Effects of a transverse external wind on natural ventilation during fires in shallow urban road tunnels with roof openings

Fire experiments using a 1:12 scale model tunnel were conducted to evaluate effects of a transverse external wind on the performance of roof openings in a shallow urban road tunnel under fire conditions. A particular focus was placed on clarifying the characteristics of the spread of smoke in the tunnel under the condition of a transverse external wind blowing above the roof openings. Two types of median barriers, pillars and walls, were examined as dividing structures in the model tunnel, and the heat release rate was selected as the experimental parameter. The following conclusions were obtained. Compared to conditions with no external transverse wind, in the model tunnel with the pillar median structure, the smoke spreading distance was shortened when the transverse external wind was in the positive direction, and the distance remained the same when the wind was in the negative direction; in the model tunnel with the wall median structure, the smoke spreading distance was shortened when the wind was in the positive direction. Furthermore, the smoke spreading distance in each case was constant and independent of the heat release rate of the fire under the scope of the experimental conditions used in this study.     

Smoke spreading characteristics during a fire in a shallow urban road tunnel with roof openings under a longitudinal external wind blowing

A series of fire experiments was conducted using a 1:12 scale model of a shallow urban road tunnel with roof openings to clarify the flow structure of smoke and fresh air during a fire with a longitudinal external wind blowing above the roof openings. The model tunnel consisted of two road tubes separated by a pillar-type median structure. Five fire test cases were conducted by changing the heat release rate as the experimental parameter. When the smoke produced by a fire in the tunnel tube was exhausted by natural ventilation through the roof openings of the tunnel tube, fresh air was sucked in from the roof openings of the opposite tunnel tube. The flow of exhausted smoke and sucked-in fresh air created a complex three-dimensional flow structure inside the tunnel tubes. Stratified smoke that had formed under the ceiling of the tunnel tube was disturbed by the flow of sucked-in fresh air and was diffused on the upstream side of the fire. Compared to the condition without a longitudinal external wind, when a longitudinal external wind blew over the tunnel with the pillar median structure, the smoke spreading distance on the upstream side was longer than that without the external wind due to the diffusion of smoke. On the other hand, the smoke spreading distance on the downstream side of the fire was shorter than that without the external wind due to the improved smoke extraction performance by the Venturi effect of the longitudinal external wind. Furthermore, the smoke spreading distance on the downstream side was nearly constant and independent of the heat release rate of the fire, within the scope of our experimental conditions.     

Possibility of using roof openings for natural ventilation in a shallow urban road tunnel

Naturally ventilated urban vehicular tunnels with multiple roof openings have increased in China. Unnecessary gas (polluted air or fire smoke) are expected to be exhausted out through openings. Whether its safety standards can be satisfied or not still needs to be verified. In this paper, a safe CO concentration was firstly discussed, and a heat risk level of very high to extreme up to 46 °C was given. Secondly, a real 1410 m tunnel was proposed, and a 1/10 scale model tunnel was reproduced. Ambient winds of 0.95 m/s in prototype and 0.3 m/s in model were considered. Under normal traffic test, a track circuit was constructed with model vehicles moving on it to form traffic wind, and once the air velocity was larger than 0.31 m/s, the airflows were found to be not relevant to the Reynolds number. The traffic winds were weakened by openings. For three of all tested traffic, the actual air velocities were larger than the required ones, so its air qualities were satisfied. In firing test, two sets of burning experiments were conducted with which the heat release rates (HRR) were 8.35 kW and 13.7 kW. Large amounts of smoke were exhausted out of openings, and the high-temperature was not significant. Full-scale numerical simulations were carried out to verify the experimental results respectively using Fluent 6.0 for normal traffic and FDS 4.07 for firing. The simulations were compared well with the experiments. Further FDS simulations show that the openings’ mass flow rates are influenced little by ambient temperature; with the increasing length of the buried section, much smoke accumulate inside leading to a high temperature; having 4–5 openings in one shaft group is oversize in the actual engineering design.     

