Design of emergency ventilation system for an underground storage facility

Fires have always been a major problem for underground spaces. As the demand for development of new underground structures increases, safety against fire incidents becomes even more important. This paper examines the design of an emergency ventilation system, which will provide the necessary control of smoke and heated gases within an underground warehouse facility, in case a fire occurs. Due to the pattern of the underground area and the variety of products stored, numerous fire scenarios should be examined in order to secure escape routes in every case, which significantly complicates the problem. For this reason, a different approach has been adopted, matching recent developments in fire safety from tunneling projects and ventilation practices from the mining industry. The ventilation design is based on the “critical velocity” theory; however, alternative configurations of the underground space are simulated by means of mine ventilation software. These alternatives affect the direction and velocity of the airflow and, consequently, the air quantity and the fan power required, in order to secure escape routes during fire emergency. The analysis not only determines the ventilation system characteristics, but also indicates the most appropriate design of the facility, in order to come up with a solution that is both secure and economically acceptable.