Tunnel Fire Behavior: Dynamics, Smoke Management, and Safety Strategies

A special issue of Fire (ISSN 2571-6255).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 932

Special Issue Editors

State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Interests: tunnel fire; multi-source fire; fire spread; smoke control; temperature distribution; ventilation strategy

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Guest Editor
School of Emergency Management and Safety Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
Interests: tunnel fire; pool fire; fuel-rich combustion; smoke movement; smoke control; lithium battery fire; safe utilization of hydrogen
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Tunnel fire safety has been a critical topic due to the fast development of tunnel transportation all over the world. The spatial semi-confined structure of tunnels leads to distinctive characteristics during fires, such as rapid smoke propagation and difficulties in evacuation and rescue, which can result in severe casualties and structural damage. Especially, in recent years, various forms of complex tunnel systems, including underwater tunnels and urban underground interchanges, have continuously emerged. The increasingly complex structural conditions have diversified smoke propagation behaviors and further complicated smoke control efforts. Additionally, the rapid growth in the number of new energy vehicles in tunnels has introduced new challenges for fire prevention and control, placing higher demands on traditional safety management and emergency strategies.

This Special Issue aims to present experimental, theoretical, and numerical studies regarding tunnel fire behavior, smoke management, and safety strategies to address the new challenges in the field of tunnel fires.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Smoke spread characteristics in tunnels
  • Ventilation strategies in tunnel fires
  • Fire suppression technologies for tunnel fires
  • Human evacuation during tunnel fires
  • Artificial intelligence prediction for tunnel fires
  • New energy vehicle fires in tunnels

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Kun He
Dr. Yongzheng Yao
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • tunnel fire
  • smoke
  • fire spread
  • temperature
  • ventilation
  • fire modeling
  • human evacuation
  • fire suppression
  • artificial intelligence

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 4920 KB  
Article
Asymmetric Flow Induced by the Longitudinal Position of the Fire Source Under Different Ambient Pressures
by Fei Wang, Tianji Liu, Lin Xu, Chunjie Cheng, Haisheng Chen, Xingsen He and Shengzhong Zhao
Fire 2025, 8(9), 364; https://doi.org/10.3390/fire8090364 - 14 Sep 2025
Viewed by 480
Abstract
This research examined how ambient pressure impacts the asymmetrical flow effects of fire induced under natural ventilation. Numerical simulations using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) software were conducted, altering the longitudinal positions of fire sources and ambient pressure. The findings reveal that ambient pressure [...] Read more.
This research examined how ambient pressure impacts the asymmetrical flow effects of fire induced under natural ventilation. Numerical simulations using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) software were conducted, altering the longitudinal positions of fire sources and ambient pressure. The findings reveal that ambient pressure impacts the movement of smoke and air within the tunnel, with both outgoing smoke and incoming air increasing as ambient pressure rises. Asymmetric flow, influenced by the fire source’s longitudinal position, is observed under different ambient pressures. The intensity of these asymmetric flow effects can be characterized by the parameter of induced longitudinal flow mass rate, mi. A dimensionless ambient pressure, P*, was introduced to assess its impact on longitudinal flow’s induction, leading to the development of a predictive model for calculating the mi. While ambient pressure affects the mass flow values of smoke and airflow in tunnel fires under natural ventilation, it has minimal impact on their fundamental distribution patterns. A predictive model has been proposed for the distribution patterns of smoke overflow and air inflow under various ambient pressures. Full article
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