Containment · Controlled Procedure
VC-SOP-0207 — Containment Sphere Integrity Verification
The scheduled and event-driven verification that every Containment Sphere and Bio-Vault enclosure holds its engineered seal — pressure-decay testing, seal inspection, sensor-channel confirmation, and negative-pressure check — performed before and during GCL-3/GCL-4 specimen residence.
A sphere that fails integrity does not hold a live specimen. Any GCL-4 enclosure failing the pressure-decay or negative-pressure criterion in Section 6 is declared OUT-OF-SERVICE immediately; its occupant is not moved until a verified enclosure is confirmed available per VC-SOP-0204. Verification results are sealed to the Mycelial Data Fabric (MDF) and cannot be edited after sign-off.
1. Purpose
To define the controlled procedure for confirming that Containment Sphere and Bio-Vault enclosures maintain their barrier seal, negative-pressure differential, and live sensor coverage across their entire service envelope — preventing undetected loss of containment around graded living specimens.
2. Scope
Applies to all graded enclosures in the Phyto-Synthesis Bay containment ring (Spheres S-01 through S-24) and the deep Bio-Vault tier (BV-A through BV-F), at every GCL grade. Covers pre-residence acceptance tests, in-residence periodic verification, and event-driven re-verification after any alarm, maintenance, or seismic event. GCL-4 specimen handling is governed by VC-SOP-0204; sensor-channel trust derives from VC-SOP-0405. Excludes structural fabrication and pressure-vessel certification, which fall to VC-SOP-0291.
3. Definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pressure-Decay Test | An isolated-volume test measuring pressure loss over a fixed dwell window to detect leak paths; expressed in Pa lost per minute. |
| Negative-Pressure Differential (ΔP) | The maintained underpressure of the enclosure relative to the surrounding bay, ensuring any leak draws inward, never outward. |
| Seal Map | The enumerated set of gaskets, glove-port collars, transfer-lock faces, and feed-through penetrations inspected on every verification. |
| Sensor-Channel Confirmation | Live cross-check that every PhytoSense Mesh node on the enclosure reports valid, calibrated, and time-synced data to the MDF. |
| Out-of-Service (OOS) | The locked state of an enclosure that has failed any pass criterion; no live specimen may reside in an OOS enclosure. |
4. Responsibilities
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Containment Officer (Owner) | Schedules verifications; signs PASS/FAIL determination; authorizes OOS declaration and return-to-service; owns this SOP. |
| Integrity Technician | Runs the pressure-decay and ΔP tests; performs the seal-map inspection; records raw readings. |
| Mesh Engineer | Performs sensor-channel confirmation; flags any uncalibrated or stale node per VC-SOP-0405. |
| Phyto-Synthesis Bay Supervisor | Coordinates occupant standstill and access windows during in-residence verification. |
| CHLORA | Triggers due/event-driven verifications, seals signed results to MDF, and enforces the OOS lock on enclosure controls. |
5. Equipment & Pre-Checks
- Calibrated reference manometer (±2 Pa) with valid calibration tag dated within 90 days
- Tracer-gas leak detector (SF6 surrogate) and helium sniffer for feed-through penetrations
- Seal-map checklist for the specific enclosure class loaded from CHLORA
- Negative-pressure reference port and certified isolation valve set
- PhytoSense Mesh node roster for the enclosure with last-calibration timestamps
- Bay at nominal climate per VC-SOP-0302 (test invalid outside 19–23 °C)
6. Integrity Test Thresholds
| Test | Method | Pass Criterion | Cadence by GCL Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure-Decay | Isolate enclosure volume; pressurize +250 Pa; 10-min dwell | ≤ 5 Pa/min (GCL-4) · ≤ 12 Pa/min (GCL-3) · ≤ 25 Pa/min (GCL-2) | GCL-4 daily · GCL-3 weekly · GCL-2 monthly |
| Negative-Pressure ΔP | Reference manometer, enclosure vs. bay, 60-s mean | ≥ 30 Pa (GCL-4) · ≥ 20 Pa (GCL-3) · ≥ 12 Pa (GCL-2) | GCL-4 continuous + daily log · GCL-3 daily · GCL-2 weekly |
| Seal-Map Inspection | Visual + tracer-gas sweep of every mapped penetration | Zero tracer hits above 5 ppm; no visible gasket extrusion or crazing | GCL-4 weekly · GCL-3 monthly · GCL-2 quarterly |
| Sensor-Channel Confirmation | MDF cross-check of all mesh nodes for valid, synced, calibrated data | 100% nodes reporting; drift ≤ tolerance per VC-SOP-0405; lag ≤ 2 s | GCL-4 daily · GCL-3 weekly · GCL-2 monthly |
| Transfer-Lock Hold | Cycle airlock; verify interlock and dual-door no-bypass | No simultaneous dual-door open; ΔP maintained through cycle | GCL-4 weekly · GCL-3 monthly · GCL-2 quarterly |
7. Procedure
7.1 Pre-Verification Setup
- CHLORA issues the verification work order with the enclosure ID, GCL grade, and applicable Section-6 criteria.
