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Sustainable Ventilation Design of a Modern Subway System
Presentation · June 2008
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 Sustainable Ventilation Design of a Modern
Subway System

Dr. Mohammad Tabarra

Dr. Davar Abi-Zadeh

Arup
London, UK

ASHRAE June 2008 - Salt Lake City

 Overview
• Why tunnel ventilation?
• Green design:
– Regenerative braking technology
– Humped station vertical alignment
– Lighter trains
– Green platform architecture
– Under platform & over track exhaust (UPE/OTE)
– Inclined vent shafts
– Jet fans
– Platform Edge Doors
• Integrated fan plant for tunnel and station ventilation
• Operational control with variable speed fans
• Vent shafts in densely-populated areas
Why do we need Tunnel & Station Ventilation ?

1. Remove heat build-up in the tunnels and stations

2. Provide pressure blast relief

3. Provide fresh air supply to tunnels & stations

4. Control smoke in case of fire

What is the source of heat?
• Trains typically contribute > 80% of the heat
Heat Sinks Sensible Heat Loads
Trains and Misc,
189 TR

Space Cooling,
-385 TR

State Steady,
61 TR

Convection,
156 TR
Heat Sink,
-21 TR
Heat Source 1: Car Brake Resistor Grid

Input Current Cables

• Turns excess kinetic energy into heat (average 680 kW, fully loaded train)
• Heat rejection can be minimised with regenerative braking technology
Heat Source 2: Roof top Air-conditioning unit
20 A/C units per train
Each unit: 46 kW max
24 kW typical
 Track Grade & Vertical Alignment
Effect on platform temperatures
10
Relative Depth (m)
5

0 B a s e P ro file

-5

-1 0
base case
10
Relative Depth (m)

0 H u m p S ta t io n s

-5

-1 0
-3 C
-1 5

15

10
Relative Depth (m)

0 W e ll S t a tio n s

-5

-1 0 +4 C
10
Relative Depth (m)

0 F la t A lig n m e nt

-5

-1 0
+1 C
S ta tio n # 1 S ta tio n # 2 Sta tio n # 3 S ta tio n # 4
 Relative Mass of Rolling Stocks
We ight pe r Le ngt h of Ca r ( Tons /m )
0 .00 0.5 0 1.00 1.50 2.00 2 .50 3.0 0

New Y ork 1
New Y ork 2
New Y ork 3
V ancouv er
Ontar io 1
Ontar io 2
Chicago 1
City

Chicago 2
Chicago 3
Baltimore
Los A ngeles
Sy dney
L ondon 1
L ondon 2
A ver age
 Green Architecture

• Semi-outdoor environment Natural

vent & lighting
• PV shading
• Trees on platform…

ASHRAE June 2008 - Salt Lake City

Under Platform and Over Track Exhaust Systems
Smoke Extract / Fresh Air
Supply Duct

Escalator

Mezzanine

OTE Duct OTE Duct

Supply Supply

Tunnel
Train
Platform

UPE Duct UPE Duct

UPE/OTE – Normal operation
OTE – Train Fire Smoke Management
Platform supply reverses as smoke exhaust

Smoke Reservoir

Platform
Smoke
extracts
Inclined Ventilation Shafts
Vertical Vent shaft

Fan plant Fan plant

200 m³/s 200 m³/s

40 m³/s
80% 20% 80%
Station Tunnel Station

Inclined Vent shaft

Fan Plant Fan plant
133 m³/s 133 m³/s

40 m³/s
70% 30% 70%

Station Tunnel Station

• Improves flow effectiveness into the incident tunnel

• Reduces the size of fan plants
• May prove difficult in station architecture
• Should be implemented early in the design cycle
 Jet Fans reduce the size of main fan plants

Airflow without Jet Fans

Airflow with Jet Fans

 Platform Edge Doors
• Safety
– Physical barrier
– Removal of platform edge hazard
• Aesthetics
• Environment
– Noise
– Draught elimination
– Separate platform & tunnel ECS
– Cleanliness – less maintenance
– Thermal comfort & control
– Lower station cooling load (≈75% savings)
– Improved TV effectiveness
– Smaller TV and SVAC plants
• Passenger comfort increased revenue
• Makes geothermal cooling more feasible
Integrated Tunnel-Station Ventilation Fan Plant

Independent Shafts
Single Fan Plant integrating UPE/OTE & TV:
Normal Operation

UPE/OTE Shaft
(10’ x 6’)
Single fan plant room
Single Fan Plant integrating UPE/OTE & TV:
Normal Operation with Station Exhaust

UPE/OTE Shaft
(10’ x 6’)
Single fan plant room
Single Integrated Fan Plant:
Congested Operation

UPE/OTE Shaft
(10’ x 6’)
Single fan plant room
Single Integrated Fan Plant:
Tunnel Emergency Operation

UPE/OTE Shaft
(10’ x 6’)
Single fan plant room
Single Integrated Fan Plant:
Station Emergency Operation

UPE/OTE Shaft
(10’ x 6’)
Single fan plant room
Variable Frequency Drive Fan Control
As an alternative to single
or two speed starters

• Reduced energy consumption

• Reduced inrush current (factor of 5)
• Reduced stress on mechanical and
electrical system
• Improved reaction to pressure pulses
• Reduced maintenance cost through
greatly improved VFD reliability
• Improved options for ventilation and
noise control
• Capital cost of VFD are decreasing
• Significant life cycle cost savings
Vent shafts in metropolitan areas

• Code issues (safety, discharge velocities, noise, smoke

dispersion & re-circulation)
• Environmental impact
• Suffer from poor publicity (NIMBY)
• Aesthetics (integration in building facades)
• Real estate acquisition
• Functionality (duct runs, bends and pressure losses)
 Hong Kong
• Shaft CSA: 6 m x 5 m
• Louvers on all 3 sides

• Ventilation shafts among offices

Sydney – Wynyard Station (the good …)

• Station smoke exhaust

shafts; distributed into
several pylons
Sydney CBD – Wynyard Station

• Aesthetically integrated into

the surrounding architecture
New York – NYCT 63rd St Fan Plant ( the bad …)

• Louver area > 3500 ft2

New York – PATH ( … and the ugly!)
New York fan plant rehabilitation

… and the new.

Whitehall Street fan plant in
downtown Manhattan

The old …
Louvers/ Vent Buildings

•Vertical louvers integrated into facades

•Reduce ingress of rain water and ice
•Acoustical louvers – dual function
View publication stats

Recent Fire in South Korea

•A tragic, but very
informative image

•What design lessons

can we learn here?

– Point of smoke exhaust

– Gratings vs louvers
– Fire rescue efforts
– Smoke dispersion
– Plume shape and path
– Atmospheric dispersion
modelling