Is an Automatic Fire Sprinkler system recommended to be provided for Fire Protection in a transportation tunnel?
There are very few tunnels throughout the world that have sprinkler systems installed in them. Given our present knowledge of the subject the use of sprinkler systems in road tunnels are not recommended for the following reasons: • Water can disperse burning liquids over a large surface area; • With some materials, contact with water can produce dangerous reactions; • The steam which is produced can reduce visibility; • The efficiency is low for fire inside vehicles; • Even if the flames are extinguished, the metal in the vehicle does not cool quickly and inflammable products can continue to give off gases leading to the presence of explosive mixtures; • Hot surfaces may ignite vaporizing petrol or LPG gas; • The water (or foam) that is distributed may, as in the case of a petrol tanker fire, be insufficient to extinguish the fire on a vehicle carrying a large quantity of fuel; • The smoke layer is cooled down and de-stratified, so that it may cover the whole tunnel; • As a consequence
