ABSTRACT
The Dutch “Safety Concept Railroad Tunnels exclusively for Freight Transport” published in 1997 sets requirements for all safety issues for the tunnels on the Betuweroute, the new railroad from the port of Rotterdam to the German border. Preventing and battling an accident with a LPG tanker wagon with a fire load of 300 MW followed by an explosion is one of prescribed design goals of the tunnel protection systems. In the preliminary design the tunnel was to be protected by fire resistant cladding, thus meeting the requirements for the road traffic tunnels of the Ministry of Transport. The only way to fulfill the Safety Concept was to install a deluge sprinkler system over the full length of the Betuweroute tunnels. This paper describes the possibilities offered by the sprinkler system for canceling the fire-resistant cladding. By using the back throw of the sprinkler it is possible to prevent concrete damage in the sprinkler sections. By using the extra sprinklers sections next to the fire section the air temperature can be cooled down to a level where no spalling or damage will occur.
