Value Engineering For Tunnel Equipment

Value engineering for tunnel equipment
Prepared for Quality Services, Civil Engineering,

Highways Agency
A Evans (The North East Wales Partnership - Trunk Road Agency),

S Bird, K H Bowers and G I Crabb (TRL Limited) and
R H Harse (Symonds Group Limited)
TRL Report 449

First Published 2001
ISSN 0968-4107
Copyright TRL Limited 2001.
This report has been produced by TRL Limited, under/as part

of a Contract placed by the Highways Agency. Any views
expressed are not necessarily those of the Agency.
TRL is committed to optimising energy efficiency, reducing

waste and promoting recycling and re-use. In support of these
environmental goals, this report has been printed on recycled
paper, comprising 100% post-consumer waste, manufactured
using a TCF (totally chlorine free) process.
CONTENTS
Page
Executive Summary 1
1 Introduction 3
1.1 Background 3
1.2 Objectives 3
1.3 Sources of information 3
1.4 Structure of report 3
2 Value engineering principles and method 3

2.1 Definitions 3
2.2 Approach used in this study 3
3 Function assessment process 4

3.1 Objectives and function 4
3.2 Identifying options for systems 7
3.3 Scoring function for each option 7
4 Cost assessment process 7

4.1 Costing terminology and method 7
4.2 Factors that influence costs 7
4.3 Cost data 9
5 Review and decision phase 9
6 Summary of findings 10
7 Recommendations 10
8 Acknowledgements 10
9 References 10
Appendix A: Results of internal value engineering workshop 15
Appendix B: General issues 20
Appendix C: Cost Information 21
Appendix D: Ventilation systems 24
Appendix E: Lighting systems 30
Appendix F: Pumped drainage systems 38
iii
Page
Appendix G: Fire protection systems 41
Appendix H: Communications: telephone systems 43
Appendix I: Communications – radio relay systems 44
Appendix J: Communications – CCTV systems 45
Appendix K: Traffic control – tunnel VMS systems 47
Appendix L: Tunnel ECS and plant monitoring systems 49
Appendix M: Electrical systems – HV distribution and protection 53
Appendix N: Electrical systems: transformers 57
Appendix O: Electrical systems – LV distribution and protection 58
Appendix P: Electrical systems: battery tripping and closing units 59
Appendix Q: Electrical systems – earthing 60
Appendix R: Electrical systems: tunnel control panels 61
Appendix S: Electrical systems – emergency supplies 64
Appendix T: Cabling and mechanical and electrical support systems 67
Appendix U: Tunnel service buildings 69
Abstract 71
Related publications 71
iv
Executive Summary
The purpose of the project is to re-examine the present