Full-scale experimental study on smoke flow in natural ventilation road tunnel fires with shafts

Three full-scale burning tests were conducted in a natural ventilation city road tunnel with shafts. Fire sources were placed to be at different locations but its peak release heats were all around 5 MW. Results showed that large amounts of smoke and heat were released through shafts. The maximum smoke temperatures under the ceiling were below than 100 °C, and being lower than 110 °C at the safe height farther 3 m away from fires. The maximum smoke spreading horizontal lengths were less than 240 m both in the upwind and downwind. During the late stages, many smoke particles descended from the ceiling and downdraught occurred at shafts due to low smoke temperatures, but the visibility was not very bad and people needn’t evacuate. All These results are valuable for fire protection and construction of natural ventilation road tunnel with shafts.     

Full-scale experiment research and theoretical study for fires in tunnels with roof openings

In order to assess the possibility of exhausting smoke through passive roof openings and the influence of smoke on personnel in the tunnels, full-scale fire experiments in tunnels with roof openings are carried out, which were rarely reported in the previous references. The data of smoke propagation, smoke sedimentation, velocity field and temperature field are measured. On the basis of the smoke longitudinal propagation laws, the prediction model of calculating backlayering distance is built. The Kurioka model and the built mathematical models are validated by those experiments. All the experimental data presented in this paper can be further applied for verification of numerical models, and bench-scale experimental results. Those full-scale experimental results and theoretical analysis can also be used for directing tunnel fire research, which afforded scientific gist for fire protection and construction of road tunnel with roof openings.     

Performance validation of a hybrid ventilation strategy comprising longitudinal and point ventilation by a fire experiment using a model-scale tunnel

We examined the exhaust performance of a hybrid ventilation strategy for maintaining a safe evacuation environment for tunnel users in a tunnel fire. The hybrid ventilation strategy combines the longitudinal ventilation strategy with the point ventilation strategy which is a type of transverse ventilation strategy. The model tunnel developed by this study was scaled to 1/5 the size of a full-scale tunnel. The model-scale experiment was performed taking into consideration Froude's law of similarity. Measurement items were the distribution of temperature and concentration of smoke inside the tunnel, longitudinal wind velocity, mass flow of smoke in the point ventilation duct, and the heat release rate of the fire source. The following main conclusions were obtained. The smoke height was constant even when varying the extraction rate of smoke from the ceiling vent. The backlayering length and critical velocity of the smoke flow in the hybrid strategy could be predicted by the methodology developed by using the longitudinal strategy. The hybrid strategy maintained a safe evacuation environment on both sides of the tunnel fire.     

Studies on buoyancy driven two-directional smoke flow layering length with combination of point extraction and longitudinal ventilation in tunnel fires

This paper investigates the buoyancy-driven smoke flow layering length (both upstream and downstream) beneath the ceiling with combination of point extraction and longitudinal ventilation in tunnel fires. A theoretical model is developed based on previous back-laying model with only longitudinal ventilation, with modified actual heat release rate, as well as modified upstream and downstream opposing longitudinal air flow velocities by the induced flow velocity due to point extraction. Experiments are carried out in a reduced scale model tunnel with dimensionless of 72 m×1.5 m×1.3 m. A LPG porous gas burner is used as fire source. The smoke flow layering length both upstream and downstream are identified based on temperature profiles measured along the ceiling, for different experiment conditions. CFD simulations with FDS are also performed for the same scenarios. Results show that with combination of point extraction and longitudinal ventilation, the smoke flow layering length is not symmetric where it is longer downstream than that upstream. The upstream smoke layering length decreases, while the downstream layering length increases with increase in longitudinal ventilation velocity; and they both decrease with increase in point extraction velocity. The predictions by the proposed theoretical model agree well with the measurements and simulation results.     

