredder, hammer mill, micronizes, and granulator) and a wood screw feeder that had been installed during EDS testing at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.
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From page 38... ...
. Prior to EDS testing, the ACW I Committee had identified the following issues as critical to the demonstration of the overall GATS process (NRC, 1999, 2000~: · the ability of the SCWO reactor to operate continuously for reasonable periods of times the ability of the SCWO units to process shredded dunnage, including shards of metal (e.g., nails in pallets and pieces of the metal connectors in DPE suits)
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From page 39... ...
In summary, EDS testing of the ERH and other testing discussed in Chapter 2 suggest that, although the hydrolysis of energetic materials can be achieved, the hydrolysis process must be further optimized. Fuzes and bursters were successfully hydrolyzed during Demonstration I, and EDS testing of the ERH focused on 4-inch and 8-inch chunks of M28 propellant, which is not among the energetic materials associated with the munitions stored at Pueblo.
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From page 40... ...
The four SCWO units, two each for secondary treatment of each waste stream, are evaluated collectively. Relatecl SCWO Testing Concurrent with the GATS EDS tests, the committee was also aware of other testing being conducted on SCWO reactor systems, including the following: .
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From page 41... ...
With the possible exception of the DPE suits, the material can be shredded to the desired size and then slurried. Step 15 is the treatment in the SCWO reactors of the micronized dunnage (with metal removed)
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From page 42... ...
The size and number of the rest of the General Atomics process equipment are planned to match the throughput of the PMD operation. For example, two SCWO reactors are used to treat the downstream agent hydrolysate, and two more SCWO units are used to treat the micronized dunnage and energetics hydrolysate waste stream.
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From page 43... ...
Based on these incidents, the committee inferred that the General Atomics SCWO system would continue to be vulnerable to fires if pure oxygen and nitrogen were used to produce synthetic air for the SCWO reactors. The committee also noted that synthetic air could cause oxygen combustion of the titanium liner if the nitrogen-oxygen mixture was not controlled.
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From page 44... ...
and the selection of a method of supplying oxygen to the SCWO reactors that minimizes the risk of fire under upset conditions. Worker Health and Safety The conclusions regarding worker health and safety in the ACW I Committee's original and supplemental reports are still valid (NRC, 1999, 2000~.
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From page 45... ...
The SCWO off-gas will be scrubbed, monitored by ACAMS, and passed through activated carbon filters. ASSESSMENT OF OVERARCHING TECHNICAL ISSUES Overall Engineering Design Package Although the EDS test results with the PRH, the ERH, and their HDCs appear to warrant proceeding with additional developmental testing of these GATS components, the corrosion of the SCWO reactor liner raises questions about whether the GATS process could destroy the munitions stored at Pueblo within a reasonable period of time.
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From page 46... ...
Subsequent testing resulting in extensive analyses of air emissions revealed no obvious problems. However, effluents from all major feed streams in the GATS process for Pueblo have not been characterized (e.g., effluent from the SCWO reactors that process the energetics hydrolysatedunnage slurry)
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From page 47... ...
A subsequent NRC report indicated that the findings presented in the 1998 NRC report Using Supercritical Water Oxidation to Treat Hydrolysate from VX Neutralization are still applicable to the SCWO system planned for Newport (NRC, 2000~. For Pueblo, considerable additional data have been accumulated from Demonstration I and EDS testing, including the data resulting from a planned change in materials of construction from platinum to titanium.
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From page 48... ...
suit shredding and micronizing system will be necessary to establish the operability of the process at full scale. The EDS tests established the proof of concept but did not demonstrate the operability of a continuous shredding and micronizing system for DPE suit material.
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