Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480

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Journal of Building Engineering

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jobe

A new ventilation system for extra-long railway tunnel construction by

using the air cabin relay: A case study on optimization of air cabin
parameters length
Yuchun Tao a, Hui Hu a, Heng Zhang a, *, Gang Zhang a, Zihan Hao a, Lu Wang b
a
Key Laboratory of Transportation Tunnel Engineering, Ministry of Education, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan, China
b
Department of Road and Bridge Engineering, Sichuan Vocational and Technical College of Communications, Chengdu, 611130, China

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: In the construction of an extra-long tunnel through a long, inclined shaft, problems are often encountered. For
Railway tunnel example, the long ventilation distance and insufficient air volume in the working face make it difficult to
Ventilation system discharge pollution out of the tunnel at a specified time. This paper proposes a new ventilation system involving
Long inclined shaft
an air cabin relay that can be used during the construction of extra-long railway tunnels. A 3D numerical model
Air cabin
Relay ventilation
validated with field test data was employed to discuss the influence of the air cabin length, the partition length,
Parameter optimization and the arrangement of the fan on the ventilation efficiency of the axial fan. In addition, we performed careful
analysis of the specific status of in situ CO migration in the originally forced ventilation and air cabin ventilation.
The results show that, when the length of the air cabin is increased from 10 to 40 m, the relative pressure on the
end face of the fan increases. When the length of the air cabin exceeds 40 m, the growth of the relative pressure at
the end face of the fan shows a sharply decreasing trend. This partition will affect the airflow in the air cabin and
generate greater swirling flow, reducing the ventilation efficiency of the fan. The best arrangement of axial flow
fans is symmetrical along the axis, for which the largest velocity and drainage range of airflow in the air cabin are
obtained. Because the forced ventilation is limited by the section size of the inclined shaft and the site layout
method, the operating conditions in the extra-long railway tunnel cannot be met. To address this, our design
includes a sealed air cabin, which was set up at the intersection of the main hole and the inclined shaft to form
relay ventilation; this can greatly extend the ventilation distance, enhancing the ventilation efficiency and
improving the tunnel air quality, and establishes a new method for the ventilation of extra-long tunnels during
the construction stage.

1. Introduction
Extra-long railway tunnels generally refer to railway tunnels with a
length of more than 10 km, which play an irreplaceable role in over­
coming mountainous terrain obstacles, shortening the distance, and
improving the operation quality of land transportation projects [1]. As
China’s transportation construction enters a new stage, there are already
209 railway tunnels with a length of more than 10 km in operation,
totaling 2811 km, and 454 railway tunnels with a length of more than
10 km in operation, totaling 6729 km [2]. The construction of long and
large railway tunnels will become the top priority in future trans­
portation construction. For large underground projects, a reasonable
ventilation system and ideal ventilation effect are significant guarantees
for tunnel construction safety, quality, and speed, especially with
respect to the physical and mental health of personnel [3,4]. With the
emergence of numerous extra-long tunnels, the engineering environ­
ment has become more complex, and the issue of ventilation during the
construction stage has also become increasingly difficult. However, the
technical level of ventilation technology and performance indicators of
ventilation equipment in the construction of extra-long railway tunnels
do not meet the actual requirements of tunnel construction. Currently, to
shorten the construction period of extra-long tunnels, inclined wells are
often used to shorten the distance of a single excavation. The conditions
for the parallel construction of single inclined shafts, double-positive

