Beamline Operation
Beamline Operation
Beamline 1.3W · Small and Wide Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS/WAXS)
Beamline Operation
User Guide & Proposals
Safety Guidelines for Beamline Operation
All work at BL1.3W is protected by a Personnel Safety Interlock (PSI) system covering the Experimental Hutch (EH), Optics Hutch 1 (OH1), and Optics Hutch 2 (OH2). Please review the following before working at the beamline.
🚦 Radiation Status Signals
The Beacon light in front of the Experimental Hutch shows the current radiation status:
Green — No X-rays inside the EH (PSI and beam shutter closed). Safe to enter
Orange + Green together — Search Hutch procedure in progress (PSI and beam shutter closed). Safe to enter
Orange — Ready to open the beam shutter (PSI open, beam shutter closed). Do not enter
Red — X-rays present inside the EH (PSI and beam shutter open). Do not enter
🚫 Working Safely Inside the Experimental Hutch
- Never remain inside the EH while X-rays are entering.
- When loading a sample into the sample holder, keep your body clear of the X-ray path at all times — even when the beam is off.
⚡ Electrical Safety
- Never leave a sample heater running unattended.
- Any user-supplied equipment that requires electrical power must be inspected and approved before use.
🧪 Chemical Safety
- Chemicals brought to the beamline must be taken back and disposed of through your own institution.
- If on-site disposal is unavoidable, use the designated containers and label them with the chemical name.
- Never mix incompatible chemicals — for example, nitric acid with ethanol, or nitrate compounds such as silver nitrate with ethanol, can both cause an explosion. Users are responsible for knowing the compatibility risks of their own chemicals.
♻️ Waste Types and Disposal
| Waste type | Disposal location |
|---|---|
| General waste | Beside the sample-preparation table |
| Chemical-contaminated waste | In front of the sample-preparation room |
| Chemical waste | Inside the sample-preparation room |
| Sharps waste | At the sample-preparation table |
| Biohazard waste | 3rd floor, Laboratory 1 |
Personnel Safety Interlock (PSI) System
🚨 Emergency Radiation Stop
Each hutch — OH1, OH2, and EH — has three Emergency Stop buttons: two inside, near the front and back doors, and one outside, at that hutch’s control panel.
- Pressing an Emergency Stop button in any hutch immediately closes the shutter before that hutch, stopping X-rays from entering it.
- An alarm sounds when the button is pressed.
- Designed for fast access in an emergency, no matter where you are relative to the hutch.
🔒 Closing the Hutch Door (Search Hutch Procedure)
Before X-rays can enter the EH, everyone inside must leave and the door must be secured:
- Press the yellow Search Hutch button located inside the EH, beside the door. This starts a 15-second timer: music plays and a red beacon inside the hutch flashes — this is the actual signal for anyone still inside to leave immediately. The beacon outside the EH shows green and orange lit together at the same time during this process.
- Close the hutch door and lock it with the key.
- Insert the key into the magnetic-lock panel and turn it to ON before the timer runs out. If this isn’t done within the 15-second window, the process must be restarted from step 1.
- Press the ON button to engage the magnetic lock. Engagement is confirmed by a separate green indicator light on the magnetic lock itself, above the door (not the Beacon) — once lit, the door is secured and ready for X-rays to be enabled.
- Turn the Hutch Shutter switch on the control panel to the open position. This opens the main beam shutter, allowing X-rays to travel into the EH and stop at the fast shutter just in front of the sample. The outside Beacon turns red at this point, indicating X-rays are present inside the EH.