Japanese Case Study: How to maintain the fire safety in subway station and tunnel Takashi Kusa Railway International Standards Center 12 October 2011
Contents About Railway International Standards Center Law and Regulation for fire safety in Subway Station & Tunnel History of revisions on Technical Regulations about Fire Safety Technical Regulations Fireproofing of structure, and etc. Provision of a disaster prevention control center Provision of alarm system, communication system, evacuation guidance equipment, and etc. Calculation of required capacity of exhausting fan Verification method for assumed fire and evacuation safety Calculation of evacuation time Method to calculate the number of person to be evacuated Ignition Point Block Volume Verification flow Simple method & two layer zone smoke flux estimation analysis
About International Standards Center The Railway International Standards Center (RISC) of the (RTRI) was founded and commenced its activities on April 1, 2010. Our center was founded on consensus among the government, railway operators, railway-related industries and standards development-related technical associations following discussions mainly focused on the government s strategy concerning the international standards. We propose plans and strategies for international standardization that will be valuable to the development of railway-related industries, and will centrally administrate and review international standards. We also gather and disseminate information. For detail, http://risc.rtri.or.jp/risc
Structural Image of Japanese Law and Regulation for fire safety in Subway Station and Tunnel Law Regulation Publication Railway Operation Act Technical Regulations (Ordinance & Approved Model Specifications) Guidelines (by Railway Civil Engineering Association) Law Regulation Standards Based on above, each operator establish own regulation which to be approved by MLIT(Government). To prevent fire To evacuate/rescue staff & passenger According to this system, a level of safety in Subway Station and Tunnel has been maintained.
History of revisions on Technical Regulations about Fire Safety Trigger 1956: Combustibility of materials in each portion of Rolling Stock was defined.(rst) 1957: Countermeasure of Fire for Subway Rolling Stock was enhanced.(rst) 1968: Fire protection against to the device developing electric heat and fire test method of material used were defined.(rst) 1972: Countermeasure of Fire for Rolling Stock running in long tunnel was enhanced.(rst) Minimum requirements for infrastructure were defined. (Station and Tunnel) 2003: Verification of smoke exhausting equipment with taking big fire source into consideration, additional fire test for Rolling Stock, and so on were defined.(rst, Station and Tunnel) Fire Accident of Train on May 1956 Several Fire Accidents of Train 1956-1957 Fire Accident of Subway Train on Jan 1968 Fire Accident of Train in long tunnel on Nov 1972 Fire Accident of Subway Train in Korea on Feb 2003
Technical Regulations Ministerial Ordinance says simply: Article 29. Underground railway stations that are built mainly with underground structure and tunnels leading to stations or long tunnels (hereinafter referred to as underground stations, etc. ) shall be equipped with ventilators of adequate ventilating capability. This does not apply, however, to those cases that are accessible to sufficient natural ventilation. 2. Underground stations, etc. shall be equipped with fire extinguishers, evacuation facilities and other necessary fire-prevention equipment, depending upon the structure and facility. As for supporting this article, Approved Model Specification defines: 1. Scope of application 2. Fireproofing of structures, etc 3. Provision of a disaster prevention control center 4. Provision of alarm facilities, notification facilities, evacuation guidance facilities, etc. 5. Provision of fire extinguishing facilities 6. Maintenance of fire fighting equipment 7. Indicators shall be provided at railway stations to inform passengers of. 8. At each railway station, a manual stipulating the following items.
Fireproofing of structure, and etc. Structures shall be fireproof Structural items and interior (including substrate) shall use fireproof materials as stipulated by Item 9 of Article 2 of the Building Standard Law. Furnishings such as desks and lockers shall not be made of flammable materials, as practically as possible. Substations, distribution stations and machine rooms shall be partitioned from other areas by floors and walls having a fireresistant construction and also fire doors. Also, if cablesand the like pass through these partitions, the penetrations of the partitions shall be filled with non-flammable material. Structural materials, interior, bookshelves, and other parts of kiosks(limited to simple ones) shall be made of nonflammable. Convenience store type kiosk shall be treated as room where requires automatic fire detection and extinguisher!