Effects of buoyancy induced roof ventilation systems for smoke removal in tunnel fires

The present article highlights the performance of natural roof ventilation systems and its effects on tunnel fire flow characteristics. Numerical analysis is performed using Large Eddy Simulations (LES) to predict fire growth rate and smoke movement in tunnel with single and multiple roof openings. The smoke venting performance of ceiling vents are investigated by varying the vent size and fire source locations. The critical parameters such as mass flow rate through ceiling openings, smoke traveling time and fire growth patterns are presented. The ceiling openings are effective in transferring hot gases and reduces the longitudinal smoke velocity. The heat source and ceiling vent locations significantly affects the vent performance and smoke behavior in tunnel. The present results are in good agreement with the experimental results available in literature.     

Modeling for predicting the temperature distribution of smoke during a fire in an underground road tunnel with vertical shafts

In this study, fire experiments using a 1:20 model-scale tunnel were conducted to investigate the performance of natural ventilation in an underground road tunnel with six vertical shafts. The experimental parameters were the heat release rate of a fire source and the height of the shafts, and nine experiments were conducted in total. Furthermore, simple models were developed for predicting the temperature distribution of the smoke flowing under the tunnel ceiling. The following results were obtained: (1) In the experiments, the form of the smoke exhausted from the shaft became plug-holing when the shaft height was 1.0H_t, and became boundary layer separation when the height was 0.24H_t. (2) The average efficiency of heat exhaust was 0.16 when the form was plug-holing, and was 0.12 when the form was boundary layer separation. (3) When the form was plug-holing, the ratio of entrainment of fresh air became almost constant regardless of Ri. On the other hand, when the form was boundary layer separation, the ratio of entrainment of fresh air was smaller than that under the condition of plug-holing. (4) The temperature distribution under the tunnel ceiling predicted by the models agreed with that measured by the fire experiments in all cases.     

A computational study on effects of fire location on smoke movement in a road tunnel

In this work, a numerical model of tunnel fire is developed and aimed to investigate the influence of cross-sectional fire locations on critical velocity and smoke flow characteristic. It is shown that the critical velocity for a fire next to the wall is obviously higher than that for a fire in the middle or on the left/right lane. The ratio is estimated to be 1.12. The predictions of critical velocity from ‘small-fire’ models show a good agreement with that for a fire in the middle or on the left/right lane from CFD. The tunnel height at the fire location is proposed to be instead of the hydraulic tunnel height in the ‘big-fire’ model of Wu and Bakar for a fire next to the wall. The smoke moves backward in a tongue like form as the ventilation velocity is lower than the critical velocity. The back-layering length of a fire in the middle is shown to be approximate twice than that on the left/right lane under the same ventilation velocity, although they share the same critical velocity. Whereas a relatively short back-layering length for a fire next to the wall under the velocity of 2.6 and 2.7 m/s. In addition, a snaky high-temperature profile on the top wall at the initial downstream is observed for a fire on the left lane and next to the wall, and finally a steady and layered smoke flow. The likely cause of this phenomenon is subsequently explained in this study.     

Experimental study of natural roof ventilation in full-scale enclosure fire tests in a small compartment

An analysis of full-scale fire test experimental data is presented for a small compartment (3×3.6×2.3 m). A square steady fire source is placed in the center of the compartment. There is an open door and a horizontal opening in the roof, so that natural ventilation is established for the well-ventilated fire. A parameter study is performed, covering a range of total fire heat release rates (330, 440 and 550 kW), fire source areas (0.3×0.3 m and 0.6×0.6 m) and roof ventilation opening areas (1.45×1 m, 0.75×1 m and 0.5×1 m). The impact of the different parameters is examined on the smoke layer depth and the temperature variations in vertical direction in the compartment. Both mean temperatures and temperature fluctuations are reported. The total fire heat release rate value has the strongest influence on the hot smoke layer average temperature rise, while the influence of the fire source area and the roof opening is smaller. The hot smoke layer depth, determined from the measured temperature profiles, is primarily influenced by the fire source area, while the total fire heat release rate and the roof opening only have a small impact. Correlations are given for the hot smoke layer average temperature rise, the buoyancy reference velocity and the total smoke mass flow rate out of the compartment, as a function of the different parameters mentioned. Based on the experimental findings, it is discussed that different manual calculation methods, widely used for natural ventilation design of compartments in the case of fire, under-predict the hot layer thickness and total smoke mass flow rate, while the hot layer average temperature is over-estimated.     

