Work

Effect of asymmetric slope of mainline on smoke movement characteristic in bifurcated tunnel fire under natural ventilation

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Tunnel fires can cause significant casualties and property damage. Most of the existing researches are focused on single-tube and horizontal bifurcated tunnel fires that the smoke movement characteristics in a bifurcated tunnel with asymmetric slopes are barely studied. This work numerically investigated the effect of mainline asymmetric slopes on smoke movement characteristics in a bifurcated tunnel. Five mainline slopes (0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 7%) and four heat release rates (5 MW, 10 MW, 15 MW, 20 MW) were carried out. The maximum temperature rising and longitudinal decay beneath the tunnel ceiling were analyzed. Results show that the maximum temperature rise in the mainline tunnel was inversely proportional to the mainline slope. The effect of mainline tunnel slope on temperature longitudinal decay is limited, but the heat release rate has a substantial impact on the ceiling temperature in sloped tunnel region. The empirical equations for maximum temperature and temperature longitudinal decay was developed by considering the mainline slope.

Source: Case Studies in Thermal Engineering

DOI: 10.1016/j.csite.2025.106959

Authors: Youbo Huang, Chengjia Luo, Hua Yan, Bingyan Dong

Institution: Chongqing University of Science and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Fire dynamics and safety research

Subfield: Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,620