Efectis - Leader In Large Scale Fire Tests

15/5/2019

Efectis has been a prominent partner in realizing fire tunnel tests by providing solutions for conducting tests and performing measurements. Understanding the thermal behaviour of concrete and fire protection systems is one of the core specialities of Efectis as thousands of tests are being performed in multiple test labs^[1]of Efectis across Europe every year. Being a committee member of NFPA502^[2] and a co-developer of the globally acknowledged RWS concrete testing procedure^[3] allows us to follow the state-of-the-art of developments and to take the lead in the testing procedure in concrete and tunnel industry. Such as 1000 Tons loading frame, that is one of the tools in the inventory which realizes the real mechanical condition of the slabs in an actual tunnel segment during the fire test.

Efectis continues to apply its experience on the tunnel tests such as large scale tunnel VHGV fire tests in 2018 VID-FireKill / LTA, and the previous projects of LTA Singapore 2012^[4],RG-System high pressure water mist in tunnels on HGV and pool fires in 2012, Class A and B fires in ad-hoc tunnel in Rijswijk, NL 2009, BLEVE risk study of an LPG tank in Runehamar test tunnel with Sintef-NBL in 2007 and Tyco cable tunnel test campaigns in Malaysia in 2015^[5] and 2016.

FIT, DARTS and UPTUN are the primary European tunnel fire research programmes Efectis took part with the aim of expanding the understanding of fire science^[6].

For further questions or to keep up to date with Efectis, you can contact us at the exhibitor desk on the 18^th International Symposium on Aerodynamics, Ventilation & Fire in Tunnels (ISAVFT) in Athens, Greece from the 25^th – 27^th of September 2019 in which Efectis is the co-author of two papers that will be presented.

The latest activity: 2018 LTA – Fixed fire suppression system test in the tunnel

As a verification process of fixed water suppression systems, numerous full-scale fire tests were carried out by Efectis in a fire test tunnel in Gijon, Spain. A Very Heavy Goods Vehicle fire was simulated by pallet stacks.
The main focus which was the performance of the water mist system was investigated by varying spray characteristics and activation time.
The evaluation result of the tests will help to implement the water mist system to a road tunnel.

Summary of the test programme

600 m long, 9.5 m wide 5.2 m high test tunnel was utilized for fire tests in 2018. The potential fire risk of a single Very Heavy Goods Vehicle was demonstrated by building a mock-up with a similar energy load and a geometry.
A complex measuring system involving over a hundred thermocouples, velocity and heat flux probes were spread around the tunnel. Heat release rate calculation was performed by analysing gas composition i.e. O₂, CO₂, CO and relative humidity at several locations.

A detailed obtained data were evaluated in terms of fire development, structural safety and tenability in the tunnel environment.
In addition to the suppression effect on the fire, the gas cooling efficacy of the water mist was calculated and that aided the water system designers to understand the system better in terms of convective energy and ventilation point of view.