Provision of a disaster prevention control center (1) A railway station shall have a permanently manned disaster prevention control center that collects information, conveys notifications and commands, makes announcements for passengers, and also monitors and controls fire shutters and other facilities. In this case, it is desirable that the disaster prevention control center be a shared facility with the station office.
Provision of a disaster prevention control center (2) The disaster prevention control center shall be provided with lighting facilities that are powered by emergency power in the event of a power outage. (3) The emergency power source shall be either storage batteries or a dedicated power generator. This shall also apply to the following emergency power sources as well. Previously: If there is more than two incoming, the emergency power source is not required. Now: Any station shall have emergency power source
Usually operators have centralized fire control system that is involved in integrated facility SCADA. The system enable rapid and efficient monitor and control in case of fire. The system also used also in case of natural disaster such as flood, earthquake. () ( ) ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ( ) () Image of SCADA for Tokyo Metropolitan Government SCADA is integrated in Controller system in Tokyo Metro
Provision of alarm system, communication system, evacuation guidance equipment, and etc. (1) Alarm system 1) A railway station shall be provided with automatic fire detection system, and the disaster prevention control center shall be provided with a receiver for the fire detection system. 2) Detectors for the automatic fire detection system shall be provided in habitable rooms, kiosks, substations, distribution stations, machine rooms, and other such locations. Automatic fire detection system shall have emergency power sources.
Provision of alarm system, communication system, evacuation guidance system, and etc. (2) Notification system 1)Station shall have the following equipment. Communication equipmentthat enable communication between fire control center(station) and fire dept., police, control center, each room, and related building, PA system under control of fire control center, auxiliary wireless communication system 2)Between stations, there shall be communication equipment each 250m. 3)Communication and PA system shall have emergency power source
Provision of alarm system, communication system, evacuation guidance system, and etc. (3) Evacuation guidance equipment 1)Station shall have the following equipment: more than two different evacuation routes, emergency light, emergency guide light and passageway guide light 2)Between stations, there shall be equipped with followings: emergency light (minimum 1 lx), designation showing distance and direction to the station
Provision of alarm system, communication system, evacuation guidance system, and etc. Smoke exhausting equipment 1)Facilities that can effectively remove smokeas necessary to ensure that passengers can evacuate safely shall be provided at railway stations and also between railway stations. (Calculations are shown in Attachment 7) 2)At a railway station, hanging barriersor the like shall be installed as necessary between the platform and the track, at stairways, escalators, and other locations, in order to block off the flow of smoke. smoke exhausting fan
Calculation of required capacity of exhausting fan (For platform & concourse area) Verification method for assumed fire and evacuation safety Fire Classification Fire source Small Big Rolling Stock Kiosk Rolling Stock Kiosk Assumed fire Ignition from under floor equipment Arson by lighter and so on Arson by gasoline Arson by gasoline Attachment 7 (1) In case of small fire, verification shall be done by smoke density (extinction factor) Cs of platform, or smoke propagation volume of concourse V. (2) In case of big fire, verification shall be done by the time that smoke fall down to the height affecting evacuation. The criteria for verification shall be: 1)In case of small fire at platform level, Cs 0.1l/m 2)In case of small fire at concourse level, smoke propagation volume shall be equal or more than one calculated by evacuation time 3)In case of big fire, the height from floor level to lowest layer of smoke affecting evacuation shall be equal or more than 2m.
