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System Safety

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justinjessada edited this page Nov 1, 2013 · 8 revisions

This page is merely a summary of safety issues and not an exhaustive list. Please take care to exercise all aspects of safety when using the pressure-testing system.

Safety is obviously a very important part of this experiment as it involves high pressures (as well as a number of delicate electronic components). Several safety measures have been implemented via software, but general safety should also be carefully adhered to.

Inbuilt Safety

  • The software will not operate unless the case interlock switch is closed.
  • The software will not allow extreme pressure values as inputs to the system.
  • The software performs constant checks to ensure that sensor values are falling within expected ranges. If not, either a warning will be printed (for small discrepancies) or the experiment will halt with an error (for large discrepancies).
  • The software contains a high level of logging which can be used to troubleshoot and track errors.
  • The software has capability to vent pressure and shut down the system in case of emergency.
  • Pressure can also be vented via hardware in the case that software is unresponsive.
  • Pressure will automatically be vented if the case is opened during the experiment.
  • The software contains a login system to ensure there is no unauthorised access, and will only allow one user to operate the experimental hardware at a time.

Personal Safety Measures

  • DO NOT operate the experiment if you or another person is within close range of the experiment hardware. The definition of "close range" can vary but ideally there should be no one in the same room.
  • DO NOT directly access components or perform maintenance on the hardware itself while the system is active (or at all, if you don't know what you're doing). This applies especially to the pneumatics and electronics systems.
  • Perform basic system checks before beginning an experiment to ensure that hardware is not faulty.
  • When performing an experiment, increase system pressure gradually.

Wiki Safety Information

Each component of the hardware has safety measures outlined in its corresponding wiki page. This safety information covers both operation and maintenance of the hardware - for example, pressure limits, electronics maintenance, and so on.

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