Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21F—SAFETY DEVICES, TRANSPORT, FILLING-UP, RESCUE, VENTILATION, OR DRAINING IN OR OF MINES OR TUNNELS
  • E21F11/00—Rescue devices or other safety devices, e.g. safety chambers or escape ways
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62B—DEVICES, APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR LIFE-SAVING
  • A62B3/00—Devices or single parts for facilitating escape from buildings or the like, e.g. protection shields, protection screens; Portable devices for preventing smoke penetrating into distinct parts of buildings

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method and to a system for facilitating rescue work in and evacuating of people from closed rooms, such as tunnels, and in particular during fire and smoke emission situations.
• this invention Even if this invention has been developed to be used within tunnels, it may also be used in connection with other closed rooms, such as engine rooms, corridors and cabins, onboard vessels and on platforms. Everything which in the following description is said about use within tunnels, accordingly may be extended to use also in connection with other types of closed rooms where persons are staying or passing. Even if light is installed in many tunnels, the light beams will be attenuated and dispersed by smoke particles, so that the light does not give any helpful information for people present. In addition the electrical lines which supply power to such light sources will often be damaged during fire, or the fire may even begin in such lines and cables. Accordingly existing light and possibly installed fans, which otherwise could have removed some of the smoke, will be defective.
• the object of the present invention mainly is to give a higher visibility within zones or areas in tunnels during fire, and at the same time to produce a more useful air quality in these zones, so that persons within the tunnel more easily may move towards safer zones within the tunnel or preferably may leave the tunnel completely.
• the zones with increased visibility and enhanced possibilities for breathing will also facilitate the work for the rescue personnel who more easier may understand the damages and easier may find their way to the site of an accident.
• Ventilation systems normally will give such a high air circulation or air replacement within the tunnel that a possible fire will increase due to the supply of fresh oxygen, and accordingly generating smoke easily may be dissipated along a longer length of the tunnel than in corresponding plants without ventilation.
• Existing ventilation plants are also not designed to give narrow zones of a higher air quality along the tunnel.
• German patent No. 1.948.278 a tent is described which may be collapsed along the mine wall in a stand-by position, but which may be deployed during emergency conditions and supplied with pressure air, preferably from an upper tent pole within the tent.
• the present invention will facilitate access for rescue and relief forces into the tunnel to assist injured people, and at the same time the visibility and the fresh air supply will be sufficient so that persons who are not injured, may move themselves into safer zones without being exposed to harmful concentrations of fire gasses, even when the remaining parts of the tunnel's cross section substantially is filled by smoke.
• a further object of the present invention is to provide emergency light along the courses with enhanced visibility, and in particular an emergency light of a type which does not need separate power supply and where the power supply is not very vulnerable against high local temperatures .
• a further object of the invention is to screen off at least one zone having an acceptable visibility and acceptable fresh air supply, from the smoke filled area of the tunnel, and then preferably by means of screens which also may protect against heat radiation.
• the preferred embodiment of the present invention also is the simplest, most reliable and less expensive embodiment, which also may be used in all existing and also in new tunnel plants without large costs.
• this solution will, all the same, provide zones with relatively fresh air and relatively good visibility, which zones may be used both by rescue personnel on their way into the tunnel and by injured people on their way out from the tunnel, and at the same time this solution will provide waiting zones adapted for relaxing and medical examination of injured persons before transportation out into fresh air takes place.
• This preferred solution includes only features as stated in claim 4.
• Fig. 1 illustrates a cross section through a road traffic tunnel provided with a system according to the present invention.
• the scale is not necessarily the same for the different components.
• FIG. 1 A cross section through a road traffic tunnel 1 is shown on Fig. 1, including a carriage way 2, pavements 3,4, a support wall 5, air pipe 6, air-powered lamps 7, and water pipe 8 with nozzles 9.
• Fig. 1 the cross section of a corridor or an evacuation course 10 is also assumed with dotted lines, however, only to show the location of the evacuation zones. This corridor may be built with or without physical limitations to the surroundings.
• the main idea is to arrange air supply pipes 6 of a relative coarse dimension within the tunnel 1, preferably at or above a normal persons hight. These pipes 6 are connected to aggregates (not shown) which may be placed within shafts or quite outside of the tunnel 1, and these aggregates, which may be operated in any conventional manner by combustion engines and/or electrical motors, are made and connected in such a way that they can blow large amounts of fresh air into the pipes 6, which preferably are laid out substantially along the complete tunnel length.
• the aggregates do not have to be in continuous operation, but may be started automatically or manually at any sign of fire.
• All the same the air pipe 6 which is used may be the pipe normally used for ventilation of the tunnel, and such a solution may be preferred as it then is ensured that the pipe is applicable and usable at any time, and this regularly used pipe may then easily, when a disaster or an accident takes place, in an automatic or manual manner be changed to another mode of operation, so that the pipe then may act as an air pipe according to the present invention.
• the pipe or the pipes 6 is (are) , in accordance to the present invention, provided with openings such as recesses or nozzles 11, at spaced intervals along the pipe.
• openings such as recesses or nozzles 11, at spaced intervals along the pipe.
• the amount of supplied air for a tunnel having a normal cross section area may be approximately 50 1/min per metre tunnel.
• the air supply should not be so large that smoke in the tunnel is widely distributed.
• one or more such pipes 6, which may be made of metal, may be arranged 2-3 m above a pavement 3 , 4 which is arranged close to the tunnel wall.
• air supply pipes may possibly be arranged quite down on the tunnel bottom, e.g. alone or as a supplement to pipes mounted at a higher level, to enhance the breathing possibility at ground level.
• the air pipes 11 may be of a previously per se known type, and each single nozzle may be pre-set to deliver a suitable amount of air at the prevailing air pressure within the pipe 6, just where each single nozzle is arranged.