* Corresponding author. Key Laboratory of Transportation Tunnel Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University,
Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
E-mail address: tunnelzh@home.swjtu.edu.cn (H. Zhang).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.103480
Received 21 June 2021; Received in revised form 15 October 2021; Accepted 16 October 2021
Available online 21 October 2021
2352-7102/© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Y. Tao et al.
Fig. 1. Layout of the tunnel with air cabin ventilation.
tunnels, and multiple excavation surfaces mainly use press-in ventilation
partly supplemented with mixed ventilation [5,6]. However, these fac­
tors expose many problems, e.g., the gap in inclined shaft section pre­
cludes sufficient ventilation pipes, the excavation face cannot have an
independent air supply pipe, the pipe and therefore the distance traveled
by the air supply is too long, maintenance of the inclined shaft venti­
lation pipe is difficult, and energy consumption is excessively high.
Currently, research on the ventilation of large underground struc­
tures to date has mainly focused on the diffusion of pollutants and dust,
the efficiency of mechanical operation, the research and improvement of
existing ventilation methods, and the study of key ventilation parame­
ters. As the combination of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and
computing technology has matured, research on the ventilation of large
underground structures has been conducted based on CFD simulation
combined with on-site measurements and model testing [7,8]. S. Torno
and J. Toraño [9] developed an algorithm for simulating the diffusion of
pollutants after excavation of underground engineering. Heng Zhang
[10] proposed a novel technology for ventilation in large-scale under­
ground oil storage caverns using shafts as fresh air inlets. J. Toraño [11]
studied the dust behavior of a dual auxiliary ventilation system and
accounted for the time factor using a predictive model, with optimiza­
tion provided for tunnel ventilation systems constructed with multiple
lanes and multiple auxiliary passages. Kaiyun Liu [12] designed a
ventilation model test platform based on similarity theory to simulate
different fan on/off states for a long expressway tunnel and compared it
with the field ventilation test to investigate the practical effectiveness
and viability of the optimized tunnel ventilation system. Yun Hua [13]
explored research on the temporal and spatial evolution pattern of dust
pollution under the blower and long-compression short-suction (LCSS)
ventilation conditions at fully mechanized excavation faces in rock
tunnels. Yang Zhou [14] focused on press-in ventilation technology and
reported a series of subscale experiments on the tunnel ventilation
performance, studying its dust dispersion law. Stjepan Bogdan and
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Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480
Lukáš Ferkl [15,16] described a control method for the longitudinal
ventilation of road tunnels; the proposed method was evaluated by
simulation and the obtained results compared with a method currently
used in the ventilation system of the tunnel. Makhsuda Juraeva [17]
used curtains to improve the ventilation performance of the Seoul
dual-line subway tunnel. M.T. Parra [18] dealt with a study on venti­
lation systems working in the cul-de-sac of a coal mine through exami­
nation of three different types of ventilation systems. F. Chaabat [19]
conducted an experimental study on the confinement of smoke flow
between two exhaust vents located on either side of a buoyant source
placed at ground level within a ventilated tunnel. Nikolaus Euler-Rolle
[20] proposed nonlinear dynamic feedforward control for longitudinal
ventilation in an emergency. The previous results provided valuable
references for subsequent research methods and layouts of underground
engineering ventilation.
Little research has focused on designing a new ventilation method for
extra-long railway tunnels, especially those with a length of more than
10 km and a long, inclined shaft. Hence, we proposed using air cabin
ventilation, a new type of ventilation method. This new method dem­
onstrates high ventilation efficiency and low maintenance costs over
long ventilation distances, making it effectively suited to tunnels longer
than 10 km. The selection of key air cabin parameters that have a sig­
nificant impact is essential to achieving improved ventilation. For
example, an air cabin that is short in length requires the use of two-layer
fans in opposing sections. Still, the length of the air cabin cannot be
extended indefinitely due to the consideration of construction costs.
Setting a diaphragm inside the air cabin will reduce the suction phe­
nomenon, but different positions and lengths of the diaphragm will have
different effects. As the air cabin is a confined environment, different fan
positions will affect the direction of airflow. Therefore, an investigation
to determine an appropriate silo parameter is urgently required. The
purpose of this paper is to optimize the key parameters and fan layout of
air cabin ventilation based on the analysis of CFD simulation combined
Y. Tao et al. Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480

Fig. 2. Schematic of each stage of construction.

