Open call -menettelyn suunnittelu Pyhäsalmen kaivoksen maanalaisiin tiloihin sijoitettavista tieteellisistä kokeista

Abstract The Pyhäsalmi mine and the surrounding brownfield area offer the unique infrastructure and a wealth of opportunities for a variety of scientific and commercial purposes. It already hosts successful EMMA and C14 experiments, and has been thoroughly studied and noted as the most prominent location in Europe to host very large-scale particle physic experiments. There is a strong demand for the underground spaces around the world. By using the open call, it is possible to invite scientific and commercial actors to locate their experiments, pilots, and operations to the Pyhäsalmi Mine area to utilize the world-class infrastructure. We propose two active ways to carry out the actual open call, and we also present a detailed plans to execute them within maximum of two years time span, 2015–17. The procedures differs on the basis of the stage of the maturity of the proposal/ project/ experiment plans. The third way to carry out the process is passive marketing. Despite the selected procedures some actions has to be carried out prior to carrying out the open call -process: 1) To establish the board to evaluate to upcoming proposals, 2) to define the potential spaces in the mine and prepare the marketing material, 3) to survey the possible users in different fields, 4) to define the selection criteria, and 5) to ask for Letter of Intents from different users. In addition to these we suggest to establish/select the legal entity to execute all these actions. Open call procedure of use of underground facilities of Pyhäsalmi Mine for scientific purposes report is ordered by Nivala-Haapajärven seutu Nihak ry. Open call actions have been promoted since 2015 according to this report. This study and plan have been useful in concretizing and promoting the open call process.Tiivistelmä Pyhäsalmen kaivoksen ympäristö tarjoaa ainutlaatuisen infrastruktuurin ja ympäristön erilaiselle niin kaupalliselle kuin tieteellisellekin toiminnalle. Kaivosympäristöön on rakennettu EMMA ja C14 -kokeet muun toiminnan ohella. Kaivosympäristö on lisäksi tutkittu hyvin tarkkaan ja sitä on pidetty parhaana sijoituspaikkana myös suurelle hiukkasfysiikan kokeelle. Maanalaisista tiloista on suuri tarve maailmalla, sillä olemassa olevat tilat ovat täynnä. Open call -menettelyllä on mahdollista kutsua tieteellisiä ja kaupallisiakin toimijoita sijoittamaan kokeensa tai toimintansa Pyhäsalmen kaivoksen tiloihin hyödyntämään erinomaista infrastruktuuria. Open call -menettelyselvityksessä on esitelty kaksi erilaista toimintatapaa uusien kokeiden hankkimiseksi. Samalla on esitetty aikataulusuunnitelma toimien toteuttamiseksi. Yhtenä ympäristön markkinointikeinona on esitelty myös passiivinen markkinointi. Toiminnan kehittämisen ja open call -prosessin eteenpäin viemisen edellytyksenä on: 1) Arviointiryhmän kokoaminen esitysten arvioimiseksi, 2) sopivien toimitilojen kartoittaminen kaivosympäristössä ja markkinointimateriaalin luominen, 3) eri alojen toimijoiden kartoittaminen, 4) arvosteluperusteiden määrittäminen ja 5) aiesopimuksen laatiminen toimijoiden kanssa. Toimien toteuttamiseksi ja jatkotoiminnan kehittämiseksi on suositeltu perustaa kiinteistöyhtiö tai vastaava, jonka tehtävänä on myös hallinnoida ja perustaa uusia tiloja tarpeiden mukaisesti. Open call -menettelyn suunnittelu Pyhäsalmen kaivoksen maanalaisiin tiloihin sijoitettavista tieteellisistä kokeista -selvitys on toteutettu Nivala-Haapajärven seutukunnan tilauksesta. Toimia on edistetty vuodesta 2015 alkaen tämän suunnitelman mukaisesti. Selvityksestä on ollut hyötyä kokonaisuuden konkretisoinnissa ja toimien eteenpäin viemisessä

