Skip to content

Before you start

You do not run this tunnel until you have completed all of the following.

Training

  • UCI EH&S Lab Safety Fundamentals — completed and current.
  • UCI EH&S Laser Safety training — required if you will run flow-visualization (laser + smoke). The lab uses a 5 mW Class 2 laser.
  • In-person walkthrough of the facility with an existing operator, end-to-end. You have seen the pre-run checklist demonstrated and you have personally pressed each of the stop buttons with the tunnel running at low RPM.
  • Sign-off from the PI or lab manager that you are checked out to operate the tunnel solo.

If any of the above is missing, you operate with an existing operator present, not solo.

Personal protective equipment

  • Safety glasses during normal operation (mechanical hazard from the model, the airflow, the test-section walls).
  • Laser-rated eyewear is recommended (not strictly required) during laser alignment. For Class 2 sustained viewing, ask the UCI Laser Safety Officer (radsafety@uci.edu).
  • Closed-toe shoes.
  • No loose clothing or jewellery that can be caught in moving parts or reflect a stray laser beam.
  • Hair tied back for anyone working close to the test section or fan.

Equipment knowledge

You know:

  • where the main switch is on the wall and how to open it;
  • where the emergency stop is in the control software (red button, right column);
  • the location of the fire extinguisher in the lab and the floor where it is rated;
  • the location of the eye-wash station if the lab has one;
  • the route to the nearest emergency exit.

Door placard

Before starting any run that involves the laser or smoke generator, confirm the lab door placard shows:

  • the laser pictogram and "Class 2 in use" annotation;
  • the smoke / fog warning;
  • the PI name and emergency contacts;
  • the date of last chemical inventory.

If the placard is missing or out of date, update it through the UCI Chemicals application before running.

Run-day prerequisites

  • A second person is reachable for the duration of the run (in the building or by phone).
  • The lab is not occupied by an unrelated activity that could intersect with airflow, smoke, or laser exposure.
  • The wind tunnel area has been walked end-to-end: intake clear, test section clear, exhaust path clear past the band saw.
  • You have a plan for the run — RPM range, what you are measuring, when you will stop. Improvising RPM setpoints under load is how unintended fault conditions get hit.

If any of these is not the case, do not start the run.