level of provision of mechanical, electrical,
communications, monitoring, traffic control and safety
equipment provided in highway tunnels. There is concern
about the complexity and reliability of equipment and the
effect of its maintenance on traffic flows. Value for money
in operation and maintenance of equipment in tunnels is
increasingly important, and areas are sought where
economies can be made without compromising safety or
increasing congestion.
A value engineering review has been undertaken of
highway tunnel equipment. This review followed the
procedures developed from the Value for Money Manual
(Highways Agency 1996a), and comprised a value
management and value engineering workshop and
subsequent detailed reviews. The review drew heavily on
the experiences of the operators of Highways Agency and
other UK highway tunnels.
The principles of value engineering are summarised and
a specific methodology is proposed for dealing with tunnel
equipment. It was found that it was unrealistic to define
unique optimum solutions for all tunnel equipment
because of the many site specific factors associated with
highway tunnels. However, it was possible to identify the
areas in which changes were likely to have the most
significant impact on value.
For each of the main systems the function, typical
maintenance, common problems and possible alternatives
associated with the equipment, are discussed. Where
adequate information is available options have been costed
and a number of detailed value engineering reviews are
presented showing the implications of particular
alternatives. Over 60 specific areas of possible
improvement have been identified and are listed in the
report in Section 6.
This report sets out a methodology for conducting site
specific value engineering audits of highway tunnel
equipment. This methodology is intended to be appropriate
both to the initial fit out of a new tunnel and to subsequent
refitting during the life of the tunnel. The work described
in this report has also contributed to the drafting of the
advice note on highway tunnel maintenance (BA 72).
1
2
1 Introduction 1.4 Structure of report
Section 2 describes the methodology which was developed
1.1 Background from that given in the Value for Money Manual (VFMM)
The strategic aim of the Highways Agency is to contribute (Highways Agency, 1996a). Sections 3, 4 and 5 deal with
to sustainable development by maintaining, operating and the assessment of function and cost. Section 6 summarises
improving the trunk road network in support of integrated the findings and Section 7 gives conclusions and
transport and land use planning policies. Key objectives recommendations for future practice. Detailed assessment
include minimising whole life costs, implementing network results are contained in the Appendices.
control to make best use of existing infrastructure, reducing
congestion, minimising environmental impact, improving
safety, working in partnership with others to promote choice 2 Value engineering principles and
and information and improving its business. These method
objectives provide the background for this review of tunnel
equipment provision, operation and maintenance. 2.1 Definitions
Jones and Fudger (1987) reviewed all aspects of Value is defined as function divided by cost. It therefore
operation and maintenance of road tunnels for the benefit represents what is often referred to as value for money and
of promoters, designers and future operators. This report is a quantity which should be maximised wherever possible.
builds on the earlier work and deals with the application of It is not necessarily achieved through reduction in
value engineering to road tunnel equipment. The required specification (simple cost cutting). It may be achieved by an
functions and alternative choices are identified and increase in function or a reduction in cost, or a combination
improvements proposed. A value management review of of the two. Therefore key factors in determining value are
wider issues concerning tunnel procedures is reported the function of the system considered and its cost.
separately (Bird et al., 2001), and PIARC (1999) have Quantification of these elements is considered further in
reported on the reduction of the operational cost of Section 3 and Section 4 below. Value management and
highway tunnels.
value engineering are defined in the VFMM as follows:
1.2 Objectives Value management

There is concern about the complexity and reliability of A structured group decision making technique to achieve
equipment and the effect of its maintenance on traffic the essential overall objectives by reviewing and
flows. Also value for money in operation and maintenance confirming project objectives to deliver the project at the
of equipment in tunnels is increasingly important, and optimum value, consistent with required performance,
areas are sought where economies can be made without project timing and quality.
compromising safety or increasing congestion. The
primary purpose of this study is therefore to re-examine Value engineering
the present level of provision of mechanical, electrical, An organised systematic approach to obtaining value for
communications, monitoring, traffic control and safety money by enhancing the value of a project by delivering
equipment provided in highway tunnels and to provide the necessary functions and required quality at lowest
general guidance on these issues. In the course of the whole life cost.
work, however, it has become apparent that there are not
unique and general solutions to all of these issues. Broadly similar definitions are given by the Institution
Therefore a secondary purpose of the work reported here of Civil Engineers (1996), Connaughton and Green (1996)
has been to develop an appropriate and consistent and BS EN 1325-1: 1997.
methodology to address specific cases. Also the guidance In practice value engineering is often considered to be a
extends to identifying systems and possible options which subset of value management (Hayden and Parsloe, 1996).
should be addressed in any such reviews to increase the Chronologically value management normally occurs first
likelihood of an optimum solution being developed. and is concerned with overall objectives (Bird et al., 2001).
1.3 Sources of information 2.2 Approach used in this study