Calculation of evacuation time The dwell time to calculate evacuation time shall be calculated by the following formula: T=Q/(N x B) T: dwell time (sec) Q: number of person to be evacuated(person) N: crowd run out coefficient (person/m/sec) B: width of stair, etc. (m) Walking speed and run out coefficient used to calculate walking travel time and dwell time in evacuation route are: walking speed: at horizontal portion 1.0 (m/sec), at stair 0.5(m/sec) run out coefficient: at horizontal portion 1.5 (person/m/sec) at stair 1.3 (person/m/sec)
Method to calculate the number of person to be evacuated The numbers of person to be evacuated, are defined for each platform type in three large city area (Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka) and in other city area. Assumed fire Rolling Stock Kiosk at Platform Concourse Load for Center-platform Station, large city area Small Big Small Big Small Big Passenger load(%) Trai n Passenger on platform No FT With FT Total load(%) No FT With FT 200 - - 200 200 ( ) shows in case of terminal station Load for Side-platform Station, large city area is also defined. For other city area, values are 75% of these. 200 75(150) 125(200) 275(350) 325(400) 200 75(150) 125(200) 275(350) 325(400) 200 75(150) 125(200) 275(350) 325(400) - 75(150) 125(200) 75(150) 125(200) - 75(150) 125(200) 75(150) 125(200)
Ignition Point Block Volume Ignition Point Block Volume means: A certain space where is assumed as highest smoke density in the space of platform in where smoke propagates when train fire is occurred. A) The cross section at right angle to the track is shown in figures. B) The cross section area is shown as yellow portion of figures. C) Longitudinal length is 20m D) The block volume is calculated as follows: V=(A0 AV) X 20 A0=(Va Vm) /L V: Ignition Point Block Volume (m 3 ) A0: cross section area at right angle to track (m 2 ) Av: cross section area of vehicle including under floor portion (m 2 ) Va: At cross section defining Ignition Point Block Volume, total volume of portion of effective platform length (m 3 ) Vm: volume of the portion where smoke does not propagate such as pole, stair, etc. (m 3 ) L: effective length of platform (m) Single line side-platform vehicle vehicle Two lines center-platform
Verification flow for small fire START Train fire Kiosk at platform fire Kiosk at concourse fire Calculation of evacuation time Train passenger Vehicle to concourse Calculation of evacuation time Train + platform passenger Platform to concourse Calculation of evacuation time platform passenger Platform to grand Design of smoke exhausting equipment at platform Calculation of required smoke propagation volume V0 at concourse level Calculation of smoke density at platform level when evacuation is completed Ignition point Block volume 20m length Calculation of smoke density at platform level when evacuation is completed Ignition point Block volume 20m length Calculation of smoke propagation volume Vat concourse level Design of smoke exhausting equipment at concourse level Smoke propagation volume NO Smoke density allowable smoke density YES Allowable smoke density Cs=0.1(l/m) Smoke density allowable smoke density YES Allowable smoke density Cs=0.1(l/m) NO Smoke propagation volume Required smoke propagation volume YES NO END END END
Verification flow for big fire Train fire Kiosk at platform fire START Kiosk at concourse fire Train + platform passenger Vehicle to concourse Calculation of evacuation time Calculation of evacuation time Train + platform passenger Platform to concourse Calculation of evacuation time platform passenger Platform to grand Design of smoke exhausting equipment at platform Calculation of required smoke propagation volume V0 at concourse level NO Calculation of time of smoke fall affecting evacuation Evacuation time Smoke fall time Effective volume of entire platform level YES Allowable smoke fall height H=2.0m Calculation of time of smoke fall affecting evacuation Evacuation time Smoke fall time Effective volume of entire platform level NO YES Allowable smoke fall height H=2.0m Calculation of smoke propagation volume Vat concourse level Evacuation time Smoke fall time Design of smoke exhausting equipment at concourse level Effective volume of entire concourse level NO END END END
Simple method & two layer zone smoke flux estimation analysis in case of big fire In case of big fire, two layer zone smoke flux estimation analysis is used for verification. However, simple method also may be useful. In simple method, smoke effluent generation Vs is assumed as 300 m 3 /min. Based on the results of experiment and the analysis. Station (With/without kiosk) Station A concourse without kiosk Station B concourse with kiosk Comparison between results by simple method & BRI2002 Concourse area (m 2 ) 105.5 Ceiling height of concourse (m) BRI2002: Name of analysis program Evacuation completion time (min) The time of bottom of smoke layer falling down to 2.0m height from floor (min) Simple method BRI2002 2.4 7.93 0.15 0.16 694.4 2.44 3.91 1.08 1.16 The results by simple method show slightly safer results than BRI2002. It is very difficult to use simple method for the station having complex structure.
