Scope
This experimental work instruction applies to experimental equipment with a maximum allowable pressure above 0.5 bar gauge.
Pre-visit
User Principal Investigator shall provide the following to the Diamond Local Contact at least eight weeks prior to the experiment at Diamond:
- Essential Information Requirements (see below).
Assurances that User-provided equipment achieves the relevant:
- Essential Safety Requirements (see below).
Assurances that Users coming to Diamond achieve the relevant:
- Essential Competency Requirements (see below).
Assurances that the system is compliant with the home institution safety requirements.
Diamond Local Contact shall ensure compliance with the following for Diamond provided equipment:
- Essential Information Requirements (see below);
- Essential Safety Requirements (see below);
- Essential Competency Requirements (see below).
Pre-experiment
Diamond Local Contact shall ensure that the above pre-visit requirements for User provided equipment is reviewed by a competent mechanical technician or engineer.
Experimental Setup
Diamond Local Contact & User Visit Principal Investigator shall collaborate to ensure adherence to:
- Essential Experimental Setup Checklist (see below).
Operation
Diamond Local Contact & User Visit Principal Investigator shall collaborate to ensure adherence to:
- Essential Operational Checklist (see below)
Essential Safety Requirements
Pressure systems, equipment, and components shall be:
- Compliant with the relevant parts of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations;
- Suitably risk assessed, identifying failure modes, safety controls and emergency controls. (ref. Essential Hazard & Failure Mode Checklist);
- Rated and compatible for the intended pressures, substances, flow rate, temperature, sample environment, and set-up conditions at Diamond;
- Suitably tested by a competent person or body to ensure safe operation at Diamond. Non-standard set-ups shall be commissioned, and pressure tested prior to coming to Diamond. Test pressure shall be > 1.5 times maximum allowable pressure of Diamond experiment;
- Safely packaged & transported to Diamond to prevent damage that could affect safe operation;
- Accompanied with manufacturer’s instructions and safe operating & emergency instructions. These shall be communicated to all persons who setup or operate the system;
- Suitably regulated to control pressure (e.g., regulator, flow restrictor specific to the sample environment, etc.);
- Labelled with CE / UKCA mark (or has an appropriate declaration of conformity);
- Labelled with maximum allowable pressure;
- Remote operation enabled as far as possible;
- Suitable for the operating environment and protected from physical damage;
- Suitably regulated to ensure working pressures / flows, and maximum allowable pressure;
- Within its intended design life / supplier’s recommended life;
- Fitted with suitable gauges and engineering precautions to prevent over-pressurisation. Pressure relief devices shall activate at safe pressures and discharge to a safe place;
- Leak tested at low pressure (<2 bar);
- Fitted with whip-check safety cables on pressurized flexible lines, where there is a risk of hazardous whipping in the event of disconnection failure;
- Fitted with controls to enable shutdown / isolation from a safe location; and
- Suitably maintained to ensure safety and maintenance recorded.
Essential Information Requirements
Data required:
- A full description of the proposed experimental setup & technical specifications.
- Suitable risk assessment for system.
- Identification of the fluid(s) in pressure system.
- Maximum safe allowable operating pressure (bar).
- Standard operating pressure (bar).
- Test pressure (bar) (include test certificate / records).
- Maximum pressure permitted by gas regulator (bar).
- Pressure relief valve (PRV) setting(s) (bar).
- Total volume of pressure vessel (excluding supply gas bottles).
- Total stored energy of pressure vessel: pressure x volume (bar litres).
- Unique Identification mark of the equipment, i.e., its serial number.
- Manufacturer’s operating instructions, and safe operating & emergency instructions.
Assurances that the system:
- Has not been modified from original design specification;
- Is suitable for the operating environment;
- Pressure gauges, pressure transducers, relief valves, etc., have full up-to-date calibration certificates; and
- Is compliant with the relevant parts of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations.
Essential Competency Requirements
Person setting up experimental equipment shall:
- Have sufficient experience of setup, test, and operation of high-pressure equipment to ensure safe setup;
- Have sufficient skills and be practiced in the setup and operation of the specific high-pressure equipment used in the experiment;
- Have sufficient knowledge of the essential equipment safety requirements to ensure safe setup; and
- Be aware of their responsibilities under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations.
Persons operating equipment shall:
- Have sufficient experience operation of high-pressure equipment to ensure safe setup;
- Have sufficient skills and be practiced in the operation of the specific high-pressure equipment used in the experiment;
- Have sufficient knowledge of the essential equipment safety requirements, risks, and safety controls to ensure safe operation. This includes knowing when to stop operations and what to do in the case of an emergency; and
- Be suitably supervised if they do not have sufficient skills, knowledge, and experience.
Essential Experimental Setup Checklist
- Persons setting up the equipment meet the Essential Competency Requirements.
- Guarding: Components which could fragment under pressure are sufficiently guarded.
- Component ratings are suitable for the working pressures. Components are correctly rated for the conditions, materials and temperatures that will be experienced.
- Pressure relief systems are in place, functional, and set to relieve at reasonable pressures.
- Pressure relief systems release to a safe place away from people.
- Visual inspection of all parts.
- Joints are mechanical only - no evidence of glues or adhesives.
- Purging: The system has been purged of previous substances.
- Pressure setting: The pressure is set to the lowest level practical for the experiment.
- Flow restrictor(s) (where applicable) are installed and set to lowest practical flow rate for the experiment.
- Regulators (where applicable) are the correct type and installed correctly. (Consider low / high pressure and gas types).
- Manufacturer’s instructions (where applicable) and safe operating instructions have been followed during setting up.
- Labelling: Gas / air lines and connectors (where applicable) are clearly & correctly labelled.
- Leak testing: Assembled system has been leak-tested (at <2 bar).
- Gas monitoring is in place and functional (where hazardous gases used).
- Exhausts are open and cannot lead to pressurisation of the system.
- Modifications from planned setup have been checked by a competent person.
Essential Operation Checklist
- Persons operating the equipment meet the Essential Competency Requirements.
- Visual check of the set-up is carried out before every operation.
- Modifications to the planned set-up are done by a competent person and checked against the Essential Experimental Setup Checklist.
- Safety controls stated in the User Experimental Risk Assessment (ERA) (or lab form) are applied, and the ERA has been graded and validated.
- Safety controls stated in both the User risk assessment / beamline risk assessment and any Diamond equipment risk assessment are applied.
- Lone-working prohibition is in place and understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- Suitable supervision of the experiment is in place to ensure safety.
- Failure modes of the set-up are understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- PPE identified on the risk assessment is provided, it fits, it is in good condition, and all operators are proficient in its correct usage.
- Emergency conditions and action is understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- Emergency action for fire alarm is understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- Power outage action is understood by all persons supervising the experiment.
- If safety issues are identified, the Principal Beamline Scientist (PBS) must be contacted, and the issues resolved before continuing with the experiment.
Essential Hazard & Failure Mode Checklist
- Impact from the blast of an explosion or release of compressed liquid or gas
- Impact from parts of equipment that fail or any flying debris.
- Contact with the released liquid or gas, such as steam.
- Fire resulting from the escape of flammable liquids or gases.
Principal failure modes are:
- Poor equipment and / or system design;
- Poor installation / setup;
- Poor maintenance of equipment;
- Inadequate repairs or modifications;
- an unsafe system of work; and
- Operator error: poor training / supervision.