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Arvidson, M. & Karlsson, A. (2024). Literature study: The performance of carbon dioxide systems on ro-ro vehicle carriers. RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Literature study: The performance of carbon dioxide systems on ro-ro vehicle carriers
2024 (English)Report (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The performance of carbon dioxide systems during vehicle fires on ro-ro vehicle carriers has not been documented. The first part of the report documents such fires. From 2013 to 2023, at least 22 severe fires started in the cargo space of ro-ro vehicle carriers. Eight fires started during loading operations (i.e., when the doors and ramps are open) and fourteen started while at sea. In eleven of the 22 fires, the found information verifies that a carbon dioxide system was used. In five of these verified incidents, the fire was suppressed or extinguished, in five of the incidents the fire was not suppressed nor extinguished, and in one case information about the performance is lacking. For the cases when fire was not extinguished, a long delay time combined with the fact that the space was not sufficiently sealed may explain the failure. Electrical failure, including short circuits, is a commonly noted fire cause in used cars onboard. One of the 22 fires probably originated in a new production electric vehicle; no other fires in electric vehicles were documented. The second part of the report documents fire suppression tests. However, there are few fire suppression tests with lithium-ion batteries and carbon dioxide in the scientific literature. Findings include small-scale tests with handheld/portable fire extinguishers and not fixed, total-flooding systems. The identified studies indicates that full fire extinguishment of lithium-ion battery fires may not be possible with carbon dioxide. While carbon dioxide may not extinguish and cool down a battery cell effectively to prevent thermal runaway propagation, it may reduce the risk of fire spreading to nearby vehicles and other combustible materials. This has not been investigated and is part of the upcoming objectives in the COFFEE project. Traditional search tools and engines were used to collect fire investigation reports, media articles, and research studies for this report.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, 2024. p. 50
Series
RISE Rapport ; 2024:75
Keywords
Carbon dioxide, firefighting, fire incidents, maritime, marine, ro-ro, vehicle carriers, electric vehicle
National Category
Civil Engineering
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-76320 (URN)978-91-89971-36-3 (ISBN)
Note

The project was funded by Stiftelsen Sveriges Sjömanshus (the Swedish Mercantile Marine Foundation) and Trafikverket (the Swedish Transport Administration).

Available from: 2024-12-18 Created: 2024-12-18 Last updated: 2024-12-18Bibliographically approved
Li, Y. Z., Ingason, H., Blom, J., Arvidson, M. & Försth, M. (2024). Mechanisms and performance of different fixed fire fighting systems in tunnels – summary of laboratory and tunnel fire tests.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Mechanisms and performance of different fixed fire fighting systems in tunnels – summary of laboratory and tunnel fire tests
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2024 (English)Report (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

This report presents both small scale laboratory tests and tunnel fire tests carried out in a FORMAS project. Four series of small scale laboratory tests were conducted to obtain the material properties, burning properties, water spray distributions, and spray droplet size distributions. The main efforts were, by adopting the Froude scaling, seven series of tests conducted in a about 50 m long container tunnel with a scale of 1 to 3. This report presents results on the influence of low pressure, medium pressure and high pressure water-based fixed fire fighting systems (FFFSs) on fire development, fire spread to adjacent vehicles, structural protection, tenability, smoke control, spray deflection and spray resistances. The focus is to compare the performance of three default FFFSs and to evaluate the efficiency of each of the FFFS. The results show that the default low pressure FFFS performs well in term of suppressing the fire development, preventing the fire spread to nearby vehicles, providing tenable conditions for evacuation and rescue service, protecting tunnel structure and easing the problem with spray deflection due to tunnel ventilation. The default high pressure FFFS is usually on the opposite side while the default medium pressure FFFS usually lie in between.