Fig. 3. Comparison of the ventilation effect between air cabin and forced ventilation.

with field-measured data. The study of key parameters and layout pro­
vides a reference for feasible air cabin settings. The effectiveness of the
air cabin ventilation method is validated by the comparison of CO
diffusion efficiency between air cabin ventilation and forced ventilation.
The results serve as a useful reference for the ventilation of extra-long
railway tunnels.
2. System of air cabin ventilation
2.1. Ventilation layout
An air cabin is used mainly in the construction of single inclined shaft
tunnels. Adding a ventilation section near the junction of the inclined

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Y. Tao et al. Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480

Fig. 4. Field ventilation test.

Fig. 5. Comparison between simulation result and field test.

shaft and main tunnel allows more fresh air to reach the air cabin
through the shaft tunnel. Polluted air is discharged through the lower
part. The axial flow fans at both ends of the air cabin are pressurized and
accelerated to supply air to the two working faces at the entrance and
exit of the tunnel. The arrangement ensures the fan’s effective operation,
improving the ventilation efficiency and air quality in the tunnel. The
tunnel layout is presented in Fig. 1.
2.2. Ventilation implementation stage and layout
The whole construction is divided into four stages, with a schematic
diagram showing each stage in Fig. 2.
Stage 1 is the early stage of shaft construction. First, an air cabin is
built at the top of the shaft. In this stage, press-in ventilation is
commonly used and fresh air is delivered to the working area through an
axial fan at the entrance.
Stage 2 involves the mid–late stage of shaft construction. The in­
clined shaft already has a certain length. The fan is installed in the air
cabin on the upper part of the partition in a sealed manner. The air cabin
is used to deliver fresh air to be transmitted by the fan to the working
surface.
Stage 3 involves the early stage of tunnel construction, where

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Y. Tao et al. Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480

Fig. 6. Ventilation model.

construction of the inclined shaft is finished while construction of the air 3. Methodology
cabin inside the tunnel has not been completed. A fan is added on the
basis of the original ventilation system, along with a pipe for supplying 3.1. Mathematical model
fresh air to the workplace.
In Stage 4, the air cabin has been built, and construction of multiple Generally speaking, the airflow in the tunnel is complex three-
working faces of the double-track tunnel begins. Operation of the air dimensional turbulent flow. Still, the length of most tunnels is much
cabin ventilation system begins. Jet fans can be set in the air cabin to larger than the hydraulic diameter DT of the tunnel. Airflow parameters
relay fresh air if necessary [21]. are assumed to be distributed evenly in the tunnel section—that is, pa­
rameters such as airflow pressure, velocity, and density are regarded as
2.3. Advantage of air cabin ventilation constants in the same section. The following continuity equations and
governing equations were used to calculate the airflow.
The air cabin can effectively use the cross-section clearance of the
∂ρ ∂
inclined shaft. Here, the safe and smooth passage of various pipelines is + (ρuj ) = 0 (1)
∂t ∂xj
ensured, and the ventilation layout allows feasible parallel operation of
a single inclined shaft, double main tunnel, and multiple excavations
∂ρ ∂ ∂ρ ∂ ∂ui ∂ui
faces. The cross-section area of the air inlet duct on the upper part of the + (ρuj ui ) = + [μe ( + )] + Si (2)
∂t ∂xj ∂xj ∂xj ∂xj ∂xi
clapboard accounts for about two-fifths of the cross-section area of the
whole inclined shaft. Hence, the small wet perimeter and large equiv­ where ρ is the air density (kg/m3), t is the time (s), uJ is the air velocity in
alent diameter significantly reduce the ventilation resistance. Sufficient XJ direction (m/s), μ is the dynamic viscosity coefficient (N⋅s/m2), μe is
air to the inlet cross-section is ensured. In terms of the ventilation effect, the equivalent dynamic viscosity coefficient (N⋅s/m2), Si is the gener­
it can shorten the air supply distance of the single end of the air duct. The alized source term of momentum conservation equation, κ is the tur­
turning times of the pipeline and total ventilation resistance can also be bulent motion energy (N⋅m), and ε is the energy dissipation rate of
reduced. The length of the partition duct and ventilation pipeline can be turbulent flow (N/s).
adjusted to enable matching equipment in the ventilation design achieve The subsequent calculation involves the diffusion process of pollut­
the optimal operation state for maximum ventilation. Therefore, the ants in the tunnel over time; thus, it is necessary to use the component
total power of ventilation equipment and the cost of ventilation equip­ transport equation to calculate the change in air composition in the
ment are reduced. By reducing ventilation resistance and total power of tunnel.
ventilation equipment, the low energy consumption operation of the
partition duct ventilation system is realized, as shown in Fig. 3. After the ∂ ∂ ∂ μ ∂Ym
+ (ρYm ) + (ρuj Ym ) = ( e + ) (3)
partition is installed, less daily maintenance workload is needed, which ∂t ∂xj ∂xj σY ∂xj
saves labor and maintenance costs compared with traditional duct
ventilation and greatly reduces the daily maintenance workload in the where Ym is the mass fraction of components and Gκ is the turbulent
inclined shaft, which is also very beneficial to construction safety. energy generation rate.
The diffusion of harmful gas, smoke, and other pollutants produced
by tunnel drilling and blasting construction is unsteady over time;

