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Safety overview

The ADCL wind tunnel is a low-speed open-circuit tunnel driven by a three-phase induction motor through an ABB ACH550 variable-frequency drive (VFD). It is not a high-energy facility, but every component listed below has injured someone in some lab somewhere; treat the safety guidance here as load-bearing, not decorative.

In an emergency

Situation Action
Life-threatening injury, fire, electrical contact Dial 911 from a mobile phone, or 9-911 from a campus landline.
Hazardous materials / smoke / odor making people sick Dial 911 if anyone is symptomatic; otherwise UCI EH&S 949-824-6200.
Power must be killed immediately Operate the main switch (see Test section & exhaust) to cut power to the VFD and motor.
Motor must be stopped immediately but power is fine Emergency Stop in the control software (ADCL WinSoft red button, or WindTunnelControl.ps1 E-Stop). See Emergency stop.

UCI EH&S full contact list and policy references are in the SOP → Emergency contacts doc. Verified 2026-05-14.

Hazard categories

Five hazard categories apply to this facility. Each has a dedicated page; the bullets below are the one-line summaries.

  • Electrical — the VFD enclosure carries 480 V three-phase mains; the motor is mains-driven through it. Lockout/tagout discipline applies. Never open the VFD cabinet while the main switch is on.
  • Emergency stop — three independent stop paths (software ramp-stop, software E-Stop, mains kill). Know all three before powering up.
  • Mechanical — the fan moves significant air. Anything loose in the test section becomes a projectile; anything loose downstream becomes someone else's problem. The exhaust path is physically blocked by a band saw to deter people from walking into it (see Test section); keep that block in place.
  • Laser — a 5 mW Class 2 laser is used for flow visualization. Class 2 is eye-safe via the blink reflex but follow the controls in the UCI Laser Safety Manual (alignment, signage, beam-path control).
  • Smoke generator — glycol-based fog. Low toxicity but irritating; ensure ventilation, and stop the run if anyone reports symptoms.

The non-negotiables

  1. One person controls the tunnel at a time. That person stays at the computer station for the entire run.
  2. Visual confirmation before pressing Start. Test section is clear of people and tools; exhaust path is clear; band-saw block is in place.
  3. Both stop paths verified before the first powered run of the day. Stop the motor from the software, confirm it stopped; then practice the mains kill location so muscle memory exists.
  4. Door placard up to date. UCI EH&S requires a posted placard with PI name, hazard pictograms, and emergency instructions. Update it when hazards or contacts change.
  5. No running the tunnel alone after hours. Have a second person reachable (in the building or by phone) any time the motor is energized outside normal working hours.

Training prerequisites

Before operating the tunnel solo, an operator must:

  • complete UCI EH&S Lab Safety Fundamentals;
  • complete UCI EH&S Laser Safety training if flow-visualization runs are planned;
  • be briefed in person by an existing operator on the pre-run checklist and the emergency stop paths;
  • demonstrate a startup → stop → mains-kill cycle while observed.

Documenting incidents

Any near-miss or incident — motor stalling under load, smoke alarm, unexpected fault code, a model coming loose, a person entering the exhaust path — is logged in a new WT_MS_<n>/ milestone folder with a debug_session.md. The pattern is the same one used for the AeroWare diagnosis in WT_MS_2/: chronological notes, photos in images/, and a "Resolved / Open / Deferred" line at the bottom. See docs/repository_layout.md for the layout.