ISO 5 Hazardous Exhaust Renovation

The challenge

NREL needed a hazardous exhaust system added to support an LPCVD tool installation — inside an ISO 5 cleanroom that had to keep operating. At that classification there is no room for improvisation: every penetration, every weld, and every hour of downtime has to be planned before anyone touches the space.

The approach

ASE moved the risk out of the cleanroom and into the model and the shop. Detailed existing-conditions Revit models were produced first, so routing and tie-ins were resolved on a screen. Welded 316 stainless ductwork was prefabricated off-site. All in-room work was then sequenced through formal Method of Procedure activities coordinated with the lab — and those MOPs were written with the crew that would weld the duct, not handed to them, because the people who will be in the room know best where the risk actually sits.

Mechanical scope

• Hazardous exhaust system serving an LPCVD tool
• Welded 316 stainless steel ductwork, prefabricated off-site
• Existing-conditions Revit modeling of the operating cleanroom
• Penetrations, tie-ins, and support inside a classified space
• MOP development and execution with the facility

Operational constraint

An operating ISO 5 cleanroom at a federal laboratory. The room had to remain classified and functional throughout; access was limited to scheduled MOP windows.

Result

The system was installed with downtime limited to the scheduled MOP windows — the cleanroom remained fully functional throughout construction. The project demonstrates the combination that defines ASE's critical-environment work: accurate modeling, prefabrication, disciplined field sequencing, and respect for an operating facility.