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Y. Tao et al. Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480

Fig. 7. Sketch showing the layout of the working conditions.

3) The heat exchange between airflow and tunnel wall is not consid­
Table 1 ered, and the heat dissipation caused by viscous fluid work is
Initial mass concentration of CO after tunnel blasting.
ignored.
Area/ Explosive dosage/ Throw distance/ Initial CO concentration/ 4) The airflow is assumed to be stable turbulence.
m2 kg m (mg/m3)

63.18 227.45 60.05 2238 The following equation implements the turbulence model:

κ2
μe = μ + cμ ρ (4)
therefore, the three-dimensional unsteady component transport model ε
was used for numerical calculation, and the standard κ–ε double tur­
bulence model was used. The model adopts the following basic where κ is the turbulent motion energy (N⋅m) and ε is the energy
assumptions: dissipation rate of turbulent flow (N/s).
In the formula, turbulent kinetic energy κ Equation and turbulent
1) The influence of air compressibility on flow can be ignored, and the energy dissipation rate ε. The equation is controlled by the following
airflow is assumed to be viscous incompressible Newtonian fluid. formula:
2) The air leakage rate of the air duct and the pressure loss of the airflow ∂ρκ ∂ ∂ μ ∂κ
in the air duct is not considered. + (ρuj κ) = ( e + ) + (G − ε) (5)
∂t ∂xj ∂xj σκ ∂xj

