TUNNEL MANAGEMENT IN QUEBEC (CANADA) Maintenance, Operation and Safety Management of urban Road Tunnels in Canada INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON LONG TUNNELS Chile, Santiago (October 17-19, 2012) Alexandre Debs, P. Eng., M.Sc.A., MBA Quebec Ministry of Transport
Outline of the presentation Ministry of Transport Mission and Activities Ville-Marie and La Fontaine Tunnels Safety Management and Emergency Response Training of the Control Centre personnel Annual Fire and Smoke Control Exercises Visual Safety Inspection and Functional tests Preventive and Corrective Maintenance Electromechanical Equipment Electrical and Traffic Management Equipment Maintenance and Services in Winter Conditions
Outline of the presentation Ministry of Transport Mission and Activities Ville-Marie and La Fontaine Tunnels Safety Management and Emergency Response Training of the Control Centre personnel Annual Fire and Smoke Control Exercises Visual Safety Inspection and Functional tests Preventive and Corrective Maintenance Electromechanical Equipment Electrical and Traffic Management Equipment Maintenance and Services in Winter Conditions
Mission and Activities Quebec Ministry of Transport Ensure the mobility of people and goods throughout Quebec on safe and efficient transportation systems that contribute to the sustainable development of Quebec. Operated and Owned Infrastructures 3,934 bridges and 5 tunnels (2 major in Montreal) 29,600 km of roads (2-lane equivalent length) 92 ports and piers and 23 airports (Nordic) 6,574 km of cycling routes (Route Verte)
Mission and Activities Ministère des Transports du Québec Montreal Island Department Responsible for the maintenance of 300 (~) road structures (total of more than 800,000 m²) 200 (~) other infrastructures (walls, pumping stations, etc.) 140 km of road highways varying from 4 to 8 traffic lanes 1,000 (~) overhead traffic signs (¼ of the provincial inventory) Responsible for the management and operation of A very busy urban road network with more than 200,000 veh./day A Traffic management centre operating 24 hours / 7 days / week A telecommunication Centre operating 24 hours / 7 days / week An Operation Control Centre for the Montreal Urban Area Tunnels The longest and busiest urban tunnel in Canada (130,000 veh./day)
St. Laurent River La Fontaine Tunnel Photographie : Daniel Hudon, Ministère des transports du Québec
Louis-H.-La Fontaine Tunnel Speed limit: 70 km / h Tunnel Clearance: 4.53 m Traffic flow: 129,000 veh/day No dangerous goods allowed
Louis-H.-La Fontaine Tunnel Top openings EMERGENCY AND SERVICE GALLERY Top openings NORTH BOUND SOUTH BOUND Lower openings Ventilation System: Semi-transverse supply with longitudinal exhaust Lower openings
La Fontaine Tunnel 1.8 km underwater urban tunnel - frequently congested 2 unidirectional 3-lane tubes under the St. Laurent River 1 central gallery for services, emergencies and evacuation 2 identical and symmetrical ventilation towers on each side 40-year old tunnel constructed between 1963 and 1967 the 2 end sections and towers were constructed on-site central section made up of 7 prefabricated elements built in a dry-dock, floated off, towed over a trench dug in the riverbed, and sunk into place using 1,500 tons of ballast Part of Trans-Canada Highway with more than 130,000 veh./day Surveillance and Control Centre operating 24 hours / 7 days No transport of dangerous goods allowed in the tunnel
La Fontaine Tunnel Ventilation (semi-transverse in supply 3,200,000 cfm) Fresh air drawn in by 8 supply fans and forced into the central gallery, from which it is distributed to the traffic tubes Polluted air expelled at both ends of the traffic tubes and through 8 exhaust fans located on the top of the traffic tubes Other electromechanical equipment and controls 3 pumping stations in the middle and in both sides of tunnel 4 emergency power generators (4 x 400 KW) Fire protection and other fire safety equipment Walls of the traffic tubes are covered with ceramic tiles Heated wet standpipe systems with fire and jockey pumps Portable fire extinguishers available in 48 wall cabinets
