Fixed fire suppression systems have been increasingly used in tunnels as a mitigation option to combat large fires and hence to foster increased safety in tunnels. Without a fixed fire fighting system (FFFS), large fires dictate the need for a very powerful ventilation system, increasing space requirements and adding significant cost. In addition, water mist systems, unlike a ventilation system and other FFFS systems, can provide benefits for fire fighting, tunnel system protection and operational continuity. This paper addresses the challenge of retrofitting a FFFS in an existing road tunnel, and aims to explore the ventilation effects on the water mist system and control of the fire. CFD techniques have been used to model the ventilation performance of the tunnel and illustrate the effects of the suppression system for larger fire scenarios. Implementation of such a system in the tunnel would relax constraints over the kind of traffic allowed and have significant advantages in terms of tunnel operation.
展开▼