Experimental study on heat exhaust coefficient of transversal smoke extraction system in tunnel under fire

Heat exhaust coefficient of transversal smoke extraction system in tunnel under fire is studied by experimental means with a 1:10 model tunnel using Froude scaling. Heat exhaust coefficient is defined as the proportion of the heat exhausted by individual exhaust inlet, smoke duct and exhaust fans in total heat released by the fire in the tunnel, respectively. Results of a series of fire tests in a model tunnel are presented. Heat exhaust coefficient of single exhaust inlet and the smoke duct are strongly influenced by the configuration of the exhaust inlets. Heat exhaust coefficient of the exhaust fans varies in the range of 13–20% and is smaller than the heat exhaust coefficient of the smoke duct which varies from 17% to 83% and tends to be about 35% with the increase of the total area of the exhaust inlets. Activating small number of the exhaust inlets is beneficial for enhancing the heat exhaust coefficient of the smoke duct. The heat exhaust coefficient of the smoke duct and exhaust fans is high when the exhaust inlets are set close to the fire. Due to the cooling effect of the solid boundaries on the smoke while traveling in the tunnel and smoke duct, the heat exhaust coefficient of the exhaust fans in unilateral exhaust mode is slightly smaller than that in bilateral exhaust mode.     

Wind tunnel experiments on wind-induced natural ventilation rate in residential basements with areaway space

In residential building design, areaways can act as an open subsurface space to help improve the living environment in adjacent basements for residential purposes, mainly by wind-induced natural ventilation. The accurate prediction of effective air change rate is quite important; nevertheless so far little is known about this kind of ventilation issue. In order to acquire more knowledge in this field and make accurate ventilation predictions, direct measurement of ventilation rate was performed in this study using small-scale wind tunnel models. In the experiment, considering ventilation induced only by the exterior wind, we applied the constant tracer gas flow technique to measure the time-averaged ventilation rate for nine wind directions for each case. Furthermore, the relationships between the ventilation rate and a variety of parameters including wind direction, opening type, plan area of the areaway space and building coverage ratio, etc. were investigated and analyzed in detail. The findings of the present study can provide fundamental data for the design of areaway space in the urban residential buildings.     

Simulation of smoke from a burning vehicle and pollution levels caused by traffic jam in a road tunnel

Detailed analyses of smoke movement from a burning vehicle in a road tunnel have been carried out for the westbound Melbourne City Link tunnel. The time-averaged equations for velocity, pressure, temperature, and mass fraction of emissions were solved for transient condition using the CFD software FLUENT 6.0. For the analysis, a burning bus was assumed to release an equivalent energy of burning 500 l of diesel in 6 min, with vehicles upstream of the fire at a standstill. On the other hand, the vehicles downstream of the fire had enough time to escape from the tunnel through the exit portal. Due to the action of jet fans, most of the smoke was pushed downstream of the fire. The smoke had also dispersed about 55 m upstream of the fire, putting the passengers in this region at great risk. The emissions released from the vehicles in the jam, with their engines running, also posed a threat to human health. Within 8 min after the fire had started, the mass concentrations of O₂, CO₂ and CO were in the ranges of 0.12–0.15, 0.08–0.11 and 0.0006–0.0014, respectively. Therefore, quick evacuation of the passengers is essential in the event of a fire in the tunnel.     