La Fontaine Tunnel Means of egress located every 60 m central gallery connected by 48 exits doors cross-passages available between traffic tubes Regular and emergency lighting High-pressure sodium lighting systems Photocells for day and night adjustments Traffic and emergency signs in the tunnel and at the portal variable message signs and other LED-enabled signs kilometre markers and illuminated exit signs fire cabinet signs showing fire protection system available Communication equipment SOS telephone and antennas for all cell phone providers
Downtown Montreal Ville-Marie Tunnel Photographie : Daniel Hudon, Ministère des transports du Québec
CROSS SECTION OF THE VILLE-MARIE TUNNEL DURING CONSTRUCTION IN 1972
Downtown Montreal One of the Ville-Marie Tunnel entrances
Ville-Marie and Viger Tunnel 6.2 km underground urban highway interchange 6 unidirectional connecting tubes with 1 to 5 traffic-lanes More than 5 km of emergency evacuation tubes and routes 7 ventilation towers with 74 exhaust and supply fans 35-year old tunnel constructed in 1974-1986-2002-201? Construction began in 1971 using cut and cover method Although main tubes are side by side at portals, they are one on top of the other in the middle of the tunnel. Needs kept growing, and other sections have been added The tunnel enabled 120,000 veh/day to cross downtown in only 5 minutes, connecting 2 highways to the city centre Surveillance and Control Centre operating 24 hours / 7 days No transport of dangerous goods allowed in the tunnel
Ville-Marie and Viger Tunnel Ventilation (semi-transverse in supply) Fresh air drawn in by 51 supply fans and forced into the ducts, from which it is distributed to the traffic tubes Polluted air expelled at each of the 7 towers through 37 exhaust fans located in 7 air plenums and chimneys Other electromechanical equipment and controls 5 pumps (120 l/s) located at the central point of the tunnel 4 emergency power generators (4 x 800 KW) Fire protection and other fire safety equipment Walls of the traffic tubes are covered with ceramic tiles Heated wet standpipe systems connected to main aqueduct Portable fire extinguishers available in 144 wall cabinets
Ville-Marie and Viger Tunnel Means of egress Evacuation tubes connected by 65 exit doors located every 60 m Some cross-passages available between traffic tubes Regular and emergency lighting Original fluorescent lighting systems Photocells for day and night adjustments Traffic and emergency signs in the tunnel and at the portal variable message signs and other LED-enabled signs kilometre markers and illuminated exit signs fire cabinet signs showing fire protection system available Communication equipment SOS telephone (48) and antennas for all cell phone providers
Ville-Marie and Viger Tunnel Semi-transverse ventilation Supply: 43 fans, varying from 50 000 to 250 000 cfm Exhaust: 31 fans, varying from 50 000 to 250 000 cfm Semi-transverse supply ventilation with several points of extraction
Tunnel equipments In summary, a variety of complex equipment to handle, operate and maintain: Surveillance systems (HDTV, detection, etc.) Telecommunication systems (fibreoptics, switches, etc.) Communication systems (SOS phones, antennas, etc.) Advanced Software programming (PLCs, SCADA, etc.) Drainage systems (heated culvert, heated ducts, etc.) Electromechanical systems (fans, pumps, etc.) Electrical systems (lighting, power supply, etc.)
Outline of the presentation Ministry of Transport Mission and Activities Ville-Marie and La Fontaine Tunnels Safety Management and Emergency Response Training of the Control Centre personnel Annual Fire and Smoke Control Exercises Visual Safety Inspection and Functional tests Preventive and Corrective Maintenance Electromechanical Equipment Electrical and Traffic Management Equipment Maintenance and Services in Winter Conditions
Safety Management and Emergency Response Training of Control Centre Personnel 5 days of training before starting their tasks 1 day of retraining on a yearly basis Continually retrained by event debriefing Participation in debriefing with other partners Participation in debriefing with maintenance staff Reference manuals Training and operations manual Procedures and emergency plans manuals
Safety Management and Emergency Response Basic training consists of knowledge of the operating organization knowledge of the road network and its specifics knowledge of all technical assets of the facility knowledge of all systems related to the facility knowledge of normal operating procedures knowledge of emergency procedures Basic skills Phone reception, keyboard control, computer use, etc.
