The Crane Army Ammunition Activity (CAAA) at the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) owns and operates an existing hazardous waste incinerator, Ammunition Peculiar Equipment (APE) 1236 Deactivation Furnace (DF). CAAA uses the APE 1236 DF to demilitarize 127 types of small caliber ammunition ranging up to 20 millimeter cartridges. On 50 days, between January 6, 2010, and February 25, 2010, CAAA violated the semivolatile metals emission standard in the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants from Hazardous Waste Combustors (HWC MACT). After receiving the test results, CAAA opened the baghouse and discovered that several of the ceramic filters were cracked. CAAA replaced the cracked ceramic filters, which are manufactured only in Europe. CAAA did not operate the APE 1236 DF until late October 2010, and demonstrated compliance with the semivolatile metals emission standard in the HWC MACT during a November 1 and 2, 2010, performance test.
CAAA has established an inspection procedure to verify the integrity of the ceramic filters. The Administrative Order requires CAAA to conduct baghouse leak tests once every 2 weeks for the first 3 months of operations after the effective date of the order. If CAAA does not detect any leaks during this initial 3-month period, then CAAA must conduct a leak test once every 3 months. The inspections do not impose any additional direct or indirect cost on CAAA.