The benefits of fixed fire fighting systems (FFFS) have been demonstrated for heavy goods vehicle (HGV) fires both in test programs and in actual tunnel fire events. In most of these studies the bulk transport of flammable liquids has not been addressed. In many road tunnels passage of flammable liquids is restricted or banned. Unfortunately practical alternative routes are often not available resulting in long detours that can be equally dangerous and costly to the communities served. As such, there has been recent consideration to allow flammable liquid tankers through some of the tunnels where they were previously restricted and in new tunnels. This is occurring for a number of reasons including an assessment that the tunnel route is safer and by allowing the tanker traffic, overall safety may be improved. Recent testing with fixed fire suppression systems using water mist have shown that these can provide a level of control of liquid pool fires that can reduce the associated risk to an acceptable limit. This opens up the possibility that the same water sprays that provide mitigation of HGV fires may also provide a practical level of control for flammable liquid pool fires. This paper looks at the physics of flammable liquid pool fires on roadway surfaces and the effects of water spray on these fires. Computer modeling is used to determine the values of critical species and properties.
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