ABSTRACT
This study aims to assess the effect of the evacuees’ assumed “psychological profile” in a typical road tunnel fire evacuation simulation. A combined CFD and evacuation simulation software (FDS + Evac) was used to model the fire evacuation process in a typical road tunnel. The tunnel is at the order of 500 m long and has no mechanical ventilation installed; a time-varying fire source, with a peak heat release rate equal to 100 MW, was employed. Six vehicles were assumed to be located within the tunnel; overall, the evacuation of 70 passengers, i.e. 55 adults and 15 children, was simulated. The agents were grouped according to their “psychological profile during evacuation”, using three distinct “evacuation types”, namely the “conservative”, “active” and “follower” type. The obtained results suggest that the psychological profile of the agents may have a significant impact on the selection of a specific evacuation exit and on the overall duration of the evacuation.