Theoretical Training of Control Centre Personnel & Firefighters Natural ventilation (tunnels < 240 m) Dependent on meteorological conditions Dependent on traffic conditions (velocity and flow) In case of a fire Mechanical ventilation (tunnels > 240 m) Fully longitudinal ventilation Fully transverse ventilation Semi-transverse ventilation
Theoretical Training of Control Centre Personnel & Firefighters Smoke behaviour in tunnel without ventilation CONDITIONS ACCEPTABLES CONDITIONS INNACCEPTABLES
Theoretical Training of Control Centre Personnel & Firefighters Smoke behaviour in tunnel with ventilation Ventilation Upstream Downstream CONDITIONS ACCEPTABLES (SI V > V Upstream Critique) Ventilation CONDITIONS INNACCEPTABLES (SI V < V Downstream Critique)
Theoretical Training of Control Centre Personnel & Firefighters En amont En aval Ventilation Source du feu Vitesse d écoulement < Vitesse critique En amont En aval Ventilation 1 3 ghq V K K c 1 2 Q T C P A C AV P c Source du feu Vitesse d écoulement = Vitesse critique En amont Ventilation Critical velocity En aval Source du feu Vitesse d écoulement > Vitesse critique Vc : Critical velocity (m/s) g: Gravity acceleration (m/s²) H: Tunnel height (m) A: Net area perpendicular to the flow (m²) Q: Thermal power (KW) Cp : Air Heat flow (KJ/Kg K) K1 : Constant function of Froude number K2 : Constant function of slope
Theoretical Training of Control Centre Personnel & Firefighters Fully longitudinal ventilation a. Système longitudinal à jet d air c. Système longitudinal à injection d air b. Système longitudinal à 2 puits d air d. Système longitudinal à puits unique
Theoretical Training of Control Centre Personnel & Firefighters Fully transverse ventilation a. Système transversal pur c. Système semi-transversal d extraction b. Système semi-transversal d alimentation d. Système semi-transversal avec puits d extraction
Practical training Annual Fire and Smoke Control Exercises East-bound tube in the Ville-Marie Tunnel (July, 2001) Cold smoke tests Numerical modelling for smoke control strategy
Practical training Annual Fire and Smoke Control Exercises VILLE-MARIE TUNNEL (2004) - 5 MW Real Fire Test with a Propane Burner
Practical training Annual Fire and Smoke Control Exercises SITE 1 SITE 2
Practical training Annual Fire and Smoke Control Exercises CFD numerical modelling
Annual Fire and Smoke Control Exercises Scenario SITE 2Tunnels - October 17-19, 2012 5 MW Real Fire test International Seminar on Long In mid-tunnel with propane burner
Worst case scenario modelling with CFD for 20-50 MW Visibility SITE 1 (a) section transversale à 6m en aval (b) section transversale à 100m en aval (a) section transversale à 6m en aval (b) section transversale à 100m en aval SITE 2
Worst case scenario modelling with CFD for 20-50 MW
Louis-H.-La Fontaine Tunnel
Constantly reviewing and updating the emergency planning through exercises The training program and the annual exercises allow us to constantly: validate the ventilation strategy with respect to keeping an appropriate longitudinal flow and limiting temperatures review and facilitate routing of first responders and accelerate access to the tunnel for firefighters identify improvements and refurbishment needs Incident or fire-detection research project Automatic ventilation procedures in case of fire People evacuation in case of major fire in the tunnel
Safety Management by constantly patrolling the tunnel Continuous patrols performed by maintenance staff and towing contractors: to ensure protection of users involved in an incident to quickly intervene in case of an incident to quickly remove broken-down vehicles from the tunnel to ensure the introduction of preliminary procedures This is done by: informing the users of the situation giving instructions to users with respect to recommended behaviour requesting assistance from internal teams or partners facilitating access for and informing rescue teams
Outline of the presentation Ministry of Transport Mission and Activities Ville-Marie and La Fontaine Tunnels Safety Management and Emergency Response Training of the Control Centre personnel Annual Fire and Smoke Control Exercises Visual Safety Inspection and Functional tests Preventive and Corrective Maintenance Electromechanical Equipment Electrical and Traffic Management Equipment Maintenance and Services in Winter Conditions
Visual Safety Inspection Visual Safety Inspections are scheduled and performed by maintenance staff to detect any anomalies and to ensure continuous knowledge of the condition of all equipment This is done: to initiate preventive or corrective maintenance that is usually the responsibility of the maintenance staff in some cases, where average-to-high technical skills are needed, maintenance tasks are subcontracted in all cases of refurbishment or cases involving major parts replacements, the task is fully subcontracted
Functional tests Functional tests scheduled and performed by Control Centre personnel include: ventilation systems (fans, dampers, etc.) pumping stations (fire and drainage pumps, etc.) dynamic signs (DMS, illuminated signs, etc.) redundancy systems (power outage, etc.) Many tests are programmed to operate automatically. In case of an anomaly, the operator must report it through an in-house developed web-based system
Functional tests Functional tests scheduled and performed by Maintenance personnel include: ventilation systems (local control) pumping stations (local control) redundancy systems (local control) Other more-specialized tests are performed by private contractors, including: Fire-protection systems to comply with NFPA Calibration of CO/NO-detection systems Many tests are scheduled and performed during planned maintenance tasks, such as cleaning.
