U.S. Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program Structure Qualification Testing of Explosive Containment Rooms
Abstract
This paper discusses the purposes and procedures of Explosive Containment Room (ECR) structure qualification (i.e. pressurization) testing for Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program (CSDP) Demilitarization CONUS sites. Six of the sites contain explosively configured munitions, and therefore have ECR structures. (The six sites are Tooele, Utah; Anniston, Alabama; Umatilla, Oregon; Pine Bluff, Arkansas; Pueblo, Colorado; and Richmond, Kentucky. The Tooele facility is the only CONUS facility already constructed.) The main purpose of the ECR acceptance pressurization testing is to certify compliance with specified leak rates through the structure, i.e. to determine the vapor tightness of the concrete structure, gates, and blast doors. A secondary purpose is to establish a baseline of the structure. In the event of a detonation, another pressurization test could be performed to determine if structural damage had resulted, causing higher leakage rates than the baseline rates. Per the ECR acceptance pressurization test requirements, the maximum acceptable room leakage rate, after pressurizing to 11 pounds per square inch, is 100 standard cubic feet per minute. The paper briefly discusses the design of each ECR. ECR structures are reinforced concrete designed in accordance with TM 5-1300. Within the ECR, the explosive components of chemical munitions are removed by automatic equipment, requiring containment of blast shock pressures and fragmentation and a high degree of containment of quasi-static gas pressure. The paper also addresses lessons learned from pressurization testing at the Tooele, Utah facility. Design revisions to electrical conduit penetrations through ECR walls, based on lessons learned, are briefly discussed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA498073
Entities
People
- Roy S. Wright