The review is based principally on experience of the The methodology used in this review has been developed
operators of the following tunnels: Conwy, Penmaenbach from the procedures in the VFMM. These procedures are
and Pen-y-Clip Tunnels (all on the A55), Blackwall Tunnel intended for application mainly to new projects and major
(A102), Holmesdale and Bell Common Tunnels (both on capital maintenance schemes, although the VFMM suggests
the M25), Hatfield Tunnel (A1(M)), Saltash Tunnel (A38), they could apply less formally to routine maintenance where
the Mersey Tunnels and Southwick Hill Tunnel (A27). This a number of Maintaining Agents collectively improve
group includes urban, rural, motorway and toll tunnels built techniques and processes. It is also important to note that the
over approximately the last 100 years. In addition general review was undertaken in association with a wider value
experience of tunnel operators reported at the Highways management study of tunnel procedures.
Agency Tunnel Operators’ Forums and UK Tunnel Setting out the framework for the study was
Operators’ Meetings was taken into account. accomplished by means of a value management and value
3
engineering workshop. Participants at this included associated with the equipment are discussed in Appendix
representatives from tunnel operators, the Highways D to Appendix U. Where adequate information is available
Agency (Quality Services - Civil Engineering), TRL and a options have been costed and a number of detailed value
designer. Thus most perspectives on tunnel operation were engineering reviews are included following the
represented. The workshop was led by an experienced methodology described in Section 3.3. The methodology
facilitator from the Highways Agency and included may also be understood by examining one of the worked
functional analysis, brainstorming and evaluation phases. value engineering reviews, for example see Table D1.
The functional analysis phase concentrated on Detailed analyses were carried out by the authors and
identifying and agreeing what the objectives driving the scores developed by consensus.
selection of equipment were. At this early stage the key The review results were observed to be highly dependent
objectives were considered to be maximising safety, on site specific factors and so must be regarded as being
minimising traffic delay, protecting the environment and indicative only, although they illustrate how the VFMM
minimising whole life cost. The relative importance (and principles may be applied to an individual tunnel. The
therefore weighting) to be applied to each of these factors process should be repeated on an individual basis to assess
was also considered and it was found that this depended to the likely benefits of a particular system for a particular
some extent on the observer’s viewpoint. tunnel. The differing weightings proposed by the
The brainstorming phase of the workshop was an open participants (discussed further in Section 3), illustrate the
discussion in which all were encouraged to contribute any necessity of re-evaluation of objectives and weightings to
thoughts they had on possible approaches to tunnel take account of differing local circumstances and priorities.
equipment. These were recorded by the facilitator resulting As part of the present study the generic processes of the
in the generation of a register of 100 ideas, listed in VFMM and the experiences of the workshop and reviews
Appendix A, which formed a basis for the subsequent have been used to develop a tunnel equipment specific
stages of the workshop. The nature of brainstorming is process of value engineering review. This process is
such that some ideas seem obscure, for example ‘no brillo recommended for future value engineering reviews of
pads’, and a few ideas could not be understood later. tunnel equipment. The process is illustrated in Figure 1
However these may have served to stimulate other ideas and the key parts of the methodology are described in
and so should not be regarded as inconsequential. more detail in Sections 3 to 5.
In the third phase of the workshop the ideas were
assigned scores. Each idea was given a score out of ten
based for its expected performance in meeting each of the 3 Function assessment process
key objectives in turn. These scores were then weighted to
take account of the perceived importance of each objective 3.1 Objectives and function
and a mean score derived to describe the idea’s overall In the context of value engineering the function of a
performance. In this way an overall ranking of the ideas was system is to provide the means to meet a specific objective
drawn up. The ideas were then also assigned a or objectives. These objectives are generally physical in
recommendation, either: Retain, for further development; nature. Cost is not included among the specific objectives
Park for possible later consideration; or Kill to remove from because cost issues influence the approach to each
further consideration. This was necessary because it was objective and cost minimisation is considered in a separate
recognised that some suggestions might have met the part of the value engineering process.
objectives well but were, for other reasons, unrealistic. (For The objectives, and therefore the functions, for a
example limiting tunnels to use by electric cars only scored particular system may be established using the techniques
highly in terms of environmental protection but was not of functional analysis. Using the methods described in the
considered a realistic option at present). These initial results VFMM a generic functional analysis system technique
are presented for illustration in Appendix A (it may be noted (FAST) diagram for highway tunnel equipment was
that the scoring used was somewhat different to that now prepared and presented at the workshop. This aimed to
presented as the preferred system, this reflects the evolution illustrate the relation between equipment function and the
of the process). Also at this stage, a subjective evaluation of high level objectives of tunnel operation. It was
Whole Life Cost was included as one of the objectives. subsequently further developed and the final form is
However, in later stages, when actual cost data are available, presented in Figure 2.
cost is dealt with separately from the other objectives. If a number of objectives are identified for a system it
Further discussion on the processes for effective value becomes necessary to compare the relative importance of
workshops has been given by Bird et al., (2001). each. To do this the objectives must be quantifiable in
After the workshop process was completed, subsequent common terms and this is dealt with in detail in Section 3.2.
investigation concentrated on the items identified as being It may also be necessary to weight the objectives to give
likely to bring the greatest benefits. These were appropriate emphasis to more important issues. To assist
investigated and analysed in greater detail using a both the current review and subsequent analyses the
combination of examination of case history data from workshop process was used to develop a list of what were
operators and information from designers and suppliers. judged to be the key objectives of tunnel operation,
For each of the main systems that function, typical weighted from different perspectives. The perceived
maintenance, common problems and alternatives relative importance of the different objectives will vary
4
Identify all systems
(eg ventilation system)
For each system identify all options

