Current Underground Research Facilities
There are currently three dedicated re-use facilities in the mine. Some activities utilise the whole mine. Each facility is equipped with 230 VAC/50 Hz and access to industrial multiphase power sockets (400 VAC). With Pyhäjärven Callio´s FUTUREMINE project there the infrastructure supports also charging of electric machinery underground, and provides private 5G communication. For safety, there is two-way radio connection and gigabit optical network with subnet and VPN possibilities. The naming of the facilities is based on the order of introduction.
For research options Callio Lab, as university of Oulu´s research environment, can support the process, and for commercial operations, please refer to Pyhäjärven Callio.
LAB 1
Lab 1 is 75 meters underground, and it is reachable from the surface in 5 minutes by car. The site has now given room for future activities including a loop testing ground from 75 to 150m
The Lab 1 hosted previously the EMMA experiment, which measured cosmic rays’ composition and measurements for the NEMESIS collaboration, interested in muon-induced neutron yield.
LAB 2
Lab 2 was built in an old exploration tunnel at a depth of 1430 meters. With the deep underground mine being gradually closed, the access to Lab 2 is no longer available.
The Lab 2 was origionally designed to demonstrate the full transformation of an exploration tunnel into a research facility. The Lab hosted C14 experiment, provided methodological testing ground for underground laboraotry characterisation standardisation in BSUIN project, and later hosted Callio Edible Insects From Mine -project (CEIFM).
LAB 3
Lab 3 was located at the depth of 990 meters. The Lab 3 was based on the existing infrastructures at the level. With the deep underground mine being gradually closed, the access to Lab 2 is no longer available.
Lab 3 was used for mushroom growing, radon barriers and latest building information model tests.
LAB 4
Lab 4 at a depth of 660 m is the current deepest available level for research activities.
The level is currently dedicated to the FUTUREMINE project activities under Pyhäjärven Callio. The project has transformed the remaining underground infrastructure into mining equipment and communications (5G) testing platform.
The Lab 4 previously hosted underground greenhouses. They were equipped with fully automated hydroponic nutrition delivery systems. The location for the Lab 4 was selected based on the optimal surrounding temperature of 16 degrees Celcius. The greenhouses can be reached from the surface by car in 20 minutes.
Curiously, the level also was a key underground site for the Whitewall TV-series.
LAB 5
Lab 5 was located in tandem with the main level storage facilities at a depth of 1410 meters. With the deep underground mine being gradually closed, the access to Lab 5 is no longer available.
The location was easy walking distance to the underground restaurant, electrical workshop, maintenance halls and restrooms. Lab 5 housed the C14 and NEMESIS 1.4 experiments.
LAB 6 – the underground rescue
At the level of 400 m, the underground rescue site hosts state-of-the-art facilities for education, training, development, and innovation occupational safety utilizing the unique Underground infrastructure of the Pyhäsalmi Mine. A virtual training accompanies the physical infrastructure environment.
The target group include e.g. Mining Companies and their Subcontractors, Construction Companies, Energy Sector players, Nuclear Power Station Rescue Units, Research Institutes and Regional Fire & Rescue Services.
Contact: info@callio.com
Callio Lab
With the deep underground mine being gradually closed, the underground access is limited down to 660 m depth. With the established operational levels, the mine in its entirety can also be considered an underground laboratory. Research and experimentation can be conducted outside of these established laboratories almost anywhere in the mine, with suitable preparation and safety precautions.
In these cases, passage and transportation to the levels are done via the incline tunnel. Examples of such a wide use are the EIT RM MINETRAIN and H2020 GOLDENEYE projects.