- Confirm bay climate is within the valid 19–23 °C band; abort and reschedule if outside, recording the reason.
- Integrity Technician verifies the reference manometer calibration tag is current (≤ 90 days) and loads the matching seal map.
7.2 Pressure-Decay Test
- Isolate the enclosure volume with the certified valve set; for an occupied GCL-4 sphere, coordinate occupant standstill with the Bay Supervisor.
- Pressurize to +250 Pa above bay reference; allow 60-s stabilization, then begin the 10-min dwell.
- Record start and end pressure; compute Pa/min. Compare against the grade criterion in Section 6. Any exceedance is a FAIL.
7.3 Negative-Pressure & Seal-Map Check
- Restore and confirm the maintained ΔP meets the grade minimum over a 60-s mean.
- Walk the seal map: inspect every gasket, glove-port collar, transfer-lock face, and feed-through; sweep each with tracer gas.
- Log any tracer hit above 5 ppm with location and reading; a hit is a FAIL pending re-seal and re-test.
7.4 Sensor-Channel Confirmation
- Mesh Engineer cross-checks every PhytoSense Mesh node on the enclosure against the MDF for valid, synced, and in-calibration data.
- Any missing, stale (> 2 s lag), or out-of-tolerance node is flagged for service under VC-SOP-0405; less than 100% live coverage is a FAIL.
- Confirm the transfer-lock interlock prevents simultaneous dual-door opening.
7.5 Determination & Disposition
- Containment Officer reviews all readings and signs a PASS or FAIL determination; CHLORA seals the result to the MDF (no post-sign edits).
- On FAIL, the enclosure is declared OOS and locked; an occupied GCL-4 enclosure follows the breach pathway in VC-SOP-0401 if ΔP cannot be restored.
- Return-to-service requires a clean re-verification of the failed test plus the Containment Officer's signature.
7.6 Quality Checkpoints
- Reference manometer calibration current and bay climate within valid band
- Pressure-decay rate within grade criterion across full 10-min dwell
- ΔP at or above grade minimum and stable through transfer-lock cycle
- Seal map fully walked with zero tracer hits above 5 ppm
- 100% mesh-node coverage confirmed and synced to MDF
- Determination signed by Containment Officer and sealed to MDF
8. Records
- Verification work order and raw pressure-decay / ΔP readings (retained 10 years)
- Annotated seal-map inspection with tracer readings and photos of any anomaly
- Sensor-channel confirmation report cross-filed to VC-SOP-0405
- PASS/FAIL determination with Containment Officer signature (MDF-sealed)
- OOS declarations and return-to-service approvals (CHLORA)
9. References
- VC-SOP-0204 — GCL-4 Containment & Handling
- VC-SOP-0405 — PhytoSense Mesh Calibration
- VC-SOP-0302 — Climate Control & Atmosphere Management
- VC-SOP-0401 — Emergency Containment Breach Response
VC-SOP-0291— Pressure-Vessel Fabrication & Certification- Monitoring Systems · Operational Metrics
10. Revision History
| Rev | Date | Author | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2086-09-14 | Containment Officer | Initial issue; pressure-decay and ΔP criteria established. |
| B | 2088-07-30 | Containment Officer | Seal-map inspection and tracer-gas sweep added; OOS lock formalized. |
| C | 2089-11-19 | Containment Officer | Sensor-channel confirmation linked to mesh calibration; event-driven re-verification defined. |
| D | 2090-12-15 | Containment Officer | Grade-tiered cadence table revised; MDF no-post-edit sealing of results. CBO approval. |