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Y. Tao et al.
Fig. 8. CFD simulation results for the grid sensitivity analysis.
∂ρε ∂ ∂ μ ∂ε ε used to simulate air cabin ventilation systems.
+ (ρuj ε) = ( e + ) + (c1 Gκ − c2 ρε)
∂t ∂xj ∂xj σ ε ∂xj κ
∂ui ∂uj ∂ui
G κ = μT ( + )
∂xj ∂xi ∂xj
2
where μT is turbulent viscosity (N⋅s/m ) and c1, c2, cμ, σY, σκ, and σε are
empirical constants, with C1 = 1.44, C2 = 1.92, Cμ = 0.09, σY = 1, σκ = 1,
and σε = 1.33.
3.2. Validation of field ventilation test data
A case of air cabin ventilation in an extra-long railway tunnel is
introduced. Guanjiao tunnel is the second additional line of Qinghai
Tibet railway, with a length of 32.645 km as shown in Fig.4. Due to its
length and high-altitude geological conditions, great difficulties and
higher demands have emerged regarding ventilation. The maximum
single-head ventilation distance is 4515 m, and the large air volume
required for the trackless transportation excavation surface makes it
more challenging to ventilate in high-altitude and low-pressure areas.
Air cabin ventilation was implemented in each inclined shaft work area
of the tunnel to improve the ventilation conditions.
The field test was developed in the No.7 inclined-shaft working area.
DM100 was used to detect various harmful gases and Re-1211 was used
to assess the air velocity near the working face. Five measuring points
were arranged in the air duct at the centroid of five equal-area sections.
According to the test air velocity at these five points, the air leakage rate
can be calculated. The environmental test in the tunnel mainly evaluates
parameters such as carbon monoxide concentration, temperature, hu­
midity, carbon dioxide content, and nitrogen dioxide content. The
testing in the inclined shaft includes the test above the diaphragm, the
test below the diaphragm, and the air velocity test above the diaphragm.
The air velocity, ambient temperature, humidity, carbon monoxide
content, carbon dioxide content, and nitrogen dioxide content were
tested under the diaphragm. The air velocity test and CO concentration
test were used to validate the present numerical model. Fig. 6 shows the
geographical location and layout of measuring points in the tunnel.
The air velocity and carbon monoxide diffusion tests following
blasting excavation of the tunnel face were used for comparison. Fig. 5
shows the results of the simulation compared with measured data,
where a high level of consistency was achieved. The average error of the
test was 3.87% for the velocity test and 13.58% for the CO concentration
test. The validation tests indicate that the mathematical model can be
Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480
(6)
3.3. Model description
(7)
This study focused on a single inclined shaft double-track railway
tunnel with air cabin ventilation. The key parameters, fan layout, overall
ventilation efficiency, and ventilation efficiency of air cabin ventilation
were researched. Modeling software Hypermesh14.0 was used to build
the model and mesh the grid. As mentioned above, computational fluid
dynamics has good reliability and suitability for simulating airflow in­
side tunnels. Therefore, CFD software ANSYS FLUENL19.2 was used to
solve numerical models. Fig. 6 shows the whole geometry model of the
ventilation system and contains a geometric model with an entrance and
four axial fans to represent the air cabin. The X-direction is the length
direction, Y-direction is the width direction, and Z-direction is the height
direction of the air cabin. As the airflow velocity in the tunnel was steady
and the pressure change was small, the air can be treated as incom­
pressible. Air in the tunnel was generally treated as a turbulent flow
state and the change of gas flow in the tunnel over time was not
considered; therefore, in the calculation, the airflow in the tunnel was
regarded as a three-dimensional incompressible and stable viscous tur­
bulence [22]. The turbulent flow model uses a high Reynolds number
κ–ε model. Mathematical models include continuity equations, mo­
mentum equations, and κ–ε model equations. Axial fans with a diameter
of 1.5 m were set on both sides of the air cabin, and the flow rate from
the machine at their location was 25 m3/s. Fig. 6 shows the specific
calculation model.
Since the width and height of the air cabin refer to the actual engi­
neering tunnel span and aspect ratio, they are not considered. The width
and height are 8 m and 3 m, respectively, for each case. The working
conditions involve the comparison and selection of the fan length, the
necessity of partition settings, and the comparison and selection of the
fan position. The specific settings are shown in Fig. 5 and the working
conditions are listed as follows:
1 The lengths of the air cabin are 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45
m.
② Partition settings in the middle part of the air cabin: no partitions,
2 m partitions, 4 m partitions, 6 m partitions.
③ Partition settings on both sides of the air cabin: no partitions, 2 m
partitions, 4 m partitions, 6 m partitions, 8 m partitions.
④ Comparison of the fan positions: arranged symmetrically along
the axis of the main tunnel with a spacing of 4 and 6 m, arranged
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Y. Tao et al. Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480

Fig. 9. Comparison of the effect on ventilation when the air cabin length is varied.

