Technical Papers

A standardized modular solution for tunnel cross passages

Authors

Ing. Justo Suárez
Area Manager – ZITRÓN

Abstract

For the last few years, road and railway tunnels have to comply with a growing number of rules in terms of passenger safety. These increasing safety requirements demand new electro-mechanic (E+M) systems to be installed inside the tunnels.At the same time, the tunnel owners and operators are asking for reliable and cost optimized electro-mechanic installations. The only way to satisfy both demands simultaneously is by designing very efficient systems with highly integrated and standardized components. ZITRÓN has contributed to achieving this objective by developing a standardized modular solution for tunnel cross passages. It consists of pre-fabricated structures, where the access doors and all the different systems to be installed in the tunnel cross passages are integrated.

Ventilation System High-Speed Railway Guadarrama Tunnel

Authors

ZITRÓN

Abstract

The longest tunnels ever constructed in Spain are located in the Sierra of Guadarrama with a length of over 28 km and they represent an unprecedented project in this country. The expansion of the high-speed railway network in Europe, in particular in Spain, is causing an increase in the number of tunnels and in their length. As a consequence of the serious accidents in recent years, there has been growing concern about the safety of railway users, this has become one of the main considerations in the functional design of tunnels.

New Technologies applied to the design and optimization of tunnel ventilation systems

Authors

Ing. Justo Suárez
Area Manager – ZITRÓN

Dot. Ing. Massimiliano Bringiotti
Managing Director – GEOTUNNEL

Ing. Ana Belén Amado
Responsible of CFD and Virtual simulation – ZITRÓN

Abstract

Construction of new transport infrastructures is being a social demand during the last decades; therefore many countries have decided to carry out important investments on this field. Among these transport infrastructures, road and railway tunnels and Metro lines are the most significant ones. The amazing improvements and fast growing technology in mechanized tunnel excavation with TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) has made possible the excavation of tunnels with several tens of kilometers.

Subsequently, the technology applied in the electro-mechanic installations to be installed in these tunnels, such as the ventilation, should also be improved. This is a serious challenge in front of us, in order to provide safe and efficient solutions to new and complex problems related to the passenger’s safety in these very long transport tunnels.

Fan protection against stalling phenomenon

Authors

Roberto Arias Álvarez
Technical Director – ZITRÓN

Javier Fernández López
Technical Pre Sales Management – ZITRÓN

Abstract

One of the main problems that could be suffered by the fans installed in the definitive ventilation systems is stalling, this being one of the major causes of concem for the operation contractors in charge of the ventilation systems of tunnels.

Stalling in axial fans is a phenomenon that can be compared with the situation experienced by aircraft wings where, as the angle of incidence of the airflow is increased, the lift force increases first, but falls abruptly when a certain critica! angle is exceeded. Figures 1 and 2 show both flow conditions.

Use of CFD to optimize the renovation of old tunnel ventilation systems

Authors

Justo Suárez
Area Manager – ZITRÓN

Ana Belén Amado
R&D&i Department – ZITRÓN

Abstract

Construction of new transport infrastructures is being a social demand during the last decades; therefore many countries have decided to carry out important investments on this field. Among these transport infrastructures, road and railway tunnels and Metro lines are the most significant ones. The amazing improvements and fast growing technology in mechanized tunnel excavation with TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) has made possible the excavation of tunnels with several tens of kilometers.

Subsequently, the technology applied in the electro-mechanic installations to be installed in these tunnels, such as the ventilation, should also be improved. This is a serious challenge in front of us, in order to provide safe and efficient solutions to new and complex problems related to the passenger’s safety in these very long transport tunnels.

Proposals to extend the service life of ventilation equipment in tunnels with highly corrosive environments

Authors

Luis Javier Díaz
Head of Project Management Office – ZITRÓN

Abstract

In society today, infrastructure availability has become an essential day-today need. This clearly poses new challenges. On one hand, we must provide permanent usability by extending the service life of our civil infrastructures, and on the other, we must design and develop equipment that does not fall into early obsolescence, all while reducing maintenance and the need for replacement over time. This is why it will be necessary to take measures to find how to integrate these two service lives, which diverge such a great deal from one another.

While the number of users of these infrastructures grows year after year, ventilation equipment, considered safety elements within the global tunnel as a whole, increasingly require maintenance or renewal operations. This is due firstly to the lifespan of the equipment within the environment, and secondly to the increasing legal requirements in terms of their safety.

Tunnels tend to be highly aggressive environments, with highly corrosive conditions. This is due to polluting gases from vehicles (with roadway tunnels), severe environmental conditions, or ongoing operability with freshair equipment, or infrequent, with fume exhaust equipment.

Using materials designed for high-corrosion tunnels, new surface coverings, equipment designed for preventive maintenance, as well as operability guidelines for ventilation systems, can lengthen the lifespan of said equipment, thereby obtaining the sought-after availability of our infrastructures without impacting the lives of their users.