Fire Protection and Safety in Tunnels 2017 Overview of tunnelling and technology challenges

Transcription

1 Overview of tunnelling and technology challenges

2 Bergen West coast of Norway County: 254 road tunnels (222 km) / 111 road tunnels > 500 m (195 km ) 4 road tunnels (15 km) under construction in Bergen West coast (TCC in Bergen): 565 road tunnels (535 km)/ 250 road tunnels > 500 m (473 km) 15+ road tunnels under construction 20+ road tunnels under planning National: road tunnels (1150+ km)/ 540+ road tunnels > 500 m (1030+ km)

3

4

5 Tunnel or other solutions In many cases - seek other alternatives Subsea tunnel vs bridge (in rural area) Tunnel vs road (in urban area)

6 Strategy Avoid building tunnels Satisfy regulations and other guidelines Remove decay Implementation of results from development and studies

7 Strategy for operation and maintenance Correct contract and settlement form Everything in order within HSE Uniform client across regions and countys Crisp and clear management Collaboration Develop supplier market Innovative Professional pride Expertise: In both technical and in management

8 Strategy Focus on data quality, documentation / tools Knowledge of decay => long-term planning of maintenance Heavier maintenance in connection with investments Timing in relation to national transport plan Contract strategies Development of guidelines Competence development

9 Strategy The Norwegian Public Roads Administration will develop a well-functioning supplier market and the quality of delivery is in accordance with the contractual assumptions. The market is attractive and characterized by great competition Market players; main contractors and under contractors earn money Those who work with road tunnels are proud of their profession and the recruitment to operation and maintenance is strong The industry is innovative Goal: Road users will get a good and predictable product

10 Operation, maintenance and tunnel rehabilitation Year Mill. NOK Average /09/2017

11 Focus on Life Cycle

12 Professions knowledge and experience The structure of the road Electrical / automation Geology Materials Chemistry Ventilation Etc. Production engineering Traffic Safety Signage and traffic management Local knowledge

13 Operation challenges knowledge and experience How to bring in the right professions (operation and maintenance) early enough? How to get the planners / designers to think life cycle? How to make sure that operating and maintenance personnel see consequences of plans?

14 Operation challenges Operation and maintainability Costs of operation and maintenance Costs for rehabilitation Life cycle considerations Reliable Availability Safety The entire life cycle Operation / maintenance into the planning Very corrosive environment Traffic disruption during operation / maintenance / rehabilitation

15 Challenges Delivery does not match order Deliveries do not meet the requirements of internal and external regulations/ Guidelines: Resources? Competence? Focus / attention? Deficiencies and deviations we see today will have consequences

16 Lessons.. The Knappetunnel in Bergen: 1. part of the tunnel where scheduled to open in august 2010 Not ready to open in time; due to system failures and wrong functionality in important safety equipment. We learned.. But also when we opened the tunnel..

17 Norwegian Tunnel Safety Conference 2017 Example

18

19

20 Traffic safety - Risk Accidents in tunnels occur less often, but an accident can have have greater consequences than those occurring outside tunnels The probability of an accident decreases with distance driven into the tunnel

21 Fire Risk Smoke and the ability to reach a safe zone during a fire is the main problem. Fire in a modern building will give a reasonable opportunity to evacuate to a safe zone. In tunnels, this may be several kilometers away (in a one tube tunnel)! Often an unreasonable prerequisite for maintaining the principle of self-rescue. The ability to give necessary assistance from the emergency services, can also affect the consequences

22 Studies , The average number of fires: per year per 1000 tunnels 2 fires tunnel per. month in Norway 40 % of the fires in 4 % of the tunnels High gradient Overview of tunnelling and technology challenges

23 Studies , No damage in 80 % of the incidents Overview of tunnelling and technology challenges

24 Studier , High gradient before or in tunnel give an increased risk of technical problems in larger vehicles and is the main cause of fires in such tunnels. High speed, when driving into the tunnel, can increase risk Technical problems may be due to weaknesses in vehicles and/or lack of knowledge and experience (driver) Overview of tunnelling and technology challenges

25 Self-rescue principle Motorists themselves must evacuate until the fire department can provide assistance All emergency plans are currently based on the fire department will move in correctly with the ventilation direction

26 Self-rescue principle Serious incidents that challenge the self-rescue principle is primarily incidents with large fire effects and causes a severe smoke situation, and mainly incidents involving heavier vehicles (our focus) We are not too worried about fires in small vehicles

27 Self-rescue principle Tunnels with two tubes: Ventilation direction and traffic direction is normally the same People can evacuate to the other tube Emergency services can attack in the direction of traffic or through the other tube Normally this would be relatively easy to solve (but measures is needed).