(eg transverse, semi-transverse or
longitudinal ventilation)
Choose first system,

and first option
Function assessment phase
Assess health and Assess availability Assess sustainability Assess any

Scoring function against
safety implications implications using implications using site-specific

using scoring in Table 2 scoring in Table 3 scoring in Table 4 objectives
objectives
Calculate function review score: multiply each

individual score by the appropriate weighting factor
from Table 1, then sum the weighted scores.
A higher score indicates a more desirable outcome.
Calculate net present

cost (npc)
Record npc & function

review score
Are other
YES Select
options available
next option
for this system?
NO
Have all
NO Select Select
systems been
considered? next system first option
YES
Divide function review score by Normalise value ratios for each

NPC for each option in each system (by dividing each by the
system to obtain value ratio. value ratio for lowest rated option).
Determine Select the combination of options which gives

available Σ(npc) = available funding, while maximising Expert review
funding the total of the value ratios.
Figure 1 Value engineering review process
5
First level objective Second level objectives Third level objectives Fourth level objectives
How >>> Weight Weight Weight <<< Why
0.40 0.34 0.34
Provide effective Ensure health and safety Ensure the safety of tunnel users Continued below
and efficient
tunnel
0.06 0.05
Ensure the safety of tunnel operators Provide safe access
0.01
Provide protective equipment
0.25 0.06 0.06
Maximise availability Reduce number of tunnel closures Provide low maintenance equipment
0.13 0.13
Minimise the effect of tunnel closures Ensure suitable alternative route
0.06 0.06
Minimise emergency closures Provide reliable equipment
0.35 0.04 0.04
Maximise sustainabilty Minimise air pollution Provide good ventilation
0.06 0.06
Minimise water pollution Provide good drainage
0.02 0.02
Minimise noise pollution Provide quiet equipment
0.23 0.23
Minimise energy consumption Provide energy efficient systems
Weighting totals 1.00 1.00 1.00
Third level objectives Fourth level objectives Fifth level objectives Sixth level objectives
How >>> Weight Weight Weight <<< Why
0.34 0.034 0.022
Continued from above Provide lighting Provide luminaires
0.006
Provide electricity Provide LV supplies
Provide distribution
Provide emergency supply