Two layer zone smoke flux model Two layer zone smoke flux model is used to understand the physical feature of each layer resulting from fire, assuming that there are upper layer with high temperature and lower layer with low temperature. This model is based on the following assumptions: Smoke exhausting 1) Any space in the building is filled by two layer 2) Upper & lower layer is isolated by horizontal boundary 3) Temperature and chemical density inside of each layer are uniform by active mixing 4) Mass movement between each layer is raised by only flame plume and opening jet 5) Heat energy movement is raised by heat radiation transmission and convex heat transmission from surrounding other than flame plume and opening jet 6) The heat radiation form the flame above fire source is neglected 7) The volume of each space in building does not change 8) Heat radiation transmission with layer of other space is neglected Upper layer Lower layer Flame plume
Two layer zone smoke flux analysis program BRI2002 Two layer zone smoke flux analysis program BRI2002 was developed by Building Research Institute: BRI. The program is widely used in Japan for research of smoke flux in the building and for design of smoke exhausting control of building. The program is also applicable for estimation of smoke flux of vehicle at subway station, space on platform, space on concourse. The program is based on CFD. Input data: area, height, size of opening, size of fire source, amount of exhausting, etc. Output data: height of lower layer, temperature of upper layer, mass velocity at opening, etc.(by designated time period) <Input data> Area: 649 m 2 Height of ceiling: 2.4m Amount of exhausting : 200 m 3 /min 2.4 Example of analysis 1 25.48 25.48 <Output > Time of bottom of smoke layer falling down to the height 2m from floor: 70 sec
Provision of alarm system, communication system, evacuation guidance system, and etc. Fire door etc. 1)Connecting underground passages between one railway station and other station of another line and between the railway station and underground shopping malls etc. shall be provided with fire doors etc. 2)Fire doors and the like shall be provided at evacuation stairways and the like of the platform and also at other necessary locations to enable passengers to evacuate safely. It shall conform to Paragraph 1 of Article 112 of the enforcement ordinance of the Building Standard Law. Shutter shall be two-stage closing construction. Two-stage closing shutter 2m Automatic activation Manual activation
Provision of alarm system, communication system, evacuation guidance system, and etc. Provision of fire extinguishing equipment 1)Any station shall be equipped with the following extinguishing equipment: fire extinguisher, indoor fire hydrant, connected aspersion equipment or sprinkler equipment with water supply port, standpipe 2)If the distance between the outlets of standpipe on the platforms of adjacent railway stations exceeds 500 meters, the standpipe shall be installed between adjacent railway stations as well.
Provision of alarm system, communication system, evacuation guidance system, and etc. Maintenanceof fire fighting equipment Fire fighting equipment shall be subject to an operation check at least once a year and kept in a maintained condition. Example of maintenance of fire fighting equipment Equipment Checking item Frequency Fire door Train radio Emergency lighting There is no abnormality in manual door operation, appearance, and installation condition. There is no obstacle and item affecting evacuation surrounding door. If door is normally-close type, door is closed automatically by such as closer. If door is normally-open type and is automatically closed when fire, door is closed automatically by such as activation of detector. Between each train and control center, mutual communication can be done normally. There is no non-activating in emergency lighting. I luminance more than specified value is performed at reference surface. It is activated instantaneously when power is lost. One year One year One year
Provision of alarm system, communication system, evacuation guidance system, and etc. Indicators shall be provided at railway stations to inform following item for passenger: (1) Drive throughin case of fire in tunnel (2) Evacuation from front & rear end of train is possible (3) Items required for safe evacuation of passenger such as evacuation route Each station shall be equipped with the manualwhich defines the below items related to the actions to be taken by staff in case of fire, andeducation/training and coordination with fire department.. (1)The actionto be taken by the staff in case of fire (2)The implementation method about education/training for staff (3)About the provision of informationwhich is useful for fire fighting actions to the fire department Drill/Training
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