• the evacuating system may preferably be provided with further remedies which may be of great value in emergency cases .
• lamps 7 operated by the supply of pressurized air and being of a type per se known in connection with mining, may also be arranged. If the pressure within the pipe 6 is sufficient to operate such lamps 7, the lamps may e.g. be arranged in connection with some or all nozzle openings 11, which in all cases shall deliver fresh air to the area around the pipeline. If the air pressure within the pipe 6 is not high enough to operate such air operated lamps 7, these may be operated by a separate air supply line (not shown on the Figure) having a higher pressure and being adapted to a separate supply aggregate or a separate pump.
• the air supply pipe may along all the tunnel consist of only one relatively thin metal tube which mainly is dimensioned and calculated for operation of the pressure air operated lamps 7, and this pipe may in addition be provided with minor nozzles 11 adapted to expel clean air to the tunnel at wanted locations. All or some of these nozzles may possibly be remotely operated, so that exactly the nozzles that are to be activated may be controlled from a monitoring centre, in accordance to the present situation.
• the air supply pipe may along all the tunnel consist of only one relatively thin metal tube which mainly is dimensioned and calculated for operation of the pressure air operated lamps 7, and this pipe may in addition be provided with minor nozzles 11 adapted to expel clean air to the tunnel at wanted locations. All or some of these nozzles may possibly be remotely operated, so that exactly the nozzles that are to be activated may be controlled from a monitoring centre, in accordance to the present situation.
• fans operated by pressurized air which fans in particular may take care of two tasks, viz. assisting with removing smoke and fire gasses out of the tunnel 1
• the system may include a water supply means designed as a water pipe 8 associated with atomizing nozzles 9 along the pipe.
• a water supply means designed as a water pipe 8 associated with atomizing nozzles 9 along the pipe.
• the air filled pipes 6 may lead out into tube sections or tunnel sections provided with entrances with air locks having so large cross sectional dimensions that persons may move into these tubes, and internally along these tube sections to safer zones or to safer "protection-rooms" with fresh air supply, from which zones or rooms injured persons later on may be collected by means of vehicles or like.
• Zones such as corridors 10 with a low smoke intensity and fresh air supply, may also physically be confined from the surroundings by means of curtains 12 which may be pulled down or rolled up and which possibly may be moistened.
• the capacity of aggregates, pumps, nozzles and valves may be calculated in each single case.
• Long tunnels may be separated in sections which may be supplied with air/water separately from the tunnel entrance or from different shafts or cross connections.
• the system comprises in its simplest embodiment only one single air pipe 6 having a relatively large transportation capacity, provided with fixedly arranged and pre-adjusted and pre-set nozzles 11, arranged at intervals along the pipe.
• These nozzles normally will be adjusted in such a manner that the nozzles close to the compressor will have a small nozzle opening, while the nozzles arranged a long way from the compressor will be adjusted so that they have a somewhat larger nozzle opening. These conditions are adjusted so that mainly the same air flow is obtained from all nozzles along the pipeline.
• long tunnels When long tunnels are considered, the plant may of course be separated in several independent sections. For relatively short tunnels where no surveillance systems are available, it will be a simple solution to implement the different remedies mentioned, with a possibility for manual start or triggering.
• the amount of air used should be adjusted in relation to the tunnel plant in question, and in all cases also in such a manner that the air supply does no give a strong flow or air within the tunnel, but only a sufficient supply of fresh air so that the visibility is increased and it is possible to breath close to the air pipe 6.
• the assumed air supply of approximately 50 1/min. per running metre of tunnel has be found to be a useful value for road traffic tunnels having two opposite directed files. All the same this air supply is not critical, as the conditions will be acceptable for a rather wide rage of air supply values as long as the air supply does not generate a strong draught in zones within the tunnel. Across the nozzles a differential pressure of at least 4 bars may be used.
• the start and control of the plant may also be undertaken from such a control room.
• the water supply is considered, this should not be excessive, only sufficient to generate a small area with atomized water close to the evacuating zone. Tests have shown that a water supply of approximately 100 1/h for each metre tunnel may be suitable for a road traffic tunnel of usual dimensions.
• the initiation or start of the plant may take place automatically, controlled by smoke, temperature, and/or photo detectors; or a manual start may be used, controlled by people in the tunnel or by surveillance personnel, e.g. from separate operator rooms.
• a manual start may be used, controlled by people in the tunnel or by surveillance personnel, e.g. from separate operator rooms.
• the method and the system may also be used for other closed rooms where people are staying or have to pass during fire or other situations with smoke and/or gas emission.
• the system may be designed so that it is activated according to the present situation, or in such a manner that it always is operative. With continuous operation there is no risk that the system when seldom needed; without a warning will not operate adequately.

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• Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Emergency Management (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Pulmonology (AREA)
• Geology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Ventilation (AREA)
• Emergency Lowering Means (AREA)
• Alarm Systems (AREA)
• Buildings Adapted To Withstand Abnormal External Influences (AREA)
• Working Measures On Existing Buildindgs (AREA)
• Vending Machines For Individual Products (AREA)
• Tents Or Canopies (AREA)
• Jib Cranes (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

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• 1997
  • 1997-03-10 NO NO971080A patent/NO304531B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1998
  • 1998-03-05 DE DE69826507T patent/DE69826507T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-03-05 WO PCT/NO1998/000070 patent/WO1998040607A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1998-03-05 ES ES98904450T patent/ES2229474T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-03-05 AT AT98904450T patent/ATE277275T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-03-05 AU AU62320/98A patent/AU6232098A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-03-05 EP EP98904450A patent/EP1025340B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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