Empirical approach for real-time estimation of air flow rates in a subway station

•We have carried out an experimental campaign in a metro station.•Airflow patterns were investigated through numerical and statistical analyses.•We suggested a procedure to estimate air flows from raw measurements.

The EU-funded project called SEAM4US (Sustainable Energy mAnageMent for Underground Stations) is targeted to define advanced control systems for cost-effective management of subway stations, which will be applied to the pilot “Passeig de Gracia” station of the metro network in Barcelona (Spain). To this aim, the environmental conditions of the station must be monitored in real-time. In particular, this paper focuses on the challenge of air flows estimation because this is one of the most critical yet tough variables to be monitored: expensive and intrusive measurement methodologies cannot be used extensively. So a novel methodology, based on the use of ordinary measurement probes and analytical methods and capable of identifying in real-time the intensity and dynamics of ventilation that is taking place, will be suggested. The information deriving from real-time measurements and analyses will be used to dynamically adjust the mechanical ventilation burden, that is currently relying on the station’s air supply system, thanks to the adoption of intelligent control systems. Our study is based on both a measurement survey carried out in the aforementioned station and numeric analyses.