Powered smoke and heat exhaust ventilators: The impact of EN 12101-3 and ISO 21927-3

The standards EN 12101-3:2002 and ISO 21927-3:2006 define the design criteria and testing methodologies necessary to verify that powered emergency smoke and heat ventilators (tunnel ventilation fans) are capable of handling smoke and hot gasses in the event of fire. It is vital that smoke and hot gasses are cleared in the event of a fire, to maintain escape routes for people trapped in the tunnel and to facilitate safe access for emergency services. Traditionally, engineers have taken into consideration gas temperatures of 250 °C when designing tunnels. As design-fire size has increased, engineers are now increasingly specifying powered emergency smoke and heat control ventilators capable of handling hot gas at up to 400 °C.This paper describes the challenges associated with the definition and certification of a pre-defined range of powered emergency smoke and heat control ventilators suitable for application in tunnel ventilation systems. The paper presents the process by which the authors certified, in accordance with EN 12101-3 and ISO 21927-3, a range of powered emergency smoke ventilators suitable for clearing smoke and hot gases at both 300 °C and 400 °C for 120 min. Proving the high temperature capability of the range provided a challenge as a consequence of the large physical sizes and high motor powers involved. The paper presents the methods by which the authors overcame these challenges.

► EN 12101-3 certified ventilation fans are a European Community legal requirement.
► ISO 21927-3 is an alternative to EN 12101-3 outside the European Community.
► EN 12101-3 certification must be carried out by independent European laboratories.
► This paper presents EN 12101-3 certification of a range to tunnel ventilation fans.