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Considerations in Munitions Debris Management: An Analysis of Options and Trends

Jim Abbott, PMP

Les Clarke May 7, 2009

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Introduction

• Sustaining military training includes maintenance of the associated ranges

– Programs require periodic removal of MPPEH

– Requirements are in place for processing and certification

– Requirements are in place for recycle, reuse or disposal

• Options being exercised include:

– 100% Contracted clearance and disposal

– Establish a processing facility at the installation or region

– Some combination of self-performance, regional and contracted support

• In the MCAGCC model, all the options were utilized and evaluated – decision was to construct and operate an on-site facility

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Agenda

• During this presentation, I will provide:

– Brief overview of the Range Residue Processing Center (RRPC)

– Evaluate the program in relation to other options

– Discuss the impact of external forces (e.g., scrappers, recycling markets and regulations) on the ability to manage operations effectively

– Discuss process improvements that have grown out of the RRPC experience:

– Range Clearance Tool (RCT)

– Qualified Recycling Program Support System (QRPSS)

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Overview

• MCAGCC range operations generate > 4,000 tons of reusable and recyclable material per year

– MPPEH – munitions/range debris, empty casings and other expended munitions

– Field materials – concertina wire, engineer stakes, wood pallets, etc.

• 1997 – Fontana, CA UXO incident

• 1998/99 –

– IG audited MCAGCC and identified 67 incidents of live ordnance off the installation footprint

– Internal audits identified the need for changes in the turn-in procedures and with overall MPPEH management

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Overview

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Overview

• 2000 – NREA established the Range Residue Processing Section (RRPS) – now called the RRPC (Center)

– Installation operated, technically supported by Battelle

– Trained staff: Former EOD, UXO Tech 1 and locally-trained range technicians

– Accept, mechanically process, and certify all items gleaned from the ranges or turned-in as free of energetic material

– Re-wrote the rules and SOPs for using-unit turn-in

– Focused the changes on safety and customer service

- Safety – at turn-in, during storage and processing, after the sale

- Customer service – customers include training units who have to turn in MPPEH, personnel who administer the 29 Palms QRP, other users of the MPPEH data or QRP data

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Overview

• Tested multiple (>11) processes and pieces of equipment

• In operation 8 years and counting………..

• RRPC was result of test, evaluation and modification of COTS equipment

• Operation of RRPC based on 4-step solution

– Visual inspection by using units and at turn-in

– Mechanical processing at RRPC

– Visual inspection at RRPC

– Signed certification at time of loading for sale

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RRPC Highlights

• Equipment includes:

– Hammermill (x2), Shredder (x2), Tub Grinder, Mobile Shear, Furnace (x2), Logger/Baler, Heavy Shear

• Materials processed include:

– Brass, aluminum, light and heavy-gauged steel, tires, concertina wire, and wood transformed from high risk waste stream to recyclable commodity

• Once deployed, operate, maintain and continually look for process improvement opportunities

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Productivity Examples

• 2007

– 2.2M pounds

– $ figure not available

• 2008

– 3.5M pounds

– $1,043K sales

– Purchased a zinc-pot furnace to process zinc-based residues from items such as 40mm practice projectiles

– Purchased a second hammermill for processing cartridge cases

• 2009 YTD

– 1.8M pounds

– $238K

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Why the RRPC?

• RRPC was conceived, designed and implemented to support MCAGCC objectives for:

– Risk Management –

- No material is hazardous that leaves the facility

- Demilitarization requirements (Trade Security Controls) are met

– Support for the facility P2 Program

- Minimize disposal

- Support the QRP

– Location of 29 Palms distilled the ability to transport the materials to a regional facility (such as Hawthorne)