Plans for the future scientific activities in the Pyhäsalmi mine

Abstract The Pyhäsalmi Mine is approximately 1,400 metres deep metal mine at Pyhäjärvi, Finland. This one of the deepest mine offers unique facilities and underground infrastructure for several purposes. For the exploitation of the infrastructure after the end of underground excavations there are plans to establish a Science and Research Centre in the mine. Different international studies and reports have proven that the Pyhäsalmi Mine area is an excellent site for underground physics experiments from both technical, infrastructural and scientifical point of view [1]. This feasibility has been shown, for example, by the extended site investigations at Pyhäsalmi Mine [2] which included, among others, analyses of the structural, physical and chemical conditions of the rock mass. The facilities of the mine are excellent, for example, for various kind of physics experiments due to the large rock overburden, but also for other fields of science. Therefore, during 2015 an open call process will be organized in which new experiments looked for to utilize the underground facilities. In this work we present plans for the future activities in the Pyhäsalmi Mine

Adsorption of copper and zinc with alkali-activated blast furnace slag from mine water

Abstract Metal contamination is an alarming problem near mining areas all over the world. Released wastewaters and mining water loose different metals to environment affecting lakes, rivers and other water sources (Jain and Das, 2017). In this study, alkali-activated blast furnace slag was used as an adsorbent for mine effluent treatment. Alkali-activation was conducted by reacting ground granulated blast furnace slag and a mixture of sodium hydroxide and silicate. Water samples are obtained from the last pumping point of infiltration water. Metal content of this water is still above the environmental safety level and the water should be recirculated and repurified. The aim of this work is to find a method to purify the mine water at this testing point to reach the environmental safety level. Then water will be releasable back to the lake. Alkali-activated materials are widely tested and used in different kind of purification applications. These adsorbent materials are known since beginning of 1900 century but interest towards this kind of research has grown during the few last decades. There are a lot of possibilities for water research and purification processes with alkali-activated materials due to their strong and insoluble form and wide range of feasible materials available (Provis, 2014). Alkali-activated blast furnace slag was selected to be an adsorbent material for this work because it is cheap and easy to produce. It has also relatively good metal removing capacity. Same kinds of adsorbent materials have been tested for metals like nickel successfully (Luukkonen et al., 2016). This encouraged us to study more specific mining waters containing copper and zinc

CallioLab in DULIA, the European network of deep underground laboratories

Abstract The Deep Underground Laboratories in Europe have started a networking activity project DULIA (Deep Underground Laboratory Integrating Activity), which provides a forum for a joint assessment of scientific proposals that plan to utilize the Deep (over 1 km of mass water equivalent layer of rock) Underground Laboratory (DUL) facilities, in EU countries. During 2016, Calliolab in Pyhäsalmi mine starts participating as a the newest member in the DULIA network, the other four laboratories being located in Gran Sasso (Italy), Boulby (UK), Souterrain de Modane (France/Italy) and Canfranc (Spain). From the physics research point of view, the DULs are currently the only viable facilities to conduct many types of astro-particle physics experiments, such as neutrino detection or direct observation of dark matter particles, because the cosmic ray background clouds the possibility to detect weakly interacting particles on the surface. In this presentation we discuss the characteristics of the DULIA laboratories and make short review of the current Deep Underground laboratory infrastructures on a global level. We also review the other DULIA activities, such as the standardization of background radiation assessment methodologies, safety instructions, sharing best practices, education and organization of joint workshops for the users

New underground laboratory in the Pyhäsalmi mine (Calliolab) and plans for the future scientific activities

Abstract CallioLab is located in the Pyhäsalmi Mine, in central Finland. The Pyhäsalmi Mine is a copper, zinc and pyrite mine being the deepest active metal mine in Europe with the main level at 1410 meters. The infrastructure is excellent offering two accesses by an elevator in 3 minutes or by a car 11-km long truck-sizes drive-way. There are among others, office rooms, storage halls, repairements workshops for mechanical and electrical instruments, and a lunch restaurant which can be used for meetings of several tens of participants. To make use of the infrastructure after the end of underground mining operations the plans for establishing a Science and Research Centre in the mine have started realizing. Different international studies and reports have proven that the Pyhäsalmi Mine area is an excellent site for underground physics experiments from both technical, infrastructural and scientifical point of view [1]. This feasibility has been shown, for example, by the extended site investigations at Pyhäsalmi Mine [2] which included, among others, analyses of the structural, physical and chemical conditions of the rock mass. Water analysis have also been done [3]. The facilities of the mine are excellent, for example, for various kind of physics experiments due to the large rock overburden, but also for other fields of science. Therefore, first round of an open call process was organized during 2015 and there is a new round during 2016, in which new experiments will be looked for to utilize the underground facilities. In the present work we present a new underground laboratory, CallioLab, and plans for the future activities in the Pyhäsalmi Mine

Technical characterization of Calliolab, the new underground laboratory for physics research in Pyhäsalmi mine

