Thursday, September 13, 2018, 16:57, Isaac Earle, North Hot-Cell, Development, , , NHC grounding and mili-ohm testing
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The following equipment has been connected to the building ground located in the Target Hall by the TCS using 1/2" flat bonding strap:
- NHC roof structure
- NHC/TCS partition wall
- NHC work table
The following equipment has been connected to the building ground by connecting to the work table inside the NHC using 1/2" flat bonding strap:
- Air and gas supply line mounting bracket inside NHC
- Receptacle box mounting bracket inside NHC
- Diagnostic signal box mounting bracket inside NHC
The resistance between the following locations and the copper grounding plate located at the base of the NHCSA north wall were measured. The resistance of the wire used was 258.10mΩ, and has been subtracted from the following results.
Measurements taken in NHCSA:
- Control panel below viewing window (base plate of box): 4.67mΩ
- Oil window frame (bare metal drain valve): 55.34mΩ
- Left manipulator (ground plate near e-stop button): 73.46mΩ
- Right manipulator (ground plate near e-stop button): 202.58mΩ
- Air and gas supply line mounting bracket: 40.68mΩ
- Diagnostic connector box: 12.15mΩ
- Steel conduit for 110V supply to hot cell interior: 4.81mΩ
Measurements taken inside NHC:
- Work table: 4.51mΩ
- Pre-filter bolted to partition wall: 4.84mΩ
- Table hatch lid: open load
- Left manipulator thru tube: 515.8mΩ
- Right manipulator thru tube: 342.0mΩ
- Left manipulator (slave boot plate bolt): 885.9mΩ
- Right manipulator (slave boot plate bolt): 1444.0mΩ
- Grounding strap for air/gas plate: 4.84mΩ
- Outside of SHV connector on diagnostic signal box: 4.56mΩ
- Exterior of 110V electrical conduit: 3.88mΩ
- Male Staubli connector for 1st gas line: 53.7mΩ
- Welded stud for window cover panel: 6.06mΩ
- Grounding strap for partition wall: 4.39mΩ
- Roof structure (measured inside un-painted bolt hole): ~0mΩ
- Stainless steel module flange: ~0mΩ
Dedicated grounding will be added in the near future for the oil window frame and the manipulator thru-tubes. Testing will then be repeated for those items.
Dec 18, 2018 update:
The oil window frame and both manipulators (where they bolt to the thru-tubes) were connected to the building ground using 1/2" flat bonding strap connected at the cold side of each piece of equipment, and running to the grounded copper sheet located in the NHC service area at floor level. The connection is made inside the electrical racks located directly west of the NHC operator area on the cold side. This work was done by Travis Cave in October 2018.
Mili-ohm testing for these items has not yet been repeated.
Jan 14, 2019 update:
Grounding was added from the metal plate near the e-stop button on the master arm of both manipulators. The same 1/2" flat bonding strap was used which was tied into other bonding strap which runns to the grounded copper sheet in the NHCSA.
Mili-ohm testing was repeated for the following items:
- Oil window frame (bare metal drain valve): 13.6mΩ
- Left manipulator (ground plate near e-stop button): 16.1mΩ
- Right manipulator (ground plate near e-stop button): 16.5mΩ
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Thursday, November 22, 2018, 14:38, Isaac Earle, North Hot-Cell, Development, , , NHC design approved by High Voltage Engineer
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To satisfy RS 101 from the NHC requirements specification (Document-131915) Tomislav Hurskovec was consulted regarding high voltage safety. After a verbal discussion on various aspects of the NHC design he confirmed that the design satisfies high voltage safety concerns.
A copy of his confirmation e-mail is attached in PDF format.