0.006
Provide control Provide plant monitor and control system
0.034 0.023 Provide control room

Provide ventilation Provide fans
0.011
Provide electricity & control etc. As above
0.057 0.034
Provide traffic control Provide signs
0.023
Provide control Provide control room
0.113 0.057
Provide traffic monitoring Provide CCTV
0.056
Provide monitors Provide control room
0.034 0.023
Provide fire fighting facilities Provide fire extinguishers
0.011
Provide fire hydrants Provide water supply
0.045 0.014
Provide communication Provide emergency telephones
0.021
Provide radio broadcasting
0.010
Provide loudspeakers
0.023 0.011
Provide drainage Provide gullies and sumps
0.006
Provide pumps
0.006
Provide electricity & control etc. As above
Weighting totals 0.340 0.340
Figure 2 FAST diagram for highway tunnel equipment
6
according to the viewpoint of the observer. This is be obtained. To do this the individual objective scores are
illustrated in Table 1 for the second level objectives for multiplied by the appropriate weightings from Table 1, and
operating a tunnel with ratings being suggested from the any site-specific objectives, and the products are summed.
viewpoints of the owner, the operator and the road user. The resulting score may be used to rank possible
These ratings were developed from discussion at the alternatives for different systems to establish their relative
workshop which contained representatives of all three merits in terms of function (but without consideration in
groups. The remainder of the discussion in this report is cost terms). A higher score represents an option which
weighted from the owner’s perspective and these offers better function.
weightings are included in the FAST diagram and Table 5 illustrates the typical results format for a review
subsequent value engineering calculations. In the case of a comparing two options. In this case option 2 is seen to
Value Engineering review of a particular tunnel, it will be offer considerably enhanced function when compared with
necessary to re-evaluate the weighting of these objectives, option 1. Whether option 2 also offers better value is a
and add any site-specific objectives, for example local separate question which requires the additional
integration with park and ride scheme. consideration of cost.
Table 1 Relative weighting of objectives

4 Cost assessment process
Viewpoint Owner Operator User
Health and safety 0.40 0.45 0.2

4.1 Costing terminology and method
Availability 0.25 0.35 0.45 Once function has been quantified it is necessary to
Sustainability 0.35 0.20 0.35 determine a cost element associated with each option being
Total 1 1 1
considered. Only once function and cost have been
quantified can value be quantified. In most cases it will also
be appropriate to consider the whole life cost rather than the
capital cost alone when making assessment of best value.
3.2 Identifying options for systems The whole life costing of present equipment and
Once the objectives for the system have been defined, alternatives in this review was carried out in accordance
possible options for equipment to meet the objectives must with the procedures set out by the Institution of Civil
be identified. This may also be achieved in the workshop Engineers (1996). Definitions of the key terms are given
environment. However, it is important that the discussion below. Calculations for specific equipment options are
is seeded with ideas to ensure that full use is made of presented in worked examples in the various Appendices
existing knowledge. The Appendices to this report will to this report. These are based on a dual two lane tunnel of
provide assistance in this respect. The discussion should 1km length and 120km/hr design speed. The cost of traffic
address each detailed objective identified in the FAST delays are calculated from the tables in the Trunk Road
diagram. Current practice and possible alternatives should Maintenance Manual (Highways Agency, 1996b) which
be identified and listed in a register of ideas which may show the daily user costs applicable under various
subsequently be used for scoring the ideas. conditions in lane rental schemes.
Net present value (NPV) or net present cost (NPC) is the
3.3 Scoring function for each option sum of money that needs to be invested today to meet all
future financial requirements as they arise throughout the
Once a list of options for a system has been identified the
life of the investment. Dale (1993)
next stage in the process is to score each option in relation to
Present cost (PC) factor is multiplied by the unit cost to
how well it meets the various objectives. To permit
obtain the total NPC, for example if a lamp currently
comparisons to be made a standardised scoring system has
costing £50 requires to be replaced every 5 years for 50
been developed which contains an element relating to each
years, the present cost factor is 2.06, at a discount rate of
main objective. It was also found necessary to introduce a
8%. The total NPV of the cost of replacement of a lamp at
standardised definition for each objective. The scoring
5, 10, 15…45 years is £50 x 2.06 = £103.
system and the definitions are presented in Table 2 to Table 4.
Value ratio is the total weighted score from a function
Individual scores should be established by consensus
review divided by the total NPC for each alternative. To
amongst informed observers in a workshop environment. It
compare options for a given system a normalised value
is also important to note that small variations in individual
ratio may be calculated by dividing each derived value
scores rarely have a significant impact on the overall result
ratio by the lowest value ratio in the group.
so lengthy discussion of minor points of detail is unlikely to
In the present calculations the discount rate has been
be very beneficial in this process.
taken as 6% in accordance with current guidelines.
A minimum score of unity is used in Table 2 to Table 4,
rather than zero, to remove the risk of a mathematical
singularity occurring. The distortion produced by this is 4.2 Factors that influence costs
unlikely to be of any significance. PIARC (1999) has listed the general influence of the
Once a given suggestion has been scored for each of the various systems on the overall energy and maintenance
three main objectives an overall function review score may costs for a highway tunnel. Table 6 summarises the
7
Table 2 Health and safety scoring
Health and Safety: the extent to which the option being considered will provide safe and healthy conditions for those using the tunnel or working in
and around it.
100 Provides an environment free of any health and safety risks.