Outline of the presentation Ministry of Transport Mission and Activities Ville-Marie and La Fontaine Tunnels Safety Management and Emergency Response Training of the Control Centre personnel Annual Fire and Smoke Control Exercises Visual Safety Inspection and Functional tests Preventive and Corrective Maintenance Electromechanical Equipment Electrical and Traffic Management Equipment Maintenance and Services in Winter Conditions
General Maintenance Objective The goal of the tunnel maintenance program is to ensure safe driving conditions for the public by maintaining the tunnel at the designed safety standards. Cleaning work (walls, signs, lights, drainage, etc.) Changing parts (bulbs, filters, bolts, bearings, etc.) Emptying fluids (oil change, water, etc.) Greasing mechanical parts and tightening bolts Equipment calibration and alarm adjustments Repairing faults or equipment failure
General Maintenance Frequency Preventive maintenance work is cyclical and seasonal, and is planned as a long-term program, taking into consideration the need to optimize inspections, maintenance and cleaning, along with other repair work in the tunnel. WHERE AVAILABLE Manufacturer's instructions and maintenance manual Standard requirements (i.e.: NFPA for fire protection) Based on past experience or when failure occurs
General Maintenance
Seasonal Maintenance Cleaning work in summer
Seasonal Maintenance Cleaning work in winter Self-rescue and safety equipment Traffic management equipment
Seasonal Maintenance Monitoring and removal of icicles
Cleaning of the structural elements by sediment pumping Water pumping and mud removal in structural elements and ponds Cleaning ventilation ducts Water pumping in sedimentation tanks and settling wells
Maintenance of drainage systems Reaming Pipe replacement
Maintenance Bulb replacements Frequency: when failure occur in 85%
Maintenance Lubrication and painting of mechanical equipment
Maintenance Minor repair work Pipe repair Pump repair
Maintenance of electrical and traffic management equipment Heated electric cables PLC Programmable logic controller Non-interruption batteries
Recommendation New tunnel or refurbishment project Experience has shown that a substantial part of maintenance costs and difficulties are determined by decisions taken during the design and construction phases of a tunnel project. Unfortunately, those involved in these phases of a project frequently have only limited experience with the factors that affect maintenance costs. This demonstrates that it is of utmost importance to take tunnel operation and maintenance requirements into consideration during the planning and design of a road tunnel.
Recommendation New tunnel or refurbishment project In order to achieve the best results, it is important that operators are consulted and allowed to give advice during the whole planning process. The result may be a higher investment cost, but lower whole-life costing. experienced maintenance organisations must be involved, as well as the use of life-cycle cost criteria, when choosing between various solutions or options the use of previous experience is encouraged in gaining the greatest benefits when balancing the maintenance requirements against the cost of constructing a tunnel.
Conclusion Safety management requires: good training of personnel (theoretical and practical) availability of reference manuals, including: normal procedures and operations emergency procedures and planning continuous monitoring & inspection of all equipment Maintenance work requires: seasonal planning for periodic preventive activities case-by-case planning for corrective activities a management system that monitors the state and condition of each piece of equipment
Questions Thank you for your attention Alexandre Debs, P. Eng., M. Eng., MBA Manager of the Montreal tunnels and traffic management centre Ministry of Transport of Quebec Montreal Department alexandre.debs@mtq.gouv.qc.ca Tel. 514-873-5499, # 2000 Cell. 514-820-2539 640 Viger Ouest, Montréal, Québec, Canada