28 Self-rescue principle One tube tunnel with two way traffic: Ventilation direction will be determined in the contingency- and action plans The fire department assesses the situation and decides when to start to extinguish The general principle is: Rescue people first! Ventilation can be turned the other direction, but remember it takes time and it can worsen the situation considerably

29 What influences the outcome of an incident? Location of fire department Emergency arrangements for fire department Expertise in management and firefighters Available equipment Tunnel characteristics Fire safety measures in the tunnel Operation, monitoring and messaging measures Location of the incident in the tunnel Type of incident

30 Several large incidents new requirements Oslofjord tunnel June 2011 Gudvanga tunnel August 2013 Skatestraum tunnel July2015 Gudvanga tunnel August 2015 Oslofjord tunnel May 2017

31 Norway - Several large incidents Questions have been raised about the self rescue principle is valid in all cases: - Long single tube tunnels Subsea tunnels and other tunnels with high gradient

32 Attention A lot of attention to the danger with tunnel fires (in long single tube tunnels)

33 Measures to improve fire safety in vulnerable tunnels The report points out targeted probability reducing measures: focus on vulnerable tunnels focus on vulnerable road network focus on HGV, busses Examples of possible measures: Inspection of vehicles and use of new technology Speed reducing measures Secure distance between vehicles A further use of the vehicle restrictions Technology that can provide warning of particularly vulnerable vehicles Information to drivers of such vehicles Etc.

34 Measures to improve fire safety in vulnerable tunnels Shall self-rescue function well the tunnel must be designed and equipped with technical installations that provide support to road users and those who will provide assistance in an emergency. Example of measures that will strengthen the ability to self-rescue: o Increased use of automatic detection and incident monitoring o Use of PA systems o Other survellaince systems o Use of continuous light and handrail

35 Measures to improve fire safety in vulnerable tunnels Detect Notify Evacuate Rescue and firefighting Normalize Smoke situation Incident 7-10 min.

36 Measures to improve fire safety in vulnerable tunnels Tunnel Safety regulations impose requirements to ventilation in tunnels longer than 1,000 meters and having a traffic greater than 4,000 vehicles per day Ventilation is essential to reduce the serious consequences of fire in the tunnel: NPRA therefore several years assumed installation of ventilation in all new tunnels longer than 1000 meters and has more vehicles per day than 1000 vehicles This will also be applied in the upgrading of existing tunnels

37 Measures to improve fire safety in vulnerable tunnels Ventilation strategy: maintain same ventilation direction, but use of a predefined velocity of the ventilation (vind speed) No surprices for the motorists in the tunnel Chosen strategy must be defined in the contingency plans Simplicity and robust system (quick respons) The ventilation direction must be communicated to the fire department Any changes to the ventilation must de decided by the fire response manager and this can only be done when the response team has the sufficient overview of the situation and the consequences of such a decision.

38 Measures to improve fire safety in vulnerable tunnels Reduce the risk that an incident occurs Be better prepared for the various Incident scenarios that may occur Utilizing time well at detecting fires early, close the tunnel, gain early smoke control, alert emergency services, and initiate notification and evacuation of passengers Install security equipment that will make it easier to evacuate in smoke

39 Measures to improve fire safety in vulnerable tunnels New strategy for information and communication: General information to the public Information to the motorist on the road network Information during the incident Examples of studies; Evacuation rooms (safe havens)

40 Last fire in Oslofjord tunnel Better preparations from all stakeholders Installed safety systems and self-rescue rooms seem to have contributed to the positive result.

41 Other learning points In order to prevent the spread of dangerous spills from vehicles and limit the size of the accident site, the tunnels wastewater drainage systems should be designed with a greater capacity for draining away large spills of dangerous liquids and prevent them from spreading at an early stage. AIBN The Skatestraumen fire case - changed how the NPRA design drainage system in tunnels with a high gradient.

42 Technology More and more complex

43 Traffic control centres The traffic control center monitors the tunnels and has special expertise in handling incidents in tunnels The traffic control centre sets the premises for, among other things, how safety equipment should work in the tunnels. Tunnels with special charracteristics have a special need for monitoring, regulation and control, as well as a need for special expertise in handling incidents. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration, in cooperation with the Swedish Transport Agency, is working on a new event-based top management, regulation and monitoring system.

44 Follow up conditions, deviations and measures

45 We expect that ITS will affect tunnel safety in a positive way

46 Ambitions Want to be at the forefront internationally: Focus on measures, solutions with special Norwegian/Nordic challenges Active in the international arena: Look towards the world according to the latest technology Be close to Europe and the EU in relation to implementation Cooperation in the Nordic countries on the basis of common challenges

47 ITS system In the context of tunnel; An ITS system contains of: Technical installations that is giving and receving information Technical installations that is controlled Application (SCADA system/singel application) that is processing information to either give support to the TCC and/or controlling technical installations directly.

48 ITS system Example Detect and start initial actions as a respond of a fire in a vehicle in the tunnel in an autonomous and cooperative car technology perspective: Detectors in the vehicles that give the TCC a alarm of somethings is happening in the tunnel Heat detector in the vehicle that give the TCC a confirmation that a fire is starting Ventilation starts automatic/manually based on the position in the tunnel An automated/manual message is send out by the SCADA system to the vehicles An automated/manual message is send out by the SCADA system to the emergency services

49 Collaboration with the industry Reliability Availability Maintainability Safety Give us ideas Present technology Positive cost/benefit It s a teamwork

50

51

52 Overview of tunnelling and technology challenges Arild Petter Sovik