75 Health and safety risks judged to be minor relative to other risks associated with the highway. Risks also judged to be substantially below the
limit of tolerability.
50 Health and safety risks judged to be similar to those associated with other established highway infrastructure.
25 Health and safety risks judged to be major relative to other risks associated with the highway. Risks approaching the limit of tolerability.
1 Fatal.
Table 3 Availability scoring
Availability: the extent to which the option being considered will permit the facility to be available for normal use. In the context of a highway tunnel
this will generally be a measure of the lane and/or bore closure requirement associated with the option.
100 Full availability at all times (no closures required).

75 Has the potential to be operated and maintained with substantially less closures than the normally accepted level.
50 Requires the maximum currently accepted level of closures.
25 Requires substantially more than the maximum currently accepted level of closures.
1 Nil availability.
Table 4 Sustainability scoring
Sustainability: the extent to which the option being considered protects the resources and the environment for future generations. Thus options which
involve high consumption of energy and primary resources or which generate high levels of pollution would be rated as having low
sustainability.
100 Sustainable. Imposes no limitations on future generations.

75 Substantial benefit in terms of sustainability, for example the option may substantially reduce energy and resource consumption and/or
substantially reduce pollution.
50 Similar to other currently accepted options in terms of resource consumption and pollution.
25 Substantial disadvantage in terms of sustainability, for example the option may substantially increase energy and resource consumption and/or
substantially increase pollution.
1 Unsustainable.
Table 5 Example function review table Table 6 Influence of system on energy and maintenance
costs in UK
Option 1 Option 2
Cost influence
Objective Importance rating Rating (1-100) Rating (1-100)
Availability 0.25 50 75 System Capital Energy Maintenance
Sustainability 0.35 50 75
Health and safety 0.40 50 60 Choice of power supply tariff Low High1 Low
Internal power distribution High Low Moderate
Total weighted score 50 69 Service building equipment Moderate Low Moderate
Emergency power supplies Low Low Moderate
Lighting High High High
Ventilation Moderate Moderate High
Drainage (tunnel with sump) Moderate High Moderate
Drainage (no sumps) Low Low Low
Communications Low Low Moderate
Traffic monitoring Low Low Moderate
Traffic control Low Low Low
Plant monitoring and Moderate Low Low
control equipment
1
Tariff may be dependent on factors such as peak lopping.
8
influence of various systems on the overall capital, energy Consideration was given to normalising the cost data,
and maintenance costs for a UK tunnel. This table is for example maintenance cost per fan. However this was
derived from available cost information but it should be thought to be unsatisfactory because:
noted that the influences may vary significantly from i Unit rates within maintenance contracts or cost centres
tunnel to tunnel. Particular emphasis in any value used by tunnel operators may not be consistent. For
engineering review should be placed on the high cost example: one subcontract may cover various items of
items. Thus, for example, it may be seen from Table 6 that equipment; maintenance cost centres do not necessarily
lighting contributes significantly to capital and running correspond to capital cost items; or administrative costs
costs and therefore the lighting system should be a may or may not be included.
particular focus of value review. ii Because of practical problems with data collection the
data were largely based on a limited set of tunnels.
4.3 Cost data In view of the limitations of current information and
Cost data for use in the value review process was sought statistical or theoretical approaches to cost prediction,
from a range of sources. The PIARC Technical Committee consideration was given to the means of introducing cost
on Road Tunnels (PIARC, 1999) have studied the into the value engineering review. The approach adopted
reduction of operational cost. It assembled earlier studies follows the VFMM principles and combines the qualitative
and existing cost data from tunnels across Europe. It also and quantitative consideration of cost. The reviews, at the
recognised the benefit of making cost comparisons workshop and subsequently, included qualitative
