NEWS
DARTFORD - M25 Tunnel News May 2010
EUROTUNNEL; Tunnel News April 2010
NTC-UK; Tunnel News September 2009
FOGTEC to the technical committee of NFPA502, 2008
M30-Spain; Tunnel News August 2007
FOGTEC to the steering board of ITA-COSUF 2007
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
FOGTEC Tunnel Systems
Tunnels are the life-veins of a modern society. Not only their numbers and lengths, but also the traffic that they have to cope with will increase constantly in the coming years. The fires that have occurred in the past years have shown that the result is not only a greater number of persons injured and killed, but also considerable damage to the construction and the operational equipment. This often in its turn leads to repair work lasting many months causing closures, as a further consequence, which considerable economic loss arises.
European research programs have shown that larger fires in tunnels can only be prevented when the starting fire is brought under control as soon as possible. Measures regarding structural fire protection or smoke-reducing equipment have only a very limited effect, as they partially fight the effects, but not the cause. Due to the length of time the fire brigade requires to reach the fire, it is only possible to fight the starting fires in tunnels using automatic fire fighting equipment as part of a tunnel safety system.
FOGTEC water mist systems present the state-of-art technology of which efficiency has been proofed in a number of full scale fire tests. FOGTEC water mist, being safe for people, achieves an effective control of the fire. This means a considerable reduction of the temperatures nearby the fire, making it more difficult for the fire to spread and improving the range of visibility. A FOGTEC water mist system eases self rescue of people in the tunnel and enables the rescue forces to work with increased speed and safety. Due to fire control and minimal amount of water use, damage to the tunnel is also reduced. In order to achieve optimal protection within the tunnel, it is necessary that detection, fire fighting and ventilation and other safety equipment are coordinated properly.
FOGTEC has a separate tunnel department focusing on the protection of underground facilities such as tunnels and metro stations. Specially trained engineers provide consultant services as well as turn key solutions.
When a fixed suppression system is applied to a tunnel, its integration into the overall safety concept of the tunnel is vital for its effective operation. FOGTEC therefore offers consulting services already at an early stage of the development of a tunnel safety concept.
The development work over the past 15 years and the experience from actual installations guarantee that FOGTEC’s products are well suited for tunnel applications. The cooperation with researchers, tunnel owners as well as manufacturers of complementary products has led to a development of products being specifically suited for tunnel applications. All FOGTEC components are designed for the use in tunnels and have undergone long term tests to ensure their safe operation in a harsh tunnel environment. FOGTEC components and designs are normally checked by third parties like STUVA and TÜV.
FOGTEC has successfully protected number of tunnels with full scale tested technology for example in Italy, Russia and Spain. Currently FOGTEC is carrying out high-profile projects like the Tyne Crossing in the UK and Channel tunnel (Eurotunnel) between France and the UK. For the installation of hydraulic and electronic parts, FOGTEC employs dedicated engineering experts.
FOGTEC’s tunnel department has always been in the frontline of the international research. These efforts have been appreciated by the tunnel community and FOGTEC has participated in well known research projects like FIT, UPTUN, SOLIT and SOLIT² as the leading active fire protection company for tunnels.
FOGTEC is represented in the steering board of ITA-COSUF (International Tunnel Association - Committee on Operational Safety of Underground Facilities) and the technical committee of NFPA502 (Standard for Road Tunnels, Bridges, and Other Limited Access Highways)