Article - Fire Safety in tunnels with SEM-SAFE system

Article - Fire Safety in tunnels with SEM-SAFE systemArticle | By Henrik Bygbjerg & Qusai Alasad Fire Safety in tunnels Abstract Tunnels used as part of the infrastructure – i.e. for road, rail, or metro purposes – are becoming wider and wider. They are a vital and integrated part of modern-day infrastructure. Tunnels need special attention in terms of fire safety measures as tunnel fires behave differently from building fires, for example. With the SEM-SAFE® high-pressure water mist system, Danfoss Fire Safety has successfully completed a series of full-scale fire tests inside a real road tunnel. These tests have demonstrated that the safety of humans, fire brigades, and the structures can be ensured in case a fire started in a car, a truck, or even a tanker inside tunnels protected by the SEM-SAFE® high-pressure water mist system. Introduction Urbanisation as a global megatrend and the growing need for the rapid transportation of people and goods have led to an increase in the importance of construction projects. Such projects have deep economic and social ramifications at a national level. The planning and building of a tunnel entail high costs and might necessitate additional measures to ensure the safety of humans, fire brigades, and the structure. The NFPA 502 standard groups tunnels into 4 categories as seen in Table 1: Tcautnengeolry Description X Shorter than 90 m Fixed Fire Fighting System (FFFS) Not required A 90 m or longer but shorter than Not required 300 m Required, except B 300 m or longer but shorter for in the cases than 1,000 m specified in NFPA 502 C 1,000 m or longer Required Table 1: NFPA 502 tunnel category definitions and fixed firefighting system requirements. ® Danfoss Fire Safety A/S · Phone: +45 7488 7800 · firesafety@danfoss.com · www.semsafe.danfoss.comPage 2