通风对竖井型隧道火灾烟气特性影响试验研究

通过隧道火灾模型试验,研究纵向通风对竖井排烟效果及隧道内纵向烟气温度分布的影响。试验考虑不同火源热释放速率和纵向风速。结果表明：纵向风速对正庚烷池火热释放速率存在影响,对于较小正庚烷池火（≤11 cm）,火源热释放速率基本不随纵向风速而改变;对于较大正庚烷池火（≥14 cm）,火源热释放率随风速的增加先降低后基本保持恒定。此外,当隧道内风速较小时,竖井内烟气附壁排出,竖井后方烟气温度较低,控烟效果较好;当隧道内风速较大时,竖井内烟气出现边界分离,竖井后方温度升高,烟气蔓延距离增加,竖井排烟效果较差。因此,建议当竖井型隧道内发生火灾时,应尽量采用自然通风或较低的内部通风,避免较高风速。     

Temperature distribution within a ceiling jet propagating in an inclined flat-ceilinged tunnel with natural ventilation

In this study, we conducted detailed measurements of the temperature distribution within a steady fire-driven ceiling jet, formed in a tunnel with a rectangular cross-section. We then compared the measured temperature distributions with those for an unconfined smooth-ceiling jet flow, and estimated the relative errors between them. The results showed that the temperature distribution in a horizontal tunnel exhibits a greater bulge than that of a ceiling jet under an unconfined ceiling and varied from a bulging shape to an exponential shape as the tunnel inclination increased. We propose a new correlation for representing the temperature distribution, which takes the tunnel inclination into account, and which consists of an exponential function and a cubic function with a coordinated transformation.     

Maximum temperature of smoke beneath ceiling in tunnel fire with vertical shafts

To assess the impact of heat smoke in tunnel with vertical shafts, the maximum temperature of smoke beneath ceiling is researched theoretically and experimentally in this paper. A theoretical prediction model for maximum temperature of smoke beneath ceiling is built using dimensional analysis. A numerical model is built and calibrated with the full-scale experiment data. The calibrated numerical model is used to simulate the maximum temperature of smoke under different conditions with different shaft geometry. At last, the proposed theoretical model was formulated and compared with Kurioka model, experimental data and simulation data. The results show that the proposed theoretical model can give a better prediction for the tendency. It can be used to predict the maximum temperature of smoke beneath ceiling of tunnel with vertical shafts by taking the shaft geometry and arrangements effect into account.     

Effects of the solid curtains on natural ventilation performance in a subway tunnel

Solid curtains can be installed in subway tunnels for the promotion of air ventilation in ventilation ducts in association with the piston effect caused by a running train. With an aim to analyze the effects of solid curtains on duct ventilation performance in a subway tunnel, the current study adopts the tunnel and subway train geometries which are exactly the same as those in a previous model tunnel experiment, but newly incorporates two ventilation ducts connected vertically to the tunnel ceiling and two solid curtains placed at an upstream position of a duct near the tunnel inlet and at a downstream position of another duct near the tunnel outlet, respectively. A three-dimensional CFD model adopting the dynamic layering method for tracking the motion of a train, which was validated against the reported model tunnel experiment in a previous study, is employed to predict the train-induced unsteady airflows in the subway tunnel and in the ducts. The numerical results reveal that the duct ventilation performance in a subway tunnel strongly depends on the operation of the solid curtains. The suction mass flow of the air through the duct near the tunnel inlet and the exhaust mass flow of the air through the duct near the tunnel outlet are increased considerably in the case with the solid curtains in comparison with those in the case without the solid curtains.     

重点排烟坡度隧道油罐车火灾通风排烟策略研究

以烟气蔓延距离、2 m高度处能见度以及系统排烟效率作为判定合理断面送风面积的关键性判据。采用FDS对油罐车在1%、3%、5%、7%坡度隧道内的火灾场景进行模拟。结果表明：坡度小于5%时,断面送风面积占比随着坡度增大而增大;而坡度大于5%时,断面送风面积占比保持在80%不变。根据断面送风面积占比和隧道坡度之间的数值关系,提出了无量纲断面送风面积坡度修正系数公式。