Numerical Simulation of the Howard Street Tunnel Fire, Baltimore, Maryland, July 2001.
Numerical Simulation of the Howard Street Tunnel Fire,
Baltimore, Maryland, July 2001.
(4005 K)
McGrattan, K. B.; Hamins, A.
NISTIR 6902; NUREG/CR-6793; NRC Job Code J5414; 42 p.
January 2003.
Sponsor:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
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Keywords:
tunnel fires; tunnels; numerical simulation
Abstract:
This report addresses the thermal environment of the
Howard Street Tunnel in Baltimore, Maryland, following
the derailment in July 2001 of a freight train and the
burning of spilled tripropylene and the contents of
surrounding rail cars. A numerical fire model developed
by the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) has been used to simulate the fire's growth and
spread in the tunnel. The fire model has been validated
for this application using temperature data collected
during a series of fire tests conducted at a
decommissioned highway tunnel in West Virginia. The
cross-sectional area of the tunnel and the fire sizes
used in the West Virginia tests are similar to the
Howard Street Tunnel. For the Howard Street Tunnel
fire, the peak calculated temperatures within the tunnel
were approximately 1,000 C (1,800 F) within the flaming
regions, and on average approximately 500 C (900 F) when
averaged over a length of the tunnel equal to three to
four rail car lengths. Because of the insulation
provided by the thick brick walls of the tunnel, the
calculated temperatures within a few car lengths of the
fire were relatively uniform, consistent with what one
would expect to find in an oven or a furnace. The peak
wall surface temperature reached about 800 C (1,500 F)
where the flames were directly impinging, and on average
400 C (750 F) over the length of three to four rail
cars.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899