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Monday, December 10, 2018, 15:31, Isaac Earle, North Hot-Cell, Development, , , NHC remote connection testing with manipulators
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The following tests have been successfully completed using the NHC manipulators:
- Ventilation pre-filter (mounted on the NHC/TCS partition wall) removed and re-installed using the manipulators
- Electrical plugs (two total) for operator-level LED lighting located on east wall of cell interior plugged in, and un-plugged using the manipulators
- Electrical plug inserted into and removed from each of the 120V outlets (four total) located in front of the viewing window using the manipulators
- All diagnostic service connections removed and reinstalled using the manipulators (six total, see IRH1765)
- All Staubli air and gas connections removed and reinstalled using the manipulators (five total, see IRH1749)
These tests were performed at various different times over the last several months by Isaac Earle and/or Chad Fisher. |
Tuesday, December 18, 2018, 11:13, Isaac Earle, North Hot-Cell, Development, , , NHC manipulator slave-end swap, RH test, and various other work
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The following North Hot Cell work was completed over the last week under work permit I2018-12-12-1:
Thurs Dec 13th:
- Prepared master side according to removal manual (noticed screwing in the right side locking screw was not as smooth to go in as normal; left side was smooth like normal)
- Removed manipulator roof block and set down in yellow frame (required some stacked wood to prevent light from bottoming out)
- Removed steel side plates in NHC manipulator hatch
- Removed the slave end (SN: 9764) – noticed “Right Elevation/Twist Coupler” off of vertical by around 30 degrees
- Wrist elevation of removed slave end was not locked, lifted it slightly and this brought the coupler to the vertical position and it locked with a click
- Suspected the thru-tube also would be misaligned, confirmed by inspecting visually in hot cell (Unsure why this misalignment occurred considering we followed the removal procedure properly. One theory is that when we accidentally left the timing screw in the master side handle cable drum last time it may have caused things to get a little out of alignment)
Friday Dec 14th:
- Un-did the right side locking screw on the master
- Then could turn coupler on the thru-tube to the vertical position from within the hot cell
- Re-locked the right side locking screw (this time it went in smoothly)
- With all couplers on thru-tube vertical we then installed the replacement slave (SN: 9352) as per instructions
- For future slave end changes should use some sort of long chain or sling instead of having the auxiliary crane hook block within the hatch (some sort of T-hook type lift feature replacing the bail may work better as well)
- Evaluated the manipulator: seemed to be working normally, Chad tested plugged in LED lamp plug and also opened and closed the work table hatch
- Noticed Z motion tape on slave end loose when fully extended in Z (nice and tight when retracted) – this seems to be normal
- Confirmed manipulators can reach all surfaces of the table
- Then tested remote handling of LED light fixtures from the Target Hall using pole tools through the manipulator roof hatch
- Started with both LED light plugs un-plugged
- Used 9’ standard beam lines RH pole tool (this worked fine, but 10-12’ would be better)
- Curved hook end attachment
- First lifted cables out of all cable tray sections (the wall mounted Panduit)
- Then removed the East light fixture assembly (IRH1800) - lifted from designated lift loop (IRH1796) – This went smoothly
- Hoisted up into the Target Hall, then lowered back down to re-install
- To reinstall had to hook the assembly at a lower point due to flex of the pole from the weight of the assembly (hooked just below the ballast for installation). Using this method reinstalling the fixture went smoothly. I will update the design to move the designated lift point (or add an additional one) at this location.
- Once the light fixture was on the bracket, replaced the cables in the cable tray using the pole tool. The final section on the east wall before the outlets was a little tricky, but by viewing and reaching from the north-west corner of the hatch it was do-able
- Confirmed visually that remote removal and installation of the west fixture can be done using the same procedure as the east
- Replaced lamp block (stored lifting hardware for hatch side plates above block, below hatch cover)
Monday Dec 17th:
- Left side slave-end boot was installed as per manual instructions. It was done with two people inside the cell this time which went much smoother than just one last time (the boot was not installed on the slave prior to moving it into the hot cell because we wanted to inspect the tape and cables after installation and the boot would prevent that)
- The condition of both boots was checked. Both appear to be in new condition with no signs of degradation. The material seems pliable and strong.
- Chad Fisher, ISAC Hot Cell Operator, checked the light level from the cold side of the hot cell and confirmed that it is acceptable. However, without the operator level LED lighting it was too dim.
Tuesday Dec 18th:
- Lift bails for both manipulator slave ends set to farthest north position which results in face that mates with thru-tube to be close to vertical when hanging from lift bail
- Work table, stairs, entrance floor area, pre-filter assembly, tool port, window cover, and hot side service connection panel vacuumed and wet wiped to remove dirt and dust.
- NHC inlet damper (located in Target Hall) adjusted to set NHC depression to around 1.05”wc (the NHC damper is currently not responding to the NVCS and needs to be investigated and repaired by Controls Group and/or Mechanical Services)
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Friday, January 04, 2019, 14:38, Isaac Earle, North Hot-Cell, Development, , , NHC cameras tested  
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The NHC module support flange cameras (4 total) as well as the NHCSA camera were tested today and confirmed to be working properly. All cameras were angled and focused properly, and displaying clearly on the monitors in the ISAC RH Control Room. Photos of the control room monitors are attached below.


