NA CONS Projects for EN-AA, and New Access Concept to Experimental Areas

The North Area (NA) fire safety systems dating back to 1970s were never updated since and have become obsolete. The NA fire safety risk assessment highlighted an urgent need to align with modern fire safety standards and identified four areas of improvement for detection, sprinklers, dry risers and compartmentalization systems. In parallel, the risk assessment carried out by EN-AA to evaluate the reliability of the current access system showed that the personnel protection system protecting persons accessing the experimental areas needs to be strengthened. Therefore, a major review of the access concepts has to be conducted while keeping the flexibility and simplicity of use required for the specific needs of these areas. For all these reasons, the consolidation of the NA safety systems was made a priority for the NA-CONS project. Consequently, the NA-CONS Fire Safety and Access System work package includes several consolidation projects which are managed by EN-AA. It covers the renovation of the fire detection, protection and evacuation of the surface and underground, the underground sprinkler system, the gas detection systems and the access control systems. This paper will explore the consolidation works already underway to prepare the North Area for the next decades of safe operation.