In response to the fire involving a heavy goods vehicle shuttle train, which occurred in the Channel Tunnel on November 18~(th) 1996, Eurotunnel is developing an onboard fire suppression system (OFSS) for its HGV shuttle fleet. The objective is to provide an onboard automatic fire detection and suppression system capable of limiting the spread of fire and degradation of the tunnel infrastructure should a similar incident occur in the future. The project embraces many novel features, including a state-of-the-art infrared fire detection system, a flexible signal processing algorithm and a water delivery system on each heavy goods vehicle carrier (HGVC) wagon which can provide in excess of 30 minutes' autonomy in the event of a fire. All of these elements have recently been subjected to an extensive series of full-scale fire testing which has validated the system concept. Following a final series of optimisation tests in the summer of 1999, the aim is to complete the installation of the prototype system on a single HGV shuttle train by December 1999.
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