• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.743-755
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• 2018

Tunnel is a semi-closed structure similar to underground space where the smoke generated from fire fills the space fast while escaping from the space slow. Because of such characteristics, when the fire breaks out by traffic accident, the vehicles are jammed making it difficult for the people to evacuate from the scene as well as for the fire engine to gain access to the scene. For such reasons, tunnels are globally categorized into some disaster classes for differentiated facilities and operation approaches. In Korea, less than a 1 km-long tunnel accounts for 80.0% and such a short tunnel which is categorized into Class III is not required to have smoke control system. In this study, a full-scale fire test was conducted in a bid to apply air curtain system using heat-resistant sirocco fan to a less than 1 km-long tunnel. To that end, heat resistance test to verify the normal operation at $250^{\circ}C$ for 60 minutes was conducted. Consequently, despite of rapid rising-temperature and increasing-carbon dioxide inside the air curtain (direction of fire in tunnel), initial condition was found to have been sustained outside the air curtain (opposite direction of fire in tunnel).

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2018

Visibility is very poor in tunnel fire because of confined space where the fire may easily lead to the mass casuality incident because of fast smoke spread. In this test, air curtain and the fan were installed at rescue station in a bid to make use of rescue station in safe way during the train fire in undersea tunnel and a full-scale fire test was conducted to identify the applicability of air curtain system. Air curtain system was installed at a real rescue station and the test was continued for 2 minutes till heptane which was used as fire source was completely burned out. When air curtain was working, difference in temperature between inside and outside the platform was $160^{\circ}C$ and carbon monoxide measured inside the platform was less than the case of no air curtain system by 160 ppm. Thus a full-scale fire test demonstrated that the air curtain system installed at rescue station in undersea tunnel was able to effectively block the heat and smoke generated from the fire.