between tunnels of similar form and operating conditions, assessments of the impact of ideas on whole life cost.
but deriving trends through statistical analysis has proved Where quantitative analysis was reasonable, value
unsuccessful, largely because of inadequacies in the engineering reviews were conducted incorporating a whole
available data. In an attempt to remedy this situation a life cost comparison of alternatives.
theoretical unit cost model is being developed for the HA Like the function review this approach to cost is of a
by TRL. Such a model provides an indication of cost generalised nature and can only be applied with caution to
trends based on a few key parameters, for example length, a specific case. However, the data do serve to illustrate
number of lanes, bi-directional or un-directional, gradient how whole life cost principles may be applied to an
and orientation. In such a model costs are based typically individual tunnel and give guidance about alternatives that
on overall costs using current best practice, but could not might be considered in an individual design. Detailed and
accommodate the choice between, for example, alternative accurate costing is only possible after detailed design for a
types of corrosion protection of luminaires. The model specific tunnel, nonetheless, the current costs assembled in
also requires calibration with current costs. the Appendices will be a source of data for designers.
PIARC (1987) also showed that operational costs on Life expectancy of equipment in the reviews was based
average divide approximately equally into energy, staff on guidance provided in BD 78/99 (DMRB 2.2.9) unless
and maintenance costs (Table 7). other information was available, for example from a
manufacturer of specific equipment or from the direct
Table 7 Operational costs for 1984 (PIARC 1987) experience of operators. However, it should be noted that,
because of discounting, costs after about 20 to 30 years
Average percentage breakdown of total annual operational cost have little influence on whole life cost.
Maintenance
5 Review and decision phase
Civil Number of
Staff Energy engineering Equipment tunnels
Once the function and cost assessment phases of the
36% 33% 31% 112 value engineering process have been completed and the
11% 20% results recorded the final stages of the process involve
(0. 15% of civil (1.75% of 81 review of the findings and their use in decision making
engineering equipment (as shown in Figure 1).
capital cost) capital cost) To achieve this the results should be tabulated and
ranked according to the value ratio scores. Thus the option
Despite extensive efforts collection of comprehensive which gives the greatest expected value benefit will appear
historical cost data relating to UK tunnel equipment has at the top of the list. Once a final form of the ranked list
proved problematic. This was due to a combination of has been agreed the ideas showing the best gain in value
factors including commercial sensitivities and differences for the systems should be selected for implementation. In
in the ways in which such expenditure has been recorded. practice this implementation may be influenced by
Notwithstanding these difficulties recent capital and financial constraints and so it may be necessary to restrict
maintenance cost data covering most systems have been works to a subset of the proposals. If this is the case the
assembled for a number of UK tunnels. These summaries ranked results may be used to select a combination of
are tabulated in Appendix C with comparable overseas measures which gives the highest return (in added value
data. Other, more detailed, cost data relating to specific terms) for the available capital expenditure. Alternative
equipment are included in the Appendices dealing with strategies, such as maximising function, could also be
specific systems. chosen and may be applicable in some situations.
9
At this stage someone with a good working knowledge iii when there are major changes in technology available in
of tunnel equipment and the site under consideration the market place;
should review the findings to identify any ‘rogue’ results iv periodically during the operational life of a tunnel to
or options which can be seen to be inappropriate for a ensure that best value is achieved in ongoing operation.
particular case despite scoring highly in the workshop (It may for example be useful to conduct value review
process. This peer review should be seen as an integral part processes at the time of principal inspections.)
