Product Code: ILSC2011_701

Maintaining Laser Safety during Commissioning of the Orion High Intensity Laser Facility
Authors:
Steve Melton, AWE; Reading Great Britain
Graham White, AWE; Reading Great Britain
Presented at ILSC 2011

The Orion high intensity laser facility for plasma physics research at AWE in the UK is nearing completion. The commissioning of the first two of its 12 beams, one long pulse (max. 5kJ at 351nm in 1ns) and one short pulse (max. 1PW at 1054nm in 0.5ps) is scheduled for completion by December 2010. Commissioning of the first two beams has continued concurrently with final installation of the other beams and this has required innovative laser safety solutions and rigorous work control. This paper will look at the hazards presented by the commissioning activities and describe the control measures employed to maintain laser safety in a highly challenging project environment where many of the workers on the site are not laser specialists. We will also provide an update on commissioning progress and outline the next steps on the road to achieving full operational capability, noting the laser safety issues arising.