Abstract The development of the infrastructure for scientific work in the Pyhäsalmi mine is currently administered under the Calliolab project, which is managed by a consortium of the Universities of Oulu and Jyväskylä and regional organizations. A new laboratory has been developed in one of the tunnels at 1430 m depth in Pyhäsalmi mine. At this depth the cosmic-ray muon flux is attenuated down to one ppm compared to that on the surface, making the new laboratory an excellent location to conduct astro-particle physics research and material testing, which require ultra-low cosmic-ray background environment. The floor area of the new laboratory, is currently 120 m² and the average height is 9 m providing the volume of 1080 m³ for working space. The laboratory is located 400 m from the main service level of the Pyhäsalmi mine, which is accessible with an elevator from the surface. The laboratory is also connected to the 11 km long maintenance road and it is accessible with a truck. In this presentation we discuss the current status of Calliolab and it’s technical characterization, such as radon and other radiation background monitoring, ventilation, electricity and the isolation of the laboratory from mining operations We also review the main results from the FP7 design study for utilizing the mine for major neutrino physics experiments. 19.2 Particle and Nuclear Physics Poster 22

Measuring the ¹⁴C content in liquid scintillators

Abstract In order to detect low-energy neutrinos, for example the solar neutrinos from the ppchain (with the maximum neutrino energy of approximately 400 keV) requires that the intrinsic ¹⁴C content in a liquid scintillator is at extremely low level. In the Borexino detector, a 300-ton liquid scintillation detector at Gran Sasso, Italy, the ratio of ¹⁴C to ¹²C of approximately 2 × 10⁻¹⁸ has been achieved. It is the lowest value ever measured. The detector situates underground at the depth of 3200 mwe (1200 m). ¹⁴C cannot be removed from liquid scintillators by chemical methods, or by other methods in large quantities (liters). In principle, the older is the oil or gas source that the liquid scintillator is made of and the deeper it situates, the smaller should be the ¹⁴C-to-¹²C ratio. This, however, is not generally the case, and the ratio depends on the activity (U and Th content) in the environment of the source. We have started a series of measurements where the ¹⁴C-to-¹²C ratio will be measured from liquid scintillator samples. The measurements take place in two underground laboratories: in the Pyhäsalmi mine, Finland, at the depth of 4000 mwe (1400 meters) and at the Baksan Underground Laboratory, Russia at 4800 mwe, for reducing and better understanding systematical uncertainties. There will be about ten samples with the known origin, each of them 2 litres. The liquid scintillator vessel, light quides and low-active PMTs will be shielded with thick layers copper and lead. Nitrogen flow is used to reduce the radon background. The aim is to measure ratios smaller than 10⁻¹⁸, if such samples exists. One measurement takes several weeks

Concentration of ¹⁴C in liquid scintillator

Abstract The main background hindering low-energy (≲ 200 keV) neutrino measurements with liquid scintillators comes from the minute remanence of the cosmogenic ¹⁴C (T₁/₂ ≃ 5700 a) present in the organic oil constituting the bulk of the scintillator. The β-decay endpoint energy of ¹⁴C is quite low, Q = 156 keV, and the counting rate from ¹⁴C is often reduced by threshold settings. However, too high concentration of ¹⁴C may results in pile-up pulses. For example, in the Borexino detector at Gran Sasso, Italy, being the most sensitive neutrino detector, the trigger rate is largely dominated by the ¹⁴C isotope [1] with the concentration of 2 × 10⁻¹⁸ [2] It is the lowest ¹⁴C concentration value ever measured. There are only a few results available on the ¹⁴C concentration. In addition to the one in Ref. [2] there are three other measurements reported in Refs. [3, 4, 5]. Obviously ¹⁴C cannot be removed from liquid scintillators by chemical methods, or by other methods in large quantities (liters). In principle, the older is the oil or gas source that the liquid scintillator is made of and the deeper it situates, the smaller the ¹⁴C concentration should be. This, however, is not generally the case and it is believed that the ratio depends on the activity (U and Th content) in the environment of the source. We are performing a series of measurements where the ¹⁴C concentration will be measured from several liquid scintillator samples. They need low-background environment and are taking place in two deep underground laboratories: in the new CallioLab laboratory in the Pyhäsalmi mine, Finland, and at the Baksan Neutrino Observatory, Russia, in order to reduce and better understand the systematical uncertainties. Preliminary results will be presented