Valerie
I have been designing labs since I worked for Domtar as an undergrad
summer student 42 years ago, designed my supervisor's lab at McGill
as a grad student and have been involved with 11 building projects, 6
of them labs at Brock in my 36 years here and for my sins am now in
charge of space as well as my other hats, but still trying to be an
active chemist.
With regard to nmr and mass spec lab locations here are just a few
concerns that are much easier to deal with at the design stages than
afterward. Architecs, electrical and mechanical engineers don't think
of these.
1. what about esr labs
2. ICP OES and ICP MS can produce significant rf fields
3. slab on grade desireable
4. mass spec lab if they have a large sector machine should have a
thickened slab
5. where is the electrical transformer room not only on your floor
but the ones above (and below if you are not in a basement)
6. is there a campus service tunnel under you with 13.6Kv cables?
7. is the building power distributed in conduits in the poured floor
which may run under your magnet and generate significant fields
8. your own ground through the slab into the earth if possible.
9. where is the machine shop --- vibration and fine iron particles
distributed on footwear and through the ventilation system --- do
wonders for magnets!!! they can also drag down the pressure on air
lines in sudden surges. rf interference from welders.
10. where is your electronics shop --- rf fields
11. -- large pulsed lasers --- properly shielded?
12. with nmr frequencies rising --- what about location of
microwave equipment.
13 ceiling height for high field magnets --- not only high enough for
the He transfer lines to be inserted but high enough to assemble the
magnet
14. are ceiling hoist points required for magnet assembly -- if a
portable crane is use is there door clearance to get it in.
15. centrally provided 12 month chilled water for the air
conditioning -- you do not want AC compressor in the nmr room.
chilled water for cooling in mass spec lab --- closed loop
separating the building supply to distilled water magnet circulation.
16. look above and below the lab, not just beside for problems
17. an independent overview of the design is often useful
anyway here are a few things to think about.
Jack
--
Prof. Jack M. Miller,
Associate Vice-President, Research and
Dean of Graduate Studies,
Professor of Chemistry,
Brock University,
St. Catharines, Ont.,
Canada, L2S 3A1.
Phone (905) 688 5550, ext 3789
FAX (905) 684 2277
e-mail jmiller_at_brocku.ca
http://chemiris.labs.brocku.ca/~chemweb/faculty/miller/
Received on Fri Mar 01 2002 - 09:54:38 MST