Numerical studies on the smoke control by water mist screens with transverse ventilation in tunnel fires

Emergency ventilation systems are commonly used for smoke control during tunnel fires. For the transverse ventilation system, high efficiency for fire safety could be obtained by confining the smoke within certain zones. In this paper, a new system with simultaneous water mist screen and transverse ventilation system (WMSTV system) is proposed. In the WMSTV system, water mist screens are used to confine smoke from spreading widely, which assists the smoke exhausting process of the transverse ventilation system. Numerical method is used for investigation in this paper. The effects of natural and transverse ventilation systems without water mist are also investigated for comparison. Numerical results show that the WMSTV system can confine the fire and smoke effectively and the environment inside the confined zone would be suitable for occupants evacuation and firefighting. The system can be regarded as a feasible strategy for smoke control in tunnels. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.