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Y. Tao et al.
Fig. 10. Comparison of the ventilation effect of the air cabin with different middle partition lengths.
close to the air inlet and far from the air inlet. The specific layout
is shown in Fig. 7(b) to (e).
To discuss the above variables, the control variable method was used
to determine the variables. The order of simulation research was as
follows: first, the optimal length of the air cabin was determined, then
compared and optimized based on whether the air cabin was equipped
with a partition, and the fan was positioned on the basis of the optimal
length of the air cabin. For investigation of the advantages of air cabin
ventilation efficiency, two tunnel models using air cabin ventilation and
forced ventilation were also built. For the discussion of CO diffusion
efficiency, the main distinction is the change in CO concentration at the
same point of two ventilation modes at different ventilation times after
blasting.
3.4. Boundary condition
The boundary condition is the variation of the variable or its first
derivative with place and time on the boundary of the solution area. This
paper uses the κ–ε model to simulate the turbulence with high stability,
economy, and accuracy—suitable for high Reynolds number turbulence.
The air inlet is set as the pressure inlet and the inlet pressure (relative to
atmospheric pressure) is defined as 0, as there is no additional pressure
effect in the entrance. The air outlet is set as the velocity inlet, with fan
parameters of 14.6 m/s. All sides and partitions of the air cabin are wall
surfaces. The inlet and outlet airflow directions of the axial flow fans are
axial and steady flow, and the gas is incompressible. The influence of
gravity on the flow field is ignored in the calculation.
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Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480
After blasting in the tunnel working face, the spread length of
blasting smoke in the tunnel is called throwing length, which depends on
blasting method and explosive dosage. When the detonating mode is by
electric detonator and the dosage of primary detonator is more than 20
kg, the throwing length can be calculated according to the following
formula [23]:
G
L = 15 + (8)
5
where L is the length of the smoke that filled the area after blasting (m)
and G is the amount of blasting explosive (kg).
The formula for calculating the initial mass concentration of CO is
Gb
ρco = × 1.25 × 106 (9)
LA
where ρCO is the initial mass concentration of CO (mg/m3), b is the
amount of toxic gas produced per kg explosive (m3/kg), and A is the
excavation area (m2).
The initial CO concentration is shown in Table 1.
3.5. Computational grid setting
The mesh uses a three-dimensional structured grid and hexahedral
elements considering the calculation’s stability, convergence, and scale.
Grid sensitivity analysis is conducted to find an appropriate grid size
setting. There are 3 grids with 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 m as grid side
lengths, which are grid 1, grid 2, and grid 3, respectively. Grid 1 has
1556697 elements, Grid 2 has 343205 elements, and Grid 3 has 66095
Y. Tao et al.
Fig. 11. Comparison of the ventilation effect of the air cabin with different side partition lengths.
elements, and a section of each is shown in Fig. 8(a). The relative
pressure from the end face of the fan will be used as the evaluation
standard. As shown in Fig. 8(b), the relative pressure of Grid 1 and Grid
2 show good consistency while Grid 1 does not fit the other two models
well. Considering the complexity and time expenditure of modeling, the
model division method in Grid 2 was finally adopted.
4. Results and discussion
The following formula is generally used to determine the efficiency
of axial fan [24]:
Qa Ptot 273 + t0 p1
η= ( ) (10)
1000SKW 273 + t1 p0
where Qa is the fan flow (m3/s); Ptot is the total pressure of fan (N/m2);
Skw is the motor shaft power (kW); t0 is the ambient temperature (◦ C),
which was taken as 20 ◦ C; t1 is the ambient temperature of the fan (◦ C);
p1 is the ambient air pressure of the fan (Pa); and p0 is the standard
atmospheric pressure (Pa), which was taken as 101325 Pa.
From the formula, it can be inferred that the pressure around the fan
will directly affect the efficiency of the axial flow fans. Therefore, it is of
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Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480
great practical value to study the influence of the air cabin parameter
settings on the ventilation efficiency of the axial flow fans for improving
the ventilation efficiency of the construction environment. As there are
several combinations for the structure and fan arrangement of the air
cabin, many numerical simulations and calculation conditions are
involved. In this paper, the single variable control method is used to
compare the influencing factors one by one, so the optimal ventilation
mode of the relay of the air cabin is finally determined.
