EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FIRES IN A REDUCED 1/10 SCALE ROAD TUNNEL USING DIFFERENT COMBUSTIBLE LIQUID POOLS

The article presents multiple 1/10 reduced-scale experiments using Froude scaling. These experiments were conducted in order to investigate to what extent the diesel, the gasoline and the ethanol can accurately produce the characteristics and the dynamics of a real automobile fire in a road tunnel. The article focuses on experiments (scaled 1/10) and calculation methods that can predict the value of the heat flux from a road tunnel fire (the Heat Release Rate – HRR). Application of the scaling method resulted in a 15 kW peak HRR for a reduced scale (1/10) automobile of 5MW. Also the dimensions of the rectangular fire pans were calculated, so as to feed such a peak value of HRR of 15 kW, with the three different liquid fuels. Validations of the experiments regarding the HRR were achieved by comparing the experimental values with calculated ones. The validation of the results regarding temperatures at the ceiling level above the fire was done by comparing the results obtained from reduced scaled experiments with the full scale experiments related values. Key words: liquid pool fires, heat release rate, 1/10 reduced-scale, Froude scaling, mass loss rate

[1]  Zhisheng Xu,et al.  Experimental study on heat exhaust coefficient of transversal smoke extraction system in tunnel under fire , 2015 .

[2]  Haukur Ingason,et al.  DESIGN FIRES IN TUNNELS , 2006 .

[3]  Hong Sun Ryou,et al.  Tunnel Fires: Experiments on Critical Velocity and Burning Rate in Pool Fire During Longitudinal Ventilation , 2007 .

[4]  Grunde Jomaas,et al.  The influence of vehicular obstacles on longitudinal ventilation control in tunnel fires , 2017 .

[5]  Congling Shi,et al.  Experimental investigation of pool fire behavior to different tunnel-end ventilation opening areas by sealing , 2017 .

[6]  Richard Carvel,et al.  A review of tunnel fire research from Edinburgh , 2016, Fire Safety Journal.

[7]  Won-Hwa Hong,et al.  Characteristic Features of the Behavior and Perception of Evacuees from the Daegu Subway Fire and Safety Measures in an Underground Fire , 2009 .

[8]  Yasushi Oka,et al.  Ceiling-jet thickness and vertical distribution along flat-ceilinged horizontal tunnel with natural ventilation , 2016 .

[9]  Wan Ki Chow,et al.  On the maximum smoke temperature under the ceiling in tunnel fires , 2006 .

[10]  Hiroomi Satoh,et al.  Fire properties in near field of square fire source with longitudinal ventilation in tunnels , 2003 .

[11]  C. Tao,et al.  Studies on ceiling maximum thermal smoke temperature and longitudinal decay in a tunnel fire with different transverse gas burner locations , 2017 .

[12]  S. Hostikka,et al.  Experimental study on flame merging behaviors from two pool fires along the longitudinal centerline of model tunnel with natural ventilation , 2016 .

[13]  James G. Quintiere,et al.  Scaling applications in fire research , 1989 .

[14]  D. Drysdale.  An Introduction to Fire Dynamics , 2011 .

[15]  Haukur Ingason,et al.  The maximum temperature of buoyancy-driven smoke flow beneath the ceiling in tunnel fires , 2011 .

[16]  Sanjay Khattri,et al.  From small-scale tunnel fire simulations to predicting fire dynamics in realistic tunnels , 2017 .

[17]  Hong Sun Ryou,et al.  An experimental study on the effect of ventilation velocity on burning rate in tunnel fires—heptane pool fire case , 2008 .

[18]  Haukur Ingason,et al.  Runehamar tunnel fire tests , 2015 .

[19]  Zhongyuan Yuan,et al.  Ceiling temperature distribution and smoke diffusion in tunnel fires with natural ventilation , 2013 .

[20]  H. B. Wang,et al.  Full Scale Experiments on Studying Smoke Spread in a Road Tunnel , 2005 .

[21]  Paul Jowitt,et al.  The Influence of Tunnel Geometry and Ventilation on the Heat Release Rate of a Fire , 2004 .

[22]  Hong Sun Ryou,et al.  An Experimental Study of the Effect of the Aspect Ratio on the Critical Velocity in Longitudinal Ventilation Tunnel Fires , 2005 .

[23]  A Leitner,et al.  THE FIRE CATASTROPHE IN THE TAUERN TUNNEL: EXPERIENCE AND CONCLUSIONS FOR THE AUSTRIAN GUIDELINES , 2001 .

[24]  Tony Lemaire,et al.  Large Scale Fire Tests in the Second Benelux Tunnel , 2006 .