The Science and Technology Facility (S&TF) at NREL in Golden, CO, is a 71,000 square-foot-building housing laboratory and office space, supporting a wide range of scientific investigations. Within the Process Development and Integration Laboratory (PDIL), NREL was looking to construct a “Clean Zone” area with an ISO Class 6 (Class 1000) cleanroom. As the prime consultant and mechanical engineer, 360 Engineering and the design team prepared concept design and bridging documents for NREL’s use in procuring a design-build contract.
For the new state-of-the-art cleanroom, relative humidity needed to remain above 30%, and temperature control within +/- 2 degrees F. Process support systems included hazardous exhaust abatement for hydride exhaust, specialty gases from adjacent cabinets to the tools, and waste neutralization for acid etch. A mezzanine (platform) was designed above the cleanroom to provide an enclosure for the clean zone humidity control, space for air handling equipment, exhaust abatement unit, and to suspend the cleanroom ceiling.