Publisher
p. 75
Series
RISE Rapport ; 2024:22
Keywords
tunnel fire, fixed fire fighting system, fire suppression, fire spread, ventilation, smoke control, deflection, ventilation resistance, structural protection
National Category
Civil Engineering
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-72327 (URN)978-91-89896-70-3 (ISBN)
Funder
Swedish Research Council Formas
Available from: 2024-03-15 Created: 2024-03-15 Last updated: 2024-04-05Bibliographically approved
Li, Y. Z., Ingason, H., Arvidson, M. & Försth, M. (2024). Performance of various water-based fire suppression systems in tunnels with longitudinal ventilation. Fire safety journal, 146, Article ID 104141.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Performance of various water-based fire suppression systems in tunnels with longitudinal ventilation
2024 (English)In: Fire safety journal, ISSN 0379-7112, E-ISSN 1873-7226, Vol. 146, article id 104141Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Low pressure, medium pressure and high pressure water-based fire suppression systems were tested in a medium scale tunnel (scale 1:3). The primary objective was to investigate which of these systems are most effective in the suppression or control of different types of tunnel fires. The default low, medium and high pressure systems refer to full scale water flow rates of 10 mm/min, 6.8 mm/min and 3.7 mm/min, respectively. Some other water densities were also tested to investigate the effects, as well as different ventilation velocities and activation criteria. Several series of fire tests were conducted for different fire scenarios. The fire scenarios considered included idle wood pallet fires, loosely packed wood crib fires, loosely packed wood and plastic crib fires, and pool fires, with or without a top cover on the fuel load. Comparisons of the three default systems based on the three parameters: heat release rate, energy released and possibility of fire spread, show that the performance of the default low pressure system is usually the most effective based on the parameters studied. The default high pressure system usually yields results less effective in comparison to the default low pressure system. The performance of the default medium pressure system usually lies in between them. The high pressure system behaves very differently in comparison to the others, in terms of tunnel ventilation velocity, water density, operating pressure, and the presence of the top cover. © 2024 The Authors

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier Ltd, 2024
Keywords
Fire protection; Flammability testing; Flow of water; Ventilation; Fire suppression; Heat release; Heat release rate; Low pressure systems; Medium pressure; Operating pressure; Performance; Release rate; Tunnel fires; Water density; Fires
National Category
Civil Engineering
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-72758 (URN)10.1016/j.firesaf.2024.104141 (DOI)2-s2.0-85189859035 (Scopus ID)
Note

The work was financially supported by the Swedish Research Council Formas (2019-00521), which is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would also like to express their gratitude to Prof. Patrick van Hees at Lund University for his valuable input in the test planning process. Thanks also to our colleague Joel Blom, and other technicians at RISE for the great assistance in conducting the tests, and the Södra Älvsborg's Rescue Service for the support on site.

Available from: 2024-05-16 Created: 2024-05-16 Last updated: 2024-05-16Bibliographically approved
Arvidson, M. & Westlund, Ö. (2024). The Development of Automatic Sprinkler System Concepts for Maritime Vehicle Carriers. Fire technology
Open this publication in new window or tab >>The Development of Automatic Sprinkler System Concepts for Maritime Vehicle Carriers
2024 (English)In: Fire technology, ISSN 0015-2684, E-ISSN 1572-8099Article in journal (Refereed) Epub ahead of print
Abstract [en]

Closed ro-ro spaces on maritime vehicle carriers are usually protected by a total-flooding carbon dioxide system. Such systems have many benefits, for example that there are no residues that can adversely affect the protected objects (in this case thousands of vehicles) and the agent is electrically non-conductive. However, there could be a considerable time delay from the start of a fire until the carbon dioxide system is discharged. Experience has shown that this delay time can cause significant fire damage and jeopardize the performance of the system. Within the EU funded LASH FIRE project, design and installation guidelines for supplementary automatic water-based fire sprinkler systems were developed. An important design feature is that the system automatically activates at an early stage of a fire. This would allow more time to fight the fire manually or to safely evacuate the space and discharge the CO2 system when the fire is controlled to one or a few vehicles instead of at a time when it has escalated in size. The work was partly based on a comprehensive literature review that identified relevant standards and information applicable to the design of automatic fire sprinkler and deluge water spray systems. Large-scale fire tests verified that the suggested system designs were able to provide control of realistic vehicle fires, including fires in passenger cars and a freight truck.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer, 2024
Keywords
Carbon dioxide; Hose; Sprinkler systems (irrigation); Vehicles; Carbon dioxide system; Delay Time; Floodings; Maritime vehicle carrier; Protected object; Ro-ro space; Sprinkler; System concepts; Time-delays; Vehicle fires; Fires
National Category
Civil Engineering
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-72869 (URN)10.1007/s10694-024-01563-3 (DOI)2-s2.0-85188470531 (Scopus ID)
Funder
EU, Horizon 2020, 814975
Note

Open access funding was provided by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 814975.

