USE OF AN INCLINED AIR CURTAIN FOR PREVENTING SMOKE PROPAGATION IN A TUNNEL DURING FIRE EMERGENCY

The operational characteristics of the air curtain to be installed in the underground interchange A13 of the A86 West Underground Link-up of Paris, France, was studied both by a physical model in a water tunnel and by 3D numerical analysis. The work was carried out under contract to Socatop, the design and construction company acting on behalf of the concessionary company Cofiroute. The physical and numerical models with straight tunnel reaches showed that an air curtain with a given angle and jet velocity is impervious up to a critical pressure difference, deltaPc. Any further increase of the pressure difference, deltaP>deltaPc, results in an exponential increase of the leakage discharge. A series of numerical tests representing the real tunnel geometry at the intersection of the interchange A13 with the tunnel A86 showed that the designed air curtain with Uo = 30m/s and an inclination of alpha = 35 degrees has an almost zero leakage up to a pressure difference of deltaPc = 80Pa. For the covering abstract see ITRD E114957.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/1901808173
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Dundee

  Nethergate
  Dundee, Scotland  United Kingdom  DD1 4HN

  INDEPENDENT TECHNICAL CONFERENCES LTD

  PO BOX 452
  KEMPSTON, BEDFORD,   United Kingdom  MK43 9PL
• Authors:
  • ALTINAKAR, M
  • WEATHERILL, A
• Conference:
  • PROCEEDINGS OF THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SAFETY IN ROAD AND RAIL TUNNELS, HELD MADRID, SPAIN, 2-6 APRIL 2001
• Publication Date: 2001

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 513-22

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamics; Conferences; Control; Fires; Mathematical analysis; Pressure; Simulation; Tunnels
• Geographic Terms: France
• ITRD Terms: 5492: Aerodynamics; 6471: Analysis (math); 8525: Conference; 3874: Control; 1624: Fire; 8036: France; 5412: Pressure; 9103: Simulation; 3374: Tunnel
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Data and Information Technology;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00933373
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 1-901808-17-3
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Nov 7 2002 12:00AM