Carleton University's experimental atrium and tunnel facilities share a fan chamber and three large exhaust fans. Using oxygen consumption calorimetry, the Heat Release Rates (HRR) of fires in either of these facilities can be calculated. This paper focuses on the design of the instrumentation in the fan chamber, which was carried out using the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and manual velocity measurements. Due to a high amount of mixing and turbulence and a long travel distance, the temperature and gas concentration profiles are relatively uniform. However, for the same reason, the velocity profile had to be looked at very closely to find an optimum combination of bi-directional probes. The analysis indicated that acceptable HRR measurements can be obtained using an array of six thermocouples, four bidirectional velocity probes and a gas sampling grid. Results from the preliminary tests are presented. The system shows a reasonable estimate of the HRR as compared to the propane calibration burner.
Fire detection systems play a crucial role in ensuring safe evacuation and firefighting operations in road tunnels, but information on the performance of these systems in tunnels has been limited and guidelines for their application in tunnel environments are not fully developed. Recently, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Fire Protection Research Foundation completed a 2-year international research project, with the support of private-and public-sector organizations, to determine some of the strengths and weaknesses of the various types of fire detection systems and the factors that can affect their performance in tunnel environments. The project included both laboratory and field fire tests combined with computer modeling studies. Although this research was conducted on road tunnels, the findings should apply to other tunnels, such as those used in subway systems. As part of the project, the NRC conducted two series of tests in the Carleton University-NRC tunnel facility to investigate the performance of detection systems under minimal and longitudinal airflow conditions. In addition, NRC conducted tests in the Carre´-Viger Tunnel in Montre´al, as well as a computer modeling study. The project studied nine fire detection systems that covered five types of currently available technologies. The performance of the detection systems, including response times and ability to locate and monitor a fire in the tunnel and the effect of the tunnel environment, were evaluated under the same conditions. This article provides an overview of the findings of the project. Fire detectors, fire scenarios and test protocols used in the test program are described. A summary of the research results of the full-scale fire tests conducted in a laboratory tunnel facility and in an operating road tunnel as well as of the computer modeling activities is reported.
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