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Friday, January 11, 2019, 13:59, Isaac Earle, Safe Module Parking, Development, , , SMP motor selection decision
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SMP drivetrain design work is currently underway. Alejandro has selected a suitable 1200:1 reducer which will give a vessel rotation speed of 0.21rpm with a 1725rpm motor (deemed sufficiently close to the SHC rotation speed of 0.17rpm). The reducer however is only rated for 0.33hp, and Allon's analysis recommended we use a motor of at least 0.4hp
From his calculations the expected power required to turn the loaded vessel is 0.2hp (see Document-161943, p3). The higher figure of 0.4hp in his final recommendations comes from the power rating of a 40 tooth sprocket (the driver sprocket) with a No. 50 roller chain operating at 10rpm (the lowest speed shown on the table) - meaning this driver sprocket arrangement can handle up to 0.4hp. We discussed this on the phone on January 4th and agreed that a 1/3hp motor could be used which will match the reducer Alejandro selected, and will supply sufficient power given that calculations indicate only 0.2hp is required.
Once the vessel is installed in the shield box a test will be performed to determine the actual torque (and power) required to turn the vessel. If the value differs significantly from the calculated value the design will be revisited. |
Friday, January 18, 2019, 10:26, Isaac Earle, North Hot-Cell, Development, , , NHC sealing improvements and repeat of RH test for LED lights
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The following NHC development work was completed under WP I2019-01-09-4:
- Location of RH feature on operator level LED lighting updated to match IRH1800 Rev B design
- Remote Handling test of the LED fixtures was repeated using a 9' pole with hook attachment through the manipulator slave hatch from the Target Hall: both LED fixtures were removed and reinstalled successfully with relative ease
- Tool port seal replaced to address an audible air leak: the 1/4" foam seal was removed and replaced with adhesive backed 5/8" wide hollow foam rubber seal (McMaster Carr PN: 93085K81). Prior to the change DPG4 was at 0.63"wc, after the change wit was 0.73"wc with all system variables constant.
- NHC manipulator access block seal was replaced, likewise to address an audible air leak: the 1/4" foam seal was removed and replaced with adhesive backed 1/2" thick BunA-N rubber strip (McMaster Carr PN: 9023K85). DPG4 was at 0.94"wc prior to the change, and 1.07"wc after with all system variables constant
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Monday, January 21, 2019, 16:27, Isaac Earle, North Hot-Cell, Development, , , NHC in-cell camera wired to right side monitor
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The NHC right side monitor has been wired to display the signal from the in-cell camera. This was tested using a snake camera on both of the CPC-4 connectors.

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Thursday, January 31, 2019, 14:16, Isaac Earle, North Hot-Cell, Development, , , NHC grounding approval
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Franco Mammarella was consulted regarding electrical grounding of the NHC design (RS103 of Document-131915). After discussing the design, and having grounding inspected by Randy Boehm, Franco approved the design and advised that the grounding system should be inspected periodically. This task has been added to the Remote Handling inspection index on an annual schedule. A PDF copy of the e-mail correspondence with Franco is attached. |
Monday, February 11, 2019, 10:26, Isaac Earle, Safe Module Parking, Development, , , SMP shield box and vacuum vessel moved to Target Hall 6x
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On February 8th the SMP shield box (IRH1675) and the vacuum vessel (IRH1806) were both raised from a horizontal to vertical orientation in the ISAC-1 Experimental Hall. Hamilton "Mini-Mite" S-MM2-43FS caster wheels were then installed on the base of the shield box and it was lowered down the hatch to the B2 level. The vacuum vessel was then lowered into the shield box, supported by the rollers, as designed. The shield box and vessel combination were then moved south along the steel plated floor until positioned under the hatch leading to the Target Hall. Movement along the floor was achieved by pushing the back of the vessel with an electric fork truck and pulling from the front with a cable winch attached to a plate mounted in the floor in the SHC service area, centered east/west between the Ante Room doors. The fork truck alone was sufficient to move the assembly on the smooth section of the plates, but the winch was needed on the section paitned with textured grit. The vacuum vessel was then lifted into the Target Hall and placed in a temporary storage location in the silo area. The shield box was then lifted, casters removed, and then lifted up into the Target Hall. It was a very tight fit with the tubing which has been installed on the SHC and NHC ducting for the new flow meters, but the move was completed without causing damage. The shield box was placed on the B2 level in the Target Hall where some final tapped holes will be added on the exterior before moving to the final installation location.
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Thursday, February 21, 2019, 15:10, Isaac Earle, Safe Module Parking, Development, , , Seismic requirements for SMP
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Dragan Mitrovic, TRIUMF structural engineer, was consulted earlier this week regarding seismic requirements for the SMP assembly. Installation location, overall dimensions, total weight, and the center of mass for assembly IRH1670 were provided to him by e-mail. On Feb 20th he communicated verbally that he had analyzed the assembly for seismic loads, and concluded that this equipment does not require anchoring or any other form of seismic restraint.