4.1. Effect of air cabin length on ventilation performance
When discussing the dimensions of the three walls of the air cabin, as
the width and height of the air cabin are related to the tunnel section,
their dimensions cannot be freely changed and, thus, only the length
parameters of the air cabin are studied. Fig. 9 shows the relative pressure
and velocity contour of different air cabin lengths.
It can be seen from Fig. 9 that with the increase in the air cabin
length, the average relative pressure increases significantly. The analysis
is from when the air enters from the air inlet, is divided into two streams,
and then each stream is divided by two fans on each side. With the in­
crease in the air cabin length, the airflow path becomes longer and more
stable airflow is formed. Vortex can be found on both sides of the inlet of
Y. Tao et al.
Fig. 12. Comparison of the ventilation effect of the air cabin with different fan layouts.
the air cabin. The pressure difference between the upper and lower fans
produces a suction phenomenon between the fans.
Combined with the relative pressure values of the measuring points
within 3 m of the fan end face under eight working conditions, when the
air cabin length is increased from 10 to 15 m, the relative pressure near
the fan greatly increases, with an average 19.17% increase. When the
length of the air cabin is increased from 15 to 25 m, the relative pressure
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Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480
on the end face of the fan further increases, and the curve shows rela­
tively high growth, with an average increase of about 12%. When the
length of the air cabin is increased from 25 to 40 m, the growth in
relative pressure at the end face of the fan gradually becomes steeper,
with an average increase of about 9%. When the length of the air cabin is
45 m, the increase in relative pressure is 2.6%. Considering the con­
struction cost and other factors, the optimal air cabin length is 40 m.
Y. Tao et al.
Fig. 13. Distribution of CO in tunnel using air cabin ventilation.
Fig. 14. Distribution of CO in the tunnel using forced ventilation.
4.2. Effect of middle partition on ventilation performance
When discussing the influence of the middle partition on the fan
efficiency, the optimal air cabin length is 40 m. In view of the suction
phenomenon between the fans on both sides of the air cabin, the
partition lengths of 0, 2, 4, and 6 m were taken for analysis and
comparison.
It can be seen in Fig. 10 that after the middle partition is set, there is
no significant change in the average pressure of fan end face, and the
numerical change is within 1%. From the comparison of relative pres­
sure, we observe that the relative pressure near the end face of the fan in
the case of no partition in the air cabin is higher than that in the case of
partitions in the air cabin. When the length of the air cabin is sufficiently
long, the phenomenon of suction of fans on opposing sides of the air
cabin is not obvious. Setting a partition in the middle of the air cabin will
affect the air distribution in the air cabin, thus reducing the actual
ventilation efficiency of each fan. Considering the construction and
maintenance cost of the diaphragm, a middle partition is not recom­
mended under this condition.
4.3. Effect of side partition on ventilation performance
When discussing the influence of the side partition on the fan effi­
ciency, the optimal air cabin length is 40 m. In view of the suction
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Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480
phenomenon between the fans on both sides of the air cabin, the
partition lengths of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 m were taken for analysis and
comparison.
It can be seen in Fig. 11 that after the side partition is set, there is no
significant change in the average pressure of the fan end face, and the
numerical change is within 1%. The phenomenon of suction between
opposing single-side fans has not been solved effectively; further, setting
a very long partition is not conducive to the formation of stable airflow
and will also add extra construction cost and time. Therefore, a side
partition is not recommended under this condition.
4.4. Effect of fan location on ventilation performance
When discussing the influence of fan arrangement on fan efficiency,
the optimal air cabin length is 40 m, and there is no partition between
fans at opposing ends. In the following discussion, the four fan layouts in
Fig. 5(b) to (e) are labeled Case1, Case2, Case3, and Case4, respectively.
Fig. 12 shows the airflow trace diagram and relative pressure compari­
son under various fan arrangements.
According to the figure, when the fans are arranged to one side
(Case3 and Case4), the airflow cannot be adequately distributed in the
whole air cabin, resulting in low air pressure in some areas of the air
cabin. When the fans are arranged symmetrically along the axis (Case1
