A Study on the Influence of Mobile Fans on the Smoke Spreading Characteristics of Tunnel Fires

Mobile fans, as flexible and convenient new longitudinal ventilation and smoke extraction equipment for tunnels, demonstrate more significant effectiveness in an emergency response to tunnel fires compared to traditional smoke extraction methods. This study employs computational fluid dynamics simul...

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Main Authors: Weigeng Chen, Yuhang Liu, Zhiyuan Cao, Ping Zhou, Changman Chen, Zhonglun Wu, Ze Fang, Lei Yang, Xiaoping Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:Fire
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/7/11/397
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author Weigeng Chen
Yuhang Liu
Zhiyuan Cao
Ping Zhou
Changman Chen
Zhonglun Wu
Ze Fang
Lei Yang
Xiaoping Liu
author_facet Weigeng Chen
Yuhang Liu
Zhiyuan Cao
Ping Zhou
Changman Chen
Zhonglun Wu
Ze Fang
Lei Yang
Xiaoping Liu
author_sort Weigeng Chen
collection DOAJ
description Mobile fans, as flexible and convenient new longitudinal ventilation and smoke extraction equipment for tunnels, demonstrate more significant effectiveness in an emergency response to tunnel fires compared to traditional smoke extraction methods. This study employs computational fluid dynamics simulation methods, selecting two fire scenarios to investigate the effects of fan inclined angles and fan airflow volumes on the longitudinal temperature distribution and smoke back-layering length in tunnels. The results indicate that when using mobile fans for longitudinal ventilation in tunnels, at a lower fan airflow volume, the temperature distribution along the longitudinal axis is nearly symmetrical. The fire source and the fan installed in the upstream are within a certain range, and it is more effective to use the horizontal angle for longitudinal ventilation. As the fan airflow volume increases, the back-layering length significantly decreases (210,000 m<sup>3</sup>/h < V < 270,000 m<sup>3</sup>/h). However, as the fan flow volume continues to increase (270,000 m<sup>3</sup>/h < V < 300,000 m<sup>3</sup>/h), the reduction in the back-layering length becomes less pronounced, the smoke spread distance of the latter is only 11% of that of the former. Therefore, selecting appropriate fan airflow volumes and fan inclined angles them can effectively enhance the performance of tunnel smoke extraction systems. Moreover, by comparing with traditional fans, we find that mobile fans provide an alternative effective strategy during firefighting by allowing adjustments in distance from the fire source and fan inclination angles, enhancing fire suppression effectiveness while reducing energy losses. The research findings can serve as a reference for tunnel fire prevention design.
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spelling doaj-art-a18f9f52ec1f44c0a1d8bc10fd6fdaa72025-08-20T02:28:10ZengMDPI AGFire2571-62552024-10-0171139710.3390/fire7110397A Study on the Influence of Mobile Fans on the Smoke Spreading Characteristics of Tunnel FiresWeigeng Chen0Yuhang Liu1Zhiyuan Cao2Ping Zhou3Changman Chen4Zhonglun Wu5Ze Fang6Lei Yang7Xiaoping Liu8China Railway Guangzhou Group Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510088, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, ChinaXiamen-Shenzhen Railway Guangdong Group, Ltd., Shenzhen 518057, ChinaThe Fifth Construction, Ltd. of China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group Co., Ltd., Jiujiang 332099, ChinaXiamen-Shenzhen Railway Guangdong Group, Ltd., Shenzhen 518057, ChinaCollege of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, ChinaCollege of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, ChinaMobile fans, as flexible and convenient new longitudinal ventilation and smoke extraction equipment for tunnels, demonstrate more significant effectiveness in an emergency response to tunnel fires compared to traditional smoke extraction methods. This study employs computational fluid dynamics simulation methods, selecting two fire scenarios to investigate the effects of fan inclined angles and fan airflow volumes on the longitudinal temperature distribution and smoke back-layering length in tunnels. The results indicate that when using mobile fans for longitudinal ventilation in tunnels, at a lower fan airflow volume, the temperature distribution along the longitudinal axis is nearly symmetrical. The fire source and the fan installed in the upstream are within a certain range, and it is more effective to use the horizontal angle for longitudinal ventilation. As the fan airflow volume increases, the back-layering length significantly decreases (210,000 m<sup>3</sup>/h < V < 270,000 m<sup>3</sup>/h). However, as the fan flow volume continues to increase (270,000 m<sup>3</sup>/h < V < 300,000 m<sup>3</sup>/h), the reduction in the back-layering length becomes less pronounced, the smoke spread distance of the latter is only 11% of that of the former. Therefore, selecting appropriate fan airflow volumes and fan inclined angles them can effectively enhance the performance of tunnel smoke extraction systems. Moreover, by comparing with traditional fans, we find that mobile fans provide an alternative effective strategy during firefighting by allowing adjustments in distance from the fire source and fan inclination angles, enhancing fire suppression effectiveness while reducing energy losses. The research findings can serve as a reference for tunnel fire prevention design.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/7/11/397tunnel firemovable fannumerical simulationtemperature distributionback-layering length
spellingShingle Weigeng Chen
Yuhang Liu
Zhiyuan Cao
Ping Zhou
Changman Chen
Zhonglun Wu
Ze Fang
Lei Yang
Xiaoping Liu
A Study on the Influence of Mobile Fans on the Smoke Spreading Characteristics of Tunnel Fires
Fire
tunnel fire
movable fan
numerical simulation
temperature distribution
back-layering length
title A Study on the Influence of Mobile Fans on the Smoke Spreading Characteristics of Tunnel Fires
title_full A Study on the Influence of Mobile Fans on the Smoke Spreading Characteristics of Tunnel Fires
title_fullStr A Study on the Influence of Mobile Fans on the Smoke Spreading Characteristics of Tunnel Fires
title_full_unstemmed A Study on the Influence of Mobile Fans on the Smoke Spreading Characteristics of Tunnel Fires
title_short A Study on the Influence of Mobile Fans on the Smoke Spreading Characteristics of Tunnel Fires
title_sort study on the influence of mobile fans on the smoke spreading characteristics of tunnel fires
topic tunnel fire
movable fan
numerical simulation
temperature distribution
back-layering length
url https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/7/11/397
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