Available from: 2024-04-26 Created: 2024-04-26 Last updated: 2024-05-23Bibliographically approved
Arvidson, M., Egeltoft, E. & Godby, T. (2023). Driftserfarenheter från sprinkler-installationer i kyrkor och andra kulturhistoriskt värdefulla byggnader Brandforsk projekt 323-010.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Driftserfarenheter från sprinkler-installationer i kyrkor och andra kulturhistoriskt värdefulla byggnader Brandforsk projekt 323-010
2023 (Swedish)Report (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Operating experiences from sprinkler system installations in Swedish churches and other heritage buildings During the past 20 years, the fire protection of many historically valuable buildings in Sweden, especially ancient wooden churches, have been improved with the installation of fire detection and fire sprinkler systems. The objective of the project was to document the operating experiences from some of these buildings. Most of the installations have been made in small- or intermediate-sized wooden churches, but installations in larger buildings were identified. The operating experiences were documented by interviews with the end users, fire protection inspectors and system installers, and by study visits. Problems associated with the use of antifreeze were identified. Systems have experienced leakage, high and varying system pressures during warm days and unintentional activations due to breakage of nozzles or nozzle glass bulbs. For systems designed as dry-pipe systems, unintentional activations have occurred during wintertime due to freezing. Testing of dry-pipe systems during the study visits also revealed unacceptably long water delivery times and residual water in piping. Many of the smaller rural churches are using a high-pressure gas (nitrogen) driven pump because the public grid is unreliable. Three suffocation incidents were documented when nitrogen was unintentionally released into the technical space. Two of the incidents can be described as profoundly serious. The church building managers have a key role in the daily supervision of these installations. But it requires effort, technical competence and not least a substantial deal of self-interest. For some churches, high staff turnover has contributed to a lack of competence and supervision and maintenance has been neglected. High frequency of fault alarms (operating alarms) was also perceived as a burden and is also costly. Overall, the occurrence of technical problems and excessive costs have contributed to the shutdown or even dismantling of several sprinkler systems.

Publisher
p. 104
Series
RISE Rapport ; 2023:133
Keywords
Churches, heritage buildings, fire safety, fire sprinkler systems, water mist fire protection systems, fire alarm systems
National Category
Building Technologies
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-72585 (URN)978-91-89896-20-8 (ISBN)
Available from: 2024-04-10 Created: 2024-04-10 Last updated: 2024-04-10Bibliographically approved
Hynynen, J., Quant, M., Pramanik, R., Olofsson, A., Li, Y. Z., Arvidson, M. & Andersson, P. (2023). Electric Vehicle Fire Safety in Enclosed Spaces.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Electric Vehicle Fire Safety in Enclosed Spaces
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2023 (English)Report (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Lately, concerns regarding fires in electric vehicles in enclosed spaces such as in road tunnels and parking garages have been raised and there are indications that parking of electric vehicles may be prohibited in some spaces. For the success of electromobility and the transition from fossil to renewable fuels, it is important to understand the risks and consequences of fires in electric vehicles and to provide technical solutions if necessary, so as not to hinder the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.

In this work, a literature review on fires in vehicles has been conducted. The focus was on fires in enclosed spaces involving electric vehicles. A comprehensive risk assessment of electric vehicle fires was performed using systematic hazard identification. In addition, a workshop with representatives from three Swedish fire and rescue services was carried out to evaluate the emergency rescue sheets/response guides.

The main conclusions are; That statistics regarding vehicle fires need to be improved, as of today the root causes of fires are missing in the data, which could potentially result in non-fact based regulations; The data studied in this work does not imply that fires in electric vehicles are more common than fires in internal combustion engine vehicles; Fires in electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles are similar in regards to the fire intensity and peak heat release rates. 

