Optimization of active fire protection systems in Road Tunnels: focusing on interaction between water mist and ventilation

The development of fire protection technologies in underground structures is encouraged by law requirements concerning safety in road tunnels, European Directive 2004/54 [1]. The directive provides for exemptions from mandatory safety requirements when innovative systems are adopted which can guarantee an equivalent or reduced level of risk.

The suitable tool for verifying the performance of safety systems is indicated in quantitative risk analysis, which allows for determining the survivability of users belonging to a given design solution. The goal is to determine the best way to optimize the use of safety systems to ensure the safety of human life and the structural integrity of the tunnel. Therefore, further research in this direction is needed to provide a clear understanding of individual tunnel models that are reproducible and applicable to existing and future tunnels.

It is essential to underscore the significance of comparing full-scale tests with numerical solutions and subsequently developing a Fire Dynamics Simulation (FDS) model. Fullscale tests provide tangible, real-world data that offer a valuable benchmark for evaluating the accuracy and reliability of computational simulations.

By comparing the outcomes of full-scale tests with numerical solutions, researchers and engineers can validate the predictive capabilities of their simulation models. This process not only enhances confidence in the numerical approach but also identifies potential areas for improvement or calibration.