and Case2), the airflow has a more uniform distribution and the velocity
Y. Tao et al.
Fig. 15. Comparison of CO diffusion efficiency under different ventilation modes.
trace distribution in the velocity vector diagram is also more uniform.
Comparison of relative pressure also shows that compared with other
cases, the average air pressure in Case2 is nearly 5% higher, and the
average air pressure of the upper fan and the lower fan is closer. Under
such an arrangement, the eddy current phenomenon and suction phe­
nomenon in the original setting are effectively solved. Therefore, fans
should be arranged symmetrically along the axis with a spacing of 6 m
between fans.
4.5. CO concentration field
In the discussion of ventilation efficiency, the CO diffusion velocity
under the same working condition is taken as the evaluation standard;
the CO mass concentration distribution of air cabin ventilation (Case1)
and forced ventilation (Case2) are shown in Figs. 13 and 14. The figures
show that the CO gas distributed near the middle bench moves contin­
uously toward the connecting roadway, increasing ventilation time.
With the increase in ventilation distance, the improvement in ventila­
tion efficiency is more significant in Case1. Within the range of 400 m,
Case1 eliminated CO in 25 min, while Case2 took longer.
Fig. 15 shows the variation trend of CO concentration in the center of
the tunnel under the three sections in the simulation calculation. At 100
m from the working face, consistent ventilation efficiency is observed
between the two cases. The increase in ventilation distance shows sig­
nificant advantages in terms of air cabin ventilation. After 25 min of
ventilation, CO has diffused within 300 m of Case1 from the tunnel face,
which is lower than the threshold considered dangerous in the specifi­
cation, while a longer ventilation time is still needed for Case2. The use
of air cabin ventilation has a significant advantage in terms of ventila­
tion efficiency.
5. Conclusion
This paper proposes a new ventilation system for an extra-long
railway tunnel using an air cabin relay. A 3D numerical model vali­
dated with field test data is employed to discuss the influence of the air
cabin length, partition length, and fan arrangement on the ventilation
efficiency of the axial fan. In addition, the specific status of in situ CO
migration in the originally forced ventilation and air cabin ventilation
13
Journal of Building Engineering 45 (2022) 103480
was carefully analyzed. The main results are as follows:
(1) The length of the air cabin, the length of the middle partition, and
the arrangement of the fans have different degrees of influence on
the ventilation efficiency of the axial flow fans, and the air cabin
length has the most significant influence. When the length of the
air cabin is increased from 10 to 40 m, the relative pressure on the
end face of the fan also increases. When the length of the air cabin
exceeds 40 m, the growth in relative pressure at the end face of
the fan shows a sharply decreasing trend. Therefore, considering
the construction cost of the air cabin, the optimal length is 40 m.
(2) Under the optimal air cabin length condition of 40 m, setting the
middle partition will affect the air distribution in the air cabin
and produce greater swirling flow, thus reducing the actual
ventilation efficiency of each fan. When the length of the parti­
tion increases, the gap in the relative pressure difference between
the two fans widens.
(3) The best arrangement for the axial flow fans is symmetrical along
the axis. In this case, the drainage speed and range of airflow
inside the air cabin are the largest, the airflow movement path is
optimal, and the ventilation efficiency is the highest. The larger
the distance between the two fans on the same side, the better the
airflow movement path and the higher the ventilation efficiency.
(4) For the extra-long railway tunnel with no roadway ventilation
and a long single-heading length, a sealed air cabin can effec­
tively supply air to the working face by pressurizing and speeding
up the axial flow fans at both ends of the air cabin. This new
method can greatly extend the ventilation distance and improve
the ventilation efficiency and air quality in the tunnel, providing
a viable ventilation option for this type of tunnel.
Author statement
The authors declared that they have no conflicts of interest to this
work. We declare that we do not have any commercial or associative
interest that represents a conflict of interest in connection with the work
submitted.
Y. Tao et al.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgments
The study is financially supported by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China (NSFC) under Grant No. 51508477. We are also
very grateful for the High Speed Railway and Natural Science United
Foundation of China (U1934213), and the General Program of the Na­
tional Natural Science Foundation of China (51878572).
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