The most effective risk reductions measures on vehicle level, to decrease the number of fires in EVs, could not be defined based on that relevant data on the root causes of fires in EVs are currently not publicly accessible. The most effective risk reduction measures, to limit fire spread, on infrastructure level were the use of fire sprinkler systems, fire detection systems (early detection) and increased distance between parked vehicles.

Publisher
p. 79
Series
RISE Rapport ; 2023:42
Keywords
Electric vehicle, fire safety, enclosed space, parking garage, vehicle fire, field experience, hazard identification
National Category
Transport Systems and Logistics Other Chemical Engineering Other Natural Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-64248 (URN)978-91-89757-90-5 (ISBN)
Available from: 2023-03-21 Created: 2023-03-21 Last updated: 2023-11-02Bibliographically approved
Arvidson, M., Gehandler, J. & Bleye, J. (2023). Fire suppression and manual firefighting of batteryelectric vehicle fires on ro-ro ships. In: Proceedings of Seventh International Conference on Fires in Vehicles: . Paper presented at Seventh International Conference on Fires in Vehicles, Stavanger, Norway, April 24-25, 2023 (pp. 107).
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Fire suppression and manual firefighting of batteryelectric vehicle fires on ro-ro ships
2023 (English)In: Proceedings of Seventh International Conference on Fires in Vehicles, 2023, p. 107-Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

The increased use of electric vehicles has raised a concern about firefighting measures including water spray fire suppression systems (often denoted “drencher systems”) and tactics and equipment used for manual firefighting on ro-ro cargo and ro-ro passenger ships. A test series involving testing of two pairs of geometrically similar internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV’s) and battery electric vehicles (BEV’s) under as equal test conditions as possible were conducted to investigate the performance efficiency of the drencher system. In addition, manual firefighting equipment and tactics was evaluated on three BEV fire tests. It is concluded that a fire in the two types of vehicles is different but share similarities. However, a fire in a BEV does not seem to be more challenging than a fire in an ICEV for the drencher system design given in current international recommendations. Similarly, there are common (e.g., handheld fire extinguishers and hoses) and new (e.g., fire blanket and water-cooling device) manual firefighting equipment that effectively can be used to control or limit a BEV fire.

Keywords
: ICEV, BEV, sprinkler systems, water spray system, drencher system, manual firefighting, ro-ro spaces, ships.
National Category
Civil Engineering
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-71491 (URN)
Conference
Seventh International Conference on Fires in Vehicles, Stavanger, Norway, April 24-25, 2023
Note

The project has received funding from the European Union’sHorizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 814975

Available from: 2024-01-26 Created: 2024-01-26 Last updated: 2024-01-26Bibliographically approved
Arvidson, M. & Mindykowski, P. (2023). Fire testing of alternative fixed fire-extinguishing systems for ro-ro spaces onboard ships. Ships and Offshore Structures, 18(3), 423-428
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Fire testing of alternative fixed fire-extinguishing systems for ro-ro spaces onboard ships
2023 (English)In: Ships and Offshore Structures, ISSN 1744-5302, E-ISSN 1754-212X, Vol. 18, no 3, p. 423-428Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) recognises five different fire-extinguishing system solutions for ro-ro spaces on ships; manually activated water spray systems (Resolution A.123(V)), automatic sprinkler or deluge water spray systems and automatic nozzle or deluge water mist systems (MSC.1/Circ.1430), high-expansion foam systems and gas fire-extinguishing systems (FSS Code). A review of potential commercially available alternative systems, their expected performance efficiency and water consumption was made. Based on this review, two alternative fire-extinguishing systems were identified: Compressed Air Foam Systems (CAFS) and foam-water sprinkler/spray systems. Fire suppression performance testing of water spray systems according to the Resolution A.123(V) and MSC.1/Circ.1430, a CAFS and a foam-water spray system were conducted. The water spray system per MSC.1/Circ.1430 had superior performance while the system per Resolution A.123(V) and the foam-water spray system limited the fire size to some degrees. The CAFS provided limited fire suppression performance.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2023
Keywords
CAFS, extinguishment, Fire, ro-ro space, water spray, Compressed air, Fire extinguishers, Fire protection, Ships, Spray nozzles, Sprinkler systems (irrigation), Air foam, Compressed air foam system, Fire suppression performance, Fire-extinguishing systems, International conventions, Safety of life at seas, Spray systems, Water sprays, Fires
National Category
Fluid Mechanics
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-59239 (URN)10.1080/17445302.2022.2061768 (DOI)2-s2.0-85129631611 (Scopus ID)
Note

