Speaker
Description
The Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) is the second largest accelerator at CERN, a 450 GeV proton and heavy ion machine serving the North Area experimental area and playing a key role as an injector for the LHC (Large Hadron Collider). Commissioned in 1976, the SPS featured a fire safety concept dating from the 70’s, that remained unchanged until today and for which CERN management launched a fire safety consolidation study in 2015.
This presentation explores the findings of the consolidation study, the challenges of a fire safety consolidation project of a 40-year-old research machine and some of the lessons learned by CERN Fire Safety Engineering Team.
From a very early stage, the fire risk assessment carried out during the study phase, revealed a number of shortcomings in life safety objectives: occupant protection and firefighter safety did not comply with current standards and best practices. In addition, low levels of property protection showed not only potential damage beyond the SPS into upstream machines like the PS (Proton Synchrotron) but also a risk to the continuity of operations of machines and experimental areas located downstream the SPS.
In the absence of applicable or fit-for-purpose fire safety codes for large underground research facilities, technical solutions went through a Performance-Based Design exercise benchmarking potential trial designs with the existing situation. As in any retrofit project, operational and maintenance constraints factored heavily in the adopted solution which outstands as best effort from all stakeholders to reach a balanced result between operations, fire safety and budget.
A final word focuses on the lessons learned by CERN Fire Safety Engineering Team in this 11 million € fire safety project which stands as the largest and most ambitious fire safety initiative carried out at CERN.