Update (May 30, 2019): Confirmed with Dragan that the approach he used for analysis was that specified in the BC Building Code (both 2012 edition and updated 2018 edition). |
Monday, April 01, 2019, 14:56, Isaac Earle, Safe Module Parking, Development, , , SMP shield box and vacuum vessel installed in final location   
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Last week drilling of the additional required holes in the SMP shield box was completed in the Target Hall. This morning the shield box (IRH1675) was moved to its final installation position in the silo area on the B2 level. The vacuum vessel (IRH1806) was then installed inside the shield box. The center of the vacuum vessel is 2-3" north of the south travel limit of the crane. Photos as well as measurements of the final position are attached below.




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Thursday, April 04, 2019, 14:49, Isaac Earle, Safe Module Parking, Development, , , SMP vacuum vessel support roller friction check
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With the SMP vacuum vessel now installed inside the shield box, a test was performed to measure the torque required to rotate the vessel. At a moment arm distance of 2.0m a force of 89N was required to rotate the vessel (with no module installed) resulting in a torque of 178Nm. Based on this, the coefficient of rolling resistance (CRR) was calculated to be 0.007; This is fairly close to available data for similar applications such as cast iron wheels on steel rail (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_resistance). The CRR used for design of the SMP drivetrain was 0.054 which was based on empirical data for a similar product. Because this is significantly higher than the friction of the as-built system the drive-train components are stronger than required and should have no problem rotating the vessel when loaded with a module.
Further details and calculations included in the attached PDF. |
Wednesday, May 15, 2019, 16:06, Isaac Earle, Safe Module Parking, Development, , , SMP module support flange installed and leak checked   
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The SMP module support flange sub-assembly (IRH1755) was installed today according to drawing IRH1683. Dow Corning 111 sealing compound was used to keep the o-ring adhered to the lower groove during transportation and installation. The TCS shield plug (IRH1646) was then installed on the SMP module flange which has vacuum connections for leak checking. Vacuum was pulled on the SMP vessel using the Varian 979 leak detector. After approximately 3.5 hours of pumping the test port pressure was at 2.4E-2 Torr and leak rate was 7.9E-8atm*cc/s. Helium was configured with the regulator set at 10psi and flow rate of >10 bubbles per second in Windex and then applied slowly around the perimeter of the vacuum flange (IRH1686) and it's mating components on both the top and the bottom. There was no response on the leak detector indicating the seals on both sides of the module flange are leak tight.




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Thursday, June 20, 2019, 15:09, Isaac Earle, Safe Module Parking, Development, , , SMP motor wiring inspected by electrician
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The AC wiring for the SMP motor was inspected by Randy Boehm (TRIUMF electrician) as recommended by Franco Mammarella (TRIUMF electrical engineer). After inspecting the system Randy required the following changes:
- AC wiring inside the control panel be increased to 16awg minimum (14awg preferred)
- Wiring between the control panel and motor control box be increased to 14awg
- Power cable to the motor be increased to 14awg
- Current rating for MS connectors be checked and replaced if below 10A
- Prefer that motor control box components be relocated to the control panel to reduce number of AC wires and connections (preferred but not mandatory)
- A dedicated ground wire is required in the cable going to the motor (if not already in place)
After these changes have been made the inspection will be repeated.
July 31, 2019 update:
Items 1, 2, 3, and 6 from above were completed. 14awg wiring was used for wiring inside the control panel (Item 1). Current rating for the MS connectors was checked and is over 10A (Item 4). Motor control box components were not relocated to the control panel at this time (Item 5).
Randy repeated his inspection today, and approved of the updated 120V wiring.
