Video-based smoke and flame detection for tunnels

Fire is a physical and dynamic phenomenon! Fire-protection concepts should consequently be oriented to physics under dynamic boundary conditions. The following article is a presentation held on the 6th International Conference “Traffic and safety in Road Tunnels” from 10 to 12 May 2011 in Hamburg/Germany.

Protective Objectives and Fire-Scenarios

Fire-safety in tunnels has always posed special challenges to planners and tunnel operators. Depending on the length of the tunnel section, it is, as in so many cases, not the flames themselves which present the greatest danger in case of fire, but rather the in most instances lethal fumes and smoke which are generated within seconds, obscure escape routes from the victims‘ view and can kill within minutes. Experience shows that the majority of fire fatalities fall victim not, at least initially, to the fire itself, but to the smoke (Fig. 1).

Safety on...

Related articles:

Issue 07/2010 Fire Protection

Video smoke detection

Fire-safety in tunnels has always posed special challenges to planners and tunnel operators. Depending on the length of the tunnel section, it is, as in so many cases, not the flames themselves which...

more
Issue 01/2018 Flir

Thermal Fire Detection System in the Krohnstiegtunnel

The 419 m long Krohnstiegtunnel is a road tunnel running under the runway of the Hamburg Airport. It offers passage for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. Since the tunnel was equipped with advanced...

more
Issue 08/2015 Ventilation and Smoke Extraction

Durable Tunnel Dampers of stainless Steel

After a number of tunnel fires with serious consequences around the turn of the millennium, the EU tunnel directive of 2004 and the German guidelines for the equipment and operation of road tunnels...

more
Issue 02/2018 Germany

Katzenbergtunnel on the Autobahn A3: Fire Protection in the North Tunnel with 25 Axial Fans

The 570 m long Katzenberg Tunnel on the German Autobahn A3 near Würzburg is currently under construction by cut-and-cover with a total investment volume of about 44 million euros. The first...

more
Issue 06/2014 Monitoring Traffic

Detecting potential Fire Sources at the Karawanken Tunnel

The Swiss specialists for optical traffic data collation Sick System Engineering AG have developed a detection system for preventing tunnel fires. The thermal portal system enables potentially...

more