XRAY Lab Technician SOP (375)

Standard Operating Procedure – XRAY
March 2018
I. PRE EXPEDITION

II. PORT CALL - Start of an Expedition

Find your room and bunk assignment, drop your luggage off.
Go to your lab and begin cross over with the off going technicians. Read the lab report from the previous Expedition and discuss any changes in equipment status or procedures.
Attend introductory meeting or any other safety or training meetings.
Assist with loading/unloading of cores, freight and other tasks as directed by the Lab Officer (LO) or Assistant Lab Officer (ALO).
Unpack all oncoming freight and distribute them accordingly
Verify physical counts on priority #1 inventory items for XRD, ICP Prep, and pXRF. Bring to LO/ALO's immediate attention if any item is short on quantity.
Collect and remove all trash from your lab.

III. SITE PREPARATION - Prior to arrival on site and core on deck

Check water level and temperature of Haskris chiller. Ensure filter is clean.
Before running the D4, initialize the sample changer from XRD Commander Program or if from a complete shutdown initialize sample changer first using D4 tools, then initialize using Commander, then run 'tube conditioning program in D4 Tools.
Run QAQC Standard in D4 as detailed in manual.
Coordinate a work area in the fume hood with the chem tech and make sure there is a 10% Nitric bath available for cleaning quartz and platinum crucibles.
Familiarize yourself with the expedition prospectus and ascertain a likely number of ICP, XRD, and pXRF samples that can be processed. Discuss sampling with Curator and applicable scientists. The core lab is your primary duty and x-ray must come secondary to that unless arrangements are made with the Lab Officer to meet specific objectives. Scientists should be made aware of this and that it is not reasonable to expect high resolution on a high recovery expedition.

IV. During Coring Operations

Primary duties are assisting as needed in the core lab. For details on Core lab responsibilities refer to the Core lab SOP.
Prepare XRD, ICP, and pXRF samples for analysis.
Read available literature to understand the theory and operation of XRD, ICP, and pXRF analysis. Be prepared to answer questions or at least point a scientist or tech in the right direction.
Keep X-ray lab and ICP prep area clean. A high level of cleanliness must be maintained at all times during ICP preparation. Frequent vacuuming will keep dust to a minimum.
Maintain a chronological log of lab events to assist in an accurate Technical report at the end of the expedition.

Save XRD files in *. raw, *.pdf or *.png and *.uxd format. Upload the XRD files to LIMS.
Verify that all samples have been analyzed by running a LIMS Report query.
Upload LOI Spreadsheet to LIMS.

Maintain AMS inventory sheet. Do physical counts of supplies.
If the equipment is not operating properly, learn how to fix it. Only qualified technicians should attempt to make more than minor adjustments or repairs to the D4 or handheld XRF. The Xray technician should attend the Bruker service course to become qualified. Communicate with vendor technicians (Bruker, Olympus) and E. T's if assistance is required.
Monitor oil levels in vacuum pumps. Change oil regularly, and perform one full service and maintenance of pumps per expedition.
Monitor water level in Haskris water pump. Clean or change water filter as necessary.
Ensure desiccant in desiccators is dry and ready for use. Oven dry if necessary.
Clean freeze-drier valves, vials, and the desiccators. Replace filters as required. Drain water from the unit and dry inside. This is performed as needed (~ once a week).
Record and date any maintenance. For all correspondence with vendors, ALO and LO's concerning maintenance and repairs, CC your cross shift.

V. During Transits

VI. During Expedition

Maintain inventory by checking quantities and performing physical counts. Notify the ALOs if any quantity discrepancy or unusual high usage occurred.

VII. END OF EXPEDITION ACTIVITIES

Write the end-of-Expedition tech report, give a copy to the Lab Officer.
Make sure all data are sent to LIMS before the MCSs cut off database access. All non-essential data should be erased from the hard disks of all the computers.
Work with the Curator and scientists to determine where residue powders will be sent.
Pack up equipment being returned for repairs and give the Assistant Lab Officer the following information: IODP inventory number, value, weight, serial number, model number, vendor's name and country of manufacture.
Give the Lab Officer a list for port purchases if any.
Clean the lab and assigned area following the cleaning instruction listed by the LO/ALO. Bring all the trash to the incinerator. Glass and sharps get disposed of in port call.

VIII. PORT CALL – Off Going