WESTERN DEMILITARIZATION FACILITY, HAWTHRONE NEVADA

TM 9-1300-277

munitions. A fluidized bed incinerator is undergoing

explosion in any one building cannot set off a

modifications and is not yet operational.

sympathetic explosion in another building. The facility is

connected to the main depot by two rail lines and two

i. ANICCOM installations' facilities capabilities are

truck roads. A conventional road goes around the

detailed in table 9-3.

perimeter of the facility. The operating buildings are

connected by a driverless tractor network so that

j. Demolition ranges available to the Air Force and

ordnance items may be transferred by remote control.

the Navy installations are detailed in Joint Conventional

In general, ordinance arrives by way of truck and

Ammunition

Program

Coordinating

Group

railroad, serving the off-loading dock where they are

Demilitarization/Disposal Handbook, Vol IIA, d. Mar 85.

transferred to the preparation building for uncrating and

k. Army OCONUS

capabilities

summary

are

disassembly. The resulting materials and component

detailed in table 9-4.

parts are then transferred to other operating buildings for

further processing.

9-4.

WESTERN DEMILITARIZATION FACILITY,

HAWTHORNE NEVADA

e. Off-Loading Dock. The Off-loading dock has

two revetted chambers capable of accommodating

a. Introduction.

The Western Demilitarization

either freight cars or trucks. The chambers are rated at

Facility i: s located between the existing depot and the

40,000 pounds of TNT. A detonation of this quantity in

south shore of Walker Lake. Details of this facility and

one cell would not cause a sympathetic detonation of

how it will serve the US Defense Establishment are

explosives in the other.

described below. Site plan showing location of all

principal buildings, roads, and rail lines is presented in

f. Preparation Building. Materials from the off-

figure 9-2.

loading dock arrive by driverless tractor at one end of

the building.

Here the material is unloaded and

b. Background.

The present capability for

unpacked. Materials are then processed through one or

demilitarization consists of small units in scattered

more of the six work cells. All operations are remotely

locations around the country. These units are quite old,

controlled from consoles in the control room on the

tend to be makeshift, and some processes do not meet

other side of the building. Typical operations are pull-

today's environmental standards. This points up the

apart of gun ammunition, depriming of cartridge cases,

need for modern centralized facilities.

collection of smokeless powder, and defuzing of

c. Requirements. It was required that the new

projectiles. Bulk smokeless powder is transported by

demilitarization facility exhibit these capabilities:

belt conveyor from cell No. 5 to the smokeless powder

accumulation building. All other materials are loaded

(1) Demilitarize all conventional ordnance

onto driverless tractor carts in the other end of the

items in the Department of Defense Inventory.

building.

(2) Be of the latest state-of-the-art using only

g. Smokeless Powder Accumulation Building.

proven technology.

Small-grain smokeless powder comes to this building by

vacuum line and is collected in bag filters. Large grain

(3) Maximize

the

economic

return

powder comes by conveyor and is collected in hoppers.

recoverable materials.

All powder is weighed, packaged, and hauled off by

(4) Meet all federal,

state,

and

local

truck for resale or for use in the large item flashing

environmental standards.

chamber.

(5) Guarantee the safety of the workers

h. Mechanical Removal Building. The building is

involved.

used for miscellaneous mechanical demilitarization

operations including punching, shearing, sawing, and

d. Overview.

The Western Demilitarization

defuzing.

Facility consists of nine operating buildings, five storage

magazines, an administration building, a boiler facility

i. Large Cells. The three cells are rated at 3,000

and water treatment plant with three water storage

pounds of TNT each, and are located near the

ponds. The buildings are spaced so that a major

mechanical removal building. Operations in the cells

are remotely controlled from the control room

Change 2 9-15