SNOLAB Updates

Excavation of the new SNOLAB experimental spaces is almost complete with only the wall preparation of the Cryopit remaining. 

Outfitting is progressing well and all construction work is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.  The experimental program at SNOLAB has a new addition, the DEAP-1 experiment which moved underground at the end of last year.



Excavation Status
On 29 Dec 2007, the last large blast for the excavation program  was complete when a 38 ft bench was taken in the Cryopit.  A few weeks later, the breakthrough from the Phase II Cryopit area to the Phase I excavations was done, completing the major excavation of the laboratory.  To date, approximately 93,000 T of rock has been excavated with approximately 5,000T remaining.  The remaining excavation work consists of removing the rock from the Cryopit, installing the ground support (rock bolts, cable bolts and screen) and applying the Shotcrete (spray on concrete) liner.

White shows the original excavations.  Orange shows the new excavations.  The bottom 2/3 of the Cryopit has been blasted but the rock not yet removed.

Once the ground support and shotcrete walls are in place a second pass of shotcrete which is hand troweled to a smooth finish is applied.  Then the concrete floors for the new excavations will be poured and the outfitting and services installed.

Looking down into the Cryopit from the main level of the laboratory.  The first pass shotcrete liner can be seen completed part way down the wall.  The scoop tram is sitting on the "muck pile" of broken rock which is removed from the base of the hall through an access drift.  As the muck is drawn down, the ground support and screening and shotcrete are applied to the walls of the pit.

Looking through the  break through from the Cryopit Utility Drift to the Cube Hall Utility Drift.  The block wall visible in the Cube Hall Utility Drift was constructed to protect the Cube Hall areas from the concussion of the break through blast.

Outfitting Status
Outfitting of the new lab entrance passed a milestone in December 2007 when three of the new air handling units (AHUs) were turned on bringing filtered cooled air into the construction area.  In addition to making it easier to work in an environment where the normal rock temperature is 42C, the filtration reduces the dust as part of the process of going from a dirty construction site to a clean room laboratory.   The personnel area (lunch room, shower and change rooms) is now approximately 80% complete with the majority of the plumbing, ventilation ducting and electrical wiring in place.  The remaining work in the laboratory entrance is expected to take until late spring 2008.

The "Carwash" where material will be cleaned prior to being brought from the dirty mine environment into the cleanroom laboratory.

One of the new air handling units (AHUs) which will provide HEPA filtered air to the laboratory.

The "Junction" which connects the new laboratory excavations to the existing SNO facility.  This view is looking north towards the Ladder Labs and Cube Hall.  Two air handling units are located on the mezzanine.

The new lunch room for SNOLAB will have approximately twice the capacity of the original SNO facility and is situated at the top of the original ramp used to excavate the SNO cavern.

The Ladder Labs looking north towards the Cube Hall.  The walls are painted and some of the service support structures are now in place

This area of the Ladder Labs is intended to house a "medium" scale experiment (of order 5m size).  But during construction, it is being used as a factory to fabricate ventilation ducting.  Roles of metal banding are brought underground and rolled into spiral ducting.  This is much more efficient than bringing ducts down prefabricated.