- Transportation Costs

- No reduction in liability during transit or storage pending processing

– Turn-key contracts proved prohibitively expensive

• RRPC is the first and only of its kind

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Evaluate the Program

• Contracted clearance and disposal

– Common practice

– Takes advantage of limited or intermittent funds for range clearance

- Costs may be offset some by the value of material sales

- No cost to the installation when not being used

– Does not completely mitigate risk – contractor/disposal operator misbehavior

– Because it is inconsistent, it is difficult to plan and manage the MPPEH recovery, processing and sale

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Evaluate the Program

• Establish an RRPC-type operation locally or utilize a regional facility

– Facility may not generate enough material to justify a local facility

– Facility may not have the funds, personnel or desire to manage a local facility

– Transportation costs for shipping to a regional facility may be cost prohibitive

– MPPEH has to be inspected and certified prior to shipment to a regional facility

- Requires qualified personnel

- Requires tracking and follow-up

– Funds generated from sale may not provide a return to the facility

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Evaluate the Program

• Combination of installation, regional and/or contracted support

– May provide the best options for an installation

– There are limited regional facilities, military or vendor – MCAGCC is beginning to accept material from other installations

– Installations will still need qualified inspectors, regardless of method used

• Impacts of External Forces

– Scrappers – cherry pick the high value metals; interrupt schedules and planning; potential risk to themselves and to others working the ranges

– Recycling market – programmatic method selected may be severely impacted by market fluctuations (e.g., cannot stockpile material to wait for the best price)

– Regulatory – may impact ability to sell/transport/store, etc.

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Process Improvements

• Range Clearance Tool (RCT)

– RCT was developed using Battelle IR&D funding and was picked up by USMC TECOM for development and implementation

– Operates within the Range Managers Toolkit (RMTK)

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RCT

– Tool for efficient management of test and training ranges

– Designed to assist range and facility managers in making decisions on the best method(s) for managing operational range clearance (ORC)

– Provides efficient long term range residue (R2) management, forecasting, and planning (adapting to changing training scenarios and priorities)

– Provides input to determining when and where ORC is needed as an alternative to policy area requirement

- Tells where the R2 is located

- Tells what the R2 is (e.g., aluminum, steel, zinc, brass, etc.)

- Tells how much there is

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RCT

• RCT is a predictive tool, using range expenditure data to forecast the recoverable materials within a defined area.

• Tool to allow range managers to:

– Forecast accumulations of munitions debris, inert ordnance, brass, etc. based on expenditures (RFMSS, other)

– Provide the means to determine when to schedule range clearance activities

– Provide an activity-based-costing (ABC) tool for budgeting

- Operational Range Clearance (ORC)

- MPPEH Processing

- ORC Contracting

- Internal or contracted activities

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Process Improvements

• Qualified Recycling Program Support System(QRPSS)

- Enterprise software system to replace the variety of technologies used at MCAGCC to manage the activities, processes and resources that support the NREA QRP

- QRP program at MCAGCC has 4 separate functional teams

- Range Residue Processing Center (RRPC)

- Industrial Recycling and Operations Section (IROS)

- Hazardous Waste Management Section (HWMS)

- Residential and Commercial Recycling Section (RCRS)

- Operating sections have separate responsibilities but work together to process millions of pounds of scrap and waste material

- QRPSS provides rollup of all this information into the QRP administration to coordinate sales, inventory, maintenance and related activities

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QRPSS for RRPC

• Used to define inputs –unsegregated scrap

• Used to define outputs –formed aluminum sows and CO2 emissions (footprint tracking)

• Team is defined – who and how many hours

• Input adjusts inventory –input and output

• Team activity log is generated

• Asset operator log is generated

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Summary and Conclusion

• During this presentation we have covered:

– An update of the MCAGCC RRPC operations

– Examined the RRPC model in relation to other options

– Discussed the impacts of external forces on operations

– Discussed a couple of the process improvements that have grown from the RRPC experience

• MCAGCC, and by extension, the Marine Corps are moving forward toward better life cycle management of their MPPEH and related range materials by incorporating state of the technology systems embodied in RCT and QRPSS.