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CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - FEB/MAR 2013
SNOLAB Underground
Facilities
Entrance and Personnel
Facilities
D
EEP UNDERGROUND IN
Lively, Ontario, one of the most
fascinating facilities in the world is
buzzing with activity.
Accommodated at Vale’s Creigh-
ton Mine, SNOLAB is hosting some
of the most incredible science experi-
ments ever done—at two kilometres
below the earth’s surface. SNOLAB,
an expansion of existing facilities used
for the Sudbury Neutrino Observa-
tory (SNO) solar neutrino experiment,
has 5,000 m2 of “clean space” under-
ground for experiments and the sup-
porting infrastructure.
The science happening at SNO-
LAB focuses on sub-atomic physics.
SNOLAB’s current programme studies
the elusive neutrino and scientists are
also looking at unidentified dark mat-
ter that constitutes about 23 per cent of
the Universe.
THE SCIENCE
The current programme at SNO-
LAB encompasses many projects. “On
this timescale it is anticipated that the
direct dark matter experiments will be
probing the parameter space currently
favoured by theoretical models and
current constraints,” SNOLAB’s Strate-
gic Plan reveals. “SNOLAB will be ide-
ally placed to support these projects.”
SNOLAB has developed four
goals as a way to build toward the
vision for the facility, and those areas
represent the strengths of SNOLAB:
“
the science programme, the facility
infrastructure, the staff and communi-
ty working to deliver the programme,
and the development of the quality
delivery systems required to do so.”
The four goals, in short, are to lead
world-class underground science, de-
velop and maintain world-class facili-
ties, “educate, inspire and innovate,”
SNOLAB
The laboratory entrance is the transition region
from the dirty mine environment to the CLASS
2000
clean room interior of the laboratory.
Material being brought into the laboratory is
transitioned through a “carwash” where it is
cleaned before entering the laboratory. Ma-
terials that can’t be cleaned underground are
brought down in “blue boxes” - sealed shipping
containers that keep mine dust out. Person-
nel entering the laboratory must shower and
change into clean room clothing in the person-
nel facility. In addition to showers and change
rooms, the personnel facility has a lunch room,
meeting rooms and a laundry facility. The
personnel facility also serves as a refuge station
in the event that there is a fire in the mine. The
personnel facilities can host 50 people under-
ground during a shift.