The authors would like to thank the manufacturers who provided equipment, support and technical advices for the fire tests: TYCO Fire Suppression & Building Products (Sweden), Jomos Eurosprinkler AG (Switzerland), Dr. R. Stahmer GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), FireFlex Systems Inc. (Canada), Dafo Fomtec AB (Sweden).

Available from: 2022-05-24 Created: 2022-05-24 Last updated: 2025-02-09Bibliographically approved
Arvidson, M. & Westlund, Ö. (2023). Water Spray Fire Suppression Tests Comparing Gasoline-Fuelled and Battery Electric Vehicles. Fire technology, 59(6), 3391-3414
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Water Spray Fire Suppression Tests Comparing Gasoline-Fuelled and Battery Electric Vehicles
2023 (English)In: Fire technology, ISSN 0015-2684, E-ISSN 1572-8099, Fire Technology, Vol. 59, no 6, p. 3391-3414Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Closed ro-ro spaces on maritime vehicle carriers are usually protected by a total-flooding carbon dioxide system. Such systems have many benefits, for example that there are no residues that can adversely affect the protected objects (in this case thousands of vehicles) and the agent is electrically non-conductive. However, there could be a considerable time delay from the start of a fire until the carbon dioxide system is discharged. Experience has shown that this delay time can cause significant fire damage and jeopardize the performance of the system. Within the EU funded LASH FIRE project, design and installation guidelines for supplementary automatic water-based fire sprinkler systems were developed. An important design feature is that the system automatically activates at an early stage of a fire. This would allow more time to fight the fire manually or to safely evacuate the space and discharge the CO2 system when the fire is controlled to one or a few vehicles instead of at a time when it has escalated in size. The work was partly based on a comprehensive literature review that identified relevant standards and information applicable to the design of automatic fire sprinkler and deluge water spray systems. Large-scale fire tests verified that the suggested system designs were able to provide control of realistic vehicle fires, including fires in passenger cars and a freight truck.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer Nature, 2023
National Category
Vehicle Engineering
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-72459 (URN)10.1007/s10694-023-01473-w (DOI)
Available from: 2024-03-27 Created: 2024-03-27 Last updated: 2024-04-02Bibliographically approved
Arvidson, M. & Westlund, Ö. (2023). Water Spray Fire Suppression Tests Comparing Gasoline-Fuelled and Battery Electric Vehicles. Fire technology, 59, 3391
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Water Spray Fire Suppression Tests Comparing Gasoline-Fuelled and Battery Electric Vehicles
2023 (English)In: Fire technology, ISSN 0015-2684, E-ISSN 1572-8099, Vol. 59, p. 3391-Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The increased use of electric vehicles has raised a concern about the performance efficiency of water spray fire suppression systems (often denoted “drencher systems”) typically installed on ro–ro cargo and ro–ro passenger ships. A test series was conducted involving testing of two pairs of geometrically similar gasoline-fuelled and battery electric vehicles in test conditions as equivalent as possible. During testing, key parameters such as the heat release rate, the gas temperature above the vehicle and the surface temperature of target steel sheet screens at the sides of the vehicle were measured. Fire ignition was arranged in such a way that the gasoline fuel or the battery pack was involved at the initial stage of the fire. It is concluded that fires in the two types of vehicles are different but have similarities. However, a fire in a battery electric vehicle does not seem to be more challenging than a fire in a gasoline-fuelled vehicle for a drencher system designed in accordance with current international recommendations

National Category
Other Engineering and Technologies
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-66068 (URN)10.1007/s10694-023-01473-w (DOI)2-s2.0-85167354299 (Scopus ID)
Note

Open access funding provided by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 814975.

Available from: 2023-08-18 Created: 2023-08-18 Last updated: 2024-05-23Bibliographically approved
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ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0002-6264-7307

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