System Tests of the Tunnel Ventilation – Common Practice in Austria

Any emergency ventilation system in a tunnel primarily is aimed to prevent tunnel users from damage of smoke and flue gas. For this reason it is essential that the engineered design and the subsequent implementation is tested prior the commissioning.
In a first step tests have to be carried out to show the accurate function of each essential elements (fans, dampers, ductwork…) of a ventilation system. This will be ensured within the site acceptance tests (SAT).
But much more important are integrated tests of the overall system and the interaction between the fire detection system and the following control algorithm resp. regulation of the ventilation system. Within the commissioning phase and the test operation without traffic, testing procedures for the entilation system have to be performed and documented to check the function. Various test procedure for tunnels are obligate in Austria and are standardized nowadays. For example, the federal agency for motorways and expressways in Austria (ASFiNAG) has implemented handbooks for a standardised procedure of the design and commissioning of road tunnels (PlaPB).
This paper describes the common praxis of ventilation system testing prior the commissioning in Austria and the problems and difficulties of integrated tests within the particular envirionment for example in the case of complex tunnel systems.