The Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) Tuesday submitted a Temporary Authorization Request (TAR) to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to construct, install and test the Rinsate Feed Collection System (RCS). The TAR does not request approval to process HD rinsate through the system before receiving approval.
The removal of the solid or semi-solid material, referred to as “heel” in HD ton containers (TCs), has presented challenges throughout the chemical weapons demilitarization program. The UMCDF currently sprays the inside of donor TCs containing heel with high-pressure hot water to partially mobilize the heel and transfer the resulting mixture (heel/water), referred to as HD rinsate, to a recipient TC. Currently, TCs of HD rinsate are treated in the Metal Parts Furnace (MPF), roughly doubling the amount of waste that must be processed in the MPF. The proposed RCS would provide an additional method of treatment for the HD rinsate by treating the liquid fraction in the Liquid Incinerators (LICs).
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility weekly update - September 9
On Friday, Sept. 3, a Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) maintenance worker donned a Demilitarization Protective Ensemble (DPE) suit and entered a toxic area of the plant to continue removal of obsolete machinery. But for entrant Mike Morehead, the entry was more than just another routine task accomplished in the course of a day.
The entry marked the 200th for Morehead, the first UMCDF worker to reach that number. What’s more remarkable is that he has never had a “hot cutout,” meaning he’s never come out of an entry with agent monitor readings above zero. He attributes this to impeccable decontamination practices. He has never been injured or become ill during an entry.
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The entry marked the 200th for Morehead, the first UMCDF worker to reach that number. What’s more remarkable is that he has never had a “hot cutout,” meaning he’s never come out of an entry with agent monitor readings above zero. He attributes this to impeccable decontamination practices. He has never been injured or become ill during an entry.
more
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility weekly project update - September 2, 2010
The Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility’s (UMCDF’s) proposed Rinsate Collection System (RCS) – which is designed to collect rinsate created during heel transfer operations and feed it directly to the Liquid Incinerators (LICs) – is another example of cooperation among the chemical demilitarization sites operated by URS.
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Friday, August 27, 2010
Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility project update 8/26/10
As a result of the external Environmental Management System (EMS) audit conducted earlier this month, it has been determined that the site maintains compliance with the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14001 Standards.
The UMCDF saw its chemical weapons destruction slow a little during the past week due to a couple furnace outages. First, one of the plant’s two Liquid Incinerators (LICs) is undergoing a scheduled outage for annual maintenance. The LIC 1 was shut down about a week ago to begin the outage, which is expected to last about 15 days. Second, the Metal Parts Furnace (MPF) had to be shut down for unscheduled maintenance when a water leak occurred in the Discharge Airlock (DAL).
More: http://bit.ly/d5Q1FY
The UMCDF saw its chemical weapons destruction slow a little during the past week due to a couple furnace outages. First, one of the plant’s two Liquid Incinerators (LICs) is undergoing a scheduled outage for annual maintenance. The LIC 1 was shut down about a week ago to begin the outage, which is expected to last about 15 days. Second, the Metal Parts Furnace (MPF) had to be shut down for unscheduled maintenance when a water leak occurred in the Discharge Airlock (DAL).
More: http://bit.ly/d5Q1FY
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility weekly project update - August 19
The Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) recently surpassed another major safety milestone. The site reached 7 million work hours without a lost time accident. The last injury where an employee missed work occurred on July 7, 2006. The number is the equivalent of a person working a 40-hour week for more than 3,365 years without missing work due to an injury.
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Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Half of Umatilla stockpile has been destroyed
The Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) has surpassed the 50 percent mark for destroying the original stockpile of chemical warfare agents at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. This includes all of the nerve agent and a portion of the mustard agent destroyed since the start of chemical operations in 2004.
As of Aug. 6, the UMCDF had destroyed more than 1,858 tons of liquid chemical agents, orhalf the original total of 3,717 tons stored at Umatilla since the 1960s.
Expect complete destruction in two years or less.
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As of Aug. 6, the UMCDF had destroyed more than 1,858 tons of liquid chemical agents, orhalf the original total of 3,717 tons stored at Umatilla since the 1960s.
Expect complete destruction in two years or less.
more
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
August 3: UMCDF destroys oldest mustard ton container stored at UMCD
The Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) today destroyed the oldest mustard ton container stored at the Umatilla Chemical Depot.
The 70-year-old ton container was manufactured in 1940. In 1946, it was filled with 1,768 pounds of mustard agent at the Rocky Mt. Arsenal, near Denver, Colo., and later transported to UMCD between 1962-1969, where it remained in storage until its disposal. Depot employees nicknamed the container “Grandpa.” Depot maps identified its storage structure as “Grandpa’s House.”
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The 70-year-old ton container was manufactured in 1940. In 1946, it was filled with 1,768 pounds of mustard agent at the Rocky Mt. Arsenal, near Denver, Colo., and later transported to UMCD between 1962-1969, where it remained in storage until its disposal. Depot employees nicknamed the container “Grandpa.” Depot maps identified its storage structure as “Grandpa’s House.”
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