Metal parts furnace , munitions

Finding 3-2. If the Army intends to use the freezing process at Pueblo, data on the behavior of frozen rounds will be essential to confirm the feasibility of a modified baseline process that integrates freezing of the munitions for agent accessing prior to their treatment in the metal parts furnace. 

Recommendation 3-3b. The Army should evaluate the efficacy of allowing frozen munitions to thaw before feeding them into the metal parts furnace of a modified baseline process in a manner similar to the procedure used at JACADS. If the Army intends to include this process step, associated safety, design, maintenance, and regulatory approval issues should be assessed. 

Finding 3-4. The machines proposed for accessing agent in the modified baseline process differ from the multipurpose demilitarization machines used for this purpose at JACADS. The method proposed for accessing mustard agent should open the munition cavity sufficiently to enable complete destruction of the agent in the metal parts furnace. 

Processing of Agent-Containing Munitions in the Metal Parts Furnace... 

Permit conditions will also affect the disposition of waste. For example, in Oregon all waste, with some minor exceptions, must be treated on-site. This significantly inhibits the options for disposal of the wastes off-site. Treatment on-site is limited by the capacity of the metal parts furnace (MPF) and its availability when it is not processing the munitions. Permits at the other locations are not as restrictive as in Oregon, which requires on-site treatment of secondary waste. The detailed differences in operations are discussed in Chapter 3 of the report. 

Numerous secondary wastes are produced by incineration processes. Table 5-2 lists the liquid and solid wastes produced by the baseline incineration facility at Tooele (U.S. Army, 1999). This table also shows whether wastes generated are (1) incinerated within the facility, (2) sent to an offsite TSDF, or (3) placed in permitted on-site storage. Treated metal parts from the metal parts furnace (MPF) are described as a high-volume stream that contains the 5X-treated metal bodies of all munitions and agent ton containers. 

The incineration facilities use several furnaces to complete the disposal process. A liquid incinerator destroys agent. A deactivation furnace system destroys energetic materials. To decontaminate the metal munition bodies and certain other materials, a metal parts furnace is used. The furnaces are critical to both the operation and the closure of the disposal facilities. In past operations the deactivation furnace system (DFS) kiln shell has exhibited periodic damage from the destruction of residual explosives. A loss of a furnace during operations would delay disposal operations for a significant period because of long procurement times. 

Multipurpose demilitarization machines (MDMs) remove the burster well, drain the agent, and then reinsert the burster well. The agent flows into agent holding tanks and is burned in a liquid agent incinerator (LIC). Drained munitions, which in some cases may contain a solidified heel of agent, are processed in a three-zone metal parts furnace (MPF). 

A wide variety of special-purpose incinerators (qv) with accompanying gas scmbbers and soHd particle collectors have been developed and installed in various demilitarisation faciUties. These include flashing furnaces that remove all vestiges of explosive from metal parts to assure safety in handling deactivation furnaces, to render safe small arms and nonlethal chemical munitions fluidized-bed incinerators that bum slurries of ground up propellants or explosives in oil and rotary kilns to destroy explosive and contaminated waste and bulk explosive. 

Scrap metal generated at stockpile disposal facilities comes from the treatment of metal munitions casings and bulk ton containers (TCs) in the MPF or deactivation furnace system (DFS) after the agent has been drained. Drained bulk containers and munition casings with energetic materials removed and metal munition components are treated in the MPF to destroy any agent residues. After treatment, the metal parts are allowed to cool, vacuumed to remove loose paint flakes and ash residue, and stored temporarily prior to shipment off-site. 

After the munitions are disassembled and drained of agents, the munitions components, metal parts, chemical agents, and packaging will be destroyed or decontaminated in four different furnaces. Rocket segments, land mines, and explosive components will be destroyed in a deactivation furnace capable of containing explosions and surges of agent. Projectiles... 

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