Adam updated the SMP electrical and control schematics (IRH1868-1874) |
Thursday, July 04, 2019, 08:57, Isaac Earle, Safe Module Parking, Development, , , SMP vacuum system installed  
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July 3:
- Assembled exhaust line flexible hose and fittings as per ISK0529 Rev D then leak checked: 1.4E-1 Torr test port pressure, 1.1E-7 atm-cc/s leak rate, no response to helium spray at both ends of flexible line (all vacuum fittings purchased from Kurt Lesker under Requisition #1046936)
- Connected exhaust of SMP vacuum pump to nuclear ventilation duct using flexible hose assembly as per ISK0529 Rev D
- Installed convectron gauges at pump inlet as per ISK0529 Rev D
- Installed TCS plug block (IRH1646) in SMP
- Connected plug block vacuum port to SMP pump using flexible corrugated hose
- Connected SMP:CG1 to portable pressure display: ~700Torr
- Turned on SMP:MP1 at 4:17pm, after approximately 25 minutes was down to 75 Torr, at 1hr 40 minutes was 90mTorr, left pumping over night
July 4:
- Pressure at 4mTorr at 8am, will leave pumping longer to see if it gets any lower
- Submitted Work Request #5239 to PLC Controls for wiring of the pump and convectron gauges and integrations with EPICS
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Friday, July 26, 2019, 15:43, Isaac Earle, Safe Module Parking, Development, , , SMP vacuum control system completed
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The SMP vacuum control system has been wired and setup to be controlled from EPICS. Backing valve control (SMP:BV1) was tested by connecting to the turbo pump solenoid on TM3 located in the silo directly north of the SMP. The SMP pump (SMP:MP1) was turned on and off through the EPICS interface and responded as expected. Both convectron gauges (SMP:CG1 and SMP:CG2) responded as expected when the pump was turned on. The readings from the two gauges were consistent throughout the mili-Torr range.
The work was done by Ray Mendoza under WP I2019-07-24-4 (work request #5239).

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Friday, August 23, 2019, 14:27, Isaac Earle, Safe Module Parking, Development, , , SMP camera video cabling installed and tested
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Installation of the video lines for the SMP cameras was completed yesterday according to IRH1670 Rev B. All four cameras were confirmed to be displaying properly in the crane control room. The cameras are powered from an outlet wired to circuit 35/37 on Panel #443 (located in the NHCSA). This is independent from the power supply for other existing camera systems in the Target Hall. The SMP turntable was rotated through the full range of motion (reached CW and CCW limits) and the cable routing and reel take-up system performed as expected. |
Monday, September 30, 2019, 11:27, Isaac Earle, Safe Module Parking, Development, , , SMP vacuum vessel modifications completed
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The SMP vacuum vessel welds were reinforced to match the specifications on IRH1710 Rev D. In addition a tube stub was added on the side of the vessel for installation of a PRV. The relief valve installed was Accu-Glass 113150, with 2psi setpoint (not the MDC 420036 model specified on IRH1710 Rev D). The drawing will be updated to reflect this.
Welding was performed in the TRIUMF machine shop. A larger capacity forklift was rented to move the vessel back and forth between the shop and the Meson Hall loading bay where the main crane was used to flip the vessel between welds.
After welding the vessel was leak checked using a blank-off plate (helium leak tight). The vessel was then returned to the Target Hall, the top flange IRH1755 was re-installed, and the TCS shield plug was installed on the flange. The vessel was pumped down over the weekend using the SMP vacuum pump, and reached 8mTorr by Monday morning. A helium leak check was performed in the Target Hall: baseline leak rate 0.0E-9 atm-cc/sec, 0.0E-4Torr port pressure, no response to generous helium spray on PRV and around both seal locations for the top flange.
Remaining re-assembly of the SMP will now proceed. |
Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 16:42, Isaac Earle, Safe Module Parking, Development, , , SMP flange alignment tested using shield plug   
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As a preliminary test in preparation for SMP commissioning, one of the steel module shield plugs was installed into the SMP to check the positional and rotational alignment procedures. The following is a summary of the steps performed:
- Shield plug lifted with crane and rotated to an arbitrary (non-orthogonal) position
- Using the crane pendant the shield plug was roughly aligned over the SMP and lowered until the base was within 15cm of the top of the flange
- The SMP flange was rotated to roughly match the orientation of the shield plug
- Precise positioning of module achieved visually from within the Target Hall using crane for NESW position and SMP for rotation
- Module lowered into SMP vessel (not resting on base of vessel)
- Target Hall crane was then set to "Test Mode" and operated from the crane control room
- Crane position with the module centered in the SMP vessel was recorded as E-W: 18.5495m, N-S: 4.9065m
- The shield plug was lifted from the SMP, moved to an arbitrary location in the Target Hall, and set to a different arbitrary rotational position
- The SMP flange was returned to the "centered" position
- The shield plug was moved to the previously recorded location over the SMP and lowered to within 15cm of the top of the flange (using cameras)
- Steps 3-5 were repeated using only camera views to achieve alignment (SMP rotation was controlled using the pendant with instructions by phone from the crane room operator because the module for remote control currently requires a part to be changed)
Official commissioning of the SMP will now be planned as per the commissioning plan Document-170404




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