PEO ACWA has requested that the National Research Council convene an ad hoc study committee to examine the impacts of a design change removing chemical agent washout from munitions on operations at BGCAPP. The committee will:
• Assess the impact of the design change on plant operations and the impacts to plant throughput, taking into account revised rocket and projectile drain times, strainer change-out frequency, and metal parts treater throughput;
• Review and assess the calculations associated with the ability of the metal parts treater and thermal oxidizer to effectively process additional residual agent GB and VX contained in the drained rocket and projectile munition bodies;
• Review and assess the contractor’s approach to the Destruction Efficiency (DE) calculations and provide any suggestions that support the DE confirmation process; and,
• Assess the validity of process modeling conducted to date and recommend where additional modeling may be of benefit for understanding likely plant operation performance.