Speakers
Description
As part of the development of a robust safety concept for the underground infrastructure of the Einstein Telescope (ET), a HAZard IDentification (HAZID) workshop was organised as the first step to systematically identify potential hazards and prioritise safety studies. A multidisciplinary team of subject matter experts identified and reviewed systematically a total of 324 hazards related to the operational phase of ET.
Applying a semi-quantitative risk matrix approach, each hazard was assigned a score based on its severity and likelihood. It led to the identification of a total of 358 unacceptable consequences requiring mitigation. While some of these can be adequately addressed through compliance with standards and best practices, others will require detailed safety studies to reduce risks to acceptable levels.
Among the identified hazards, the uncontrolled loss of vacuum and the risk of implosion were particularly notable. A dedicated safety study was conducted, focusing on two credible scenarios: a valve rupture on the beampipe and a viewport fracture on a vacuum tower. Computational fluid dynamics simulations, supported by analytical calculations, were used to quantify the severity of each event. Safeguards, best practices and mitigation strategies are proposed that reduce risks to an acceptable level.
A similar method will be applied to other unacceptable risks that were identified such as fire safety, ergonomics, evacuation, etc ; leading to the implementation of safeguards through prescriptive solutions or, if required, through performance-based or risk-based design approaches.
Collectively, the results of all safety studies performed will inform the ET safety concept and the infrastructure design of the facility.