of the value engineering process and may have a
significant impact on the outcome. When a value engineering study is conducted for a
particular tunnel it should include both functional analysis
(to identify the required systems) and a system-specific
6 Summary of findings review of options. The functional analysis stage may be
seeded with ideas from the analysis presented in Figure 2.
The value review process undertaken in this study has For reviews of options for particular systems the process
demonstrated that there are a large number of possible should be seeded with ideas from the relevant Appendices
developments and refinements for tunnel equipment which of this report. However, it is expected that the most
would result in either improved function, lower whole life beneficial options will be found to be amongst those listed
cost or both. Some of these developments will only be in Section 6.
applicable to new build, others may be relevant to the
ongoing operation or refurbishment of existing tunnels.
The benefits may be of various types. Some benefits are 8 Acknowledgements
directly quantifiable in cost terms through potentially
reduced capital cost or lower whole life cost due to The work described in this report was carried out in the
reduced maintenance and lower energy consumption. A Infrastructure Division of the Transport Research
second group of benefits are those which may bring Laboratory and by the North East Wales Partnership -
improvements in function such as: better safety, better Trunk Road Agency. Further support was provided by
availability, reduced environmental impact or optimised Symonds Group Limited.
maintenance regimes. Other benefits may arise through The authors wish to thank the following for their formal
simple changes which would enhance durability of and informal assistance in this study: Cornwall County
equipment to overcome problems commonly observed in Council, Mott MacDonald Limited, PB Kennedy &
existing tunnel equipment. Donkin Limited, Mersey Tunnels, Parkman Limited,
It is also clear from the review process that the optimum Haden Building Maintenance Limited, the members of the
solution for one tunnel may not apply to another. Indeed HA Tunnel Operators’ Forum and the members of the UK
prescription of a universal set of detailed recommendations Tunnel Operators’ Forum. Additionally Mr John Mather
for all highway tunnels appears most unlikely to represent
(Highways Agency) acted as facilitator for the initial
best value. Therefore, it is important that a systematic
workshop sessions.
review methodology is available to identify the best options
for any given tunnel. Ideally this should be undertaken
within a wider value management based approach to tunnel 9 References
operation such as that described by Bird et al., (2001).
The key findings for each type of tunnel system are Bennett H J, Chudleigh M F, Halbert M P and Oswald
summarised in Table 8 to Table 18 as recommendations. G K A (1984). The application of microelectronics to the
In many cases these are not absolute but rather control of highway tunnels. Supplementary Report SR833.
suggestions that a specific option should be considered Crowthorne: TRL Limited.
(reflecting the site specific variations in what constitutes
best practice). The full findings and supporting Bird S (1999). Review of tunnel lighting levels in BS5489.
discussion are presented in Appendix B to Appendix U Project Report PR/CE/203/99. Crowthorne: TRL Limited.
(and cross-referenced in the tables below). These
(Unpublished report available on direct personal
Appendices include detailed descriptions of systems,
application only)
system maintenance, typical costs (where available),
common issues and problems, possible alternatives and
Bird S, Potter J E, Hiller D M and Bowers K H (2001).
illustrative value engineering review calculations.
Value management for tunnel procedures. TRL Report
TRL448. Crowthorne: TRL Limited.
7 Recommendations van Bommel W J M and de Boer J B (1980). Road
To obtain improved value it is recommended that the value lighting. Philips Technical Library.
engineering review procedures described in this report
should be applied in the following situations: British Standards Institution (1986-1992). Fire
extinguishing installations and equipment on premises.
i design of a new highway tunnel and its equipment;
British Standard 5306: Parts 0-5. London: British
ii design of systems and equipment for highway tunnel Standards Institution.
refurbishment;
10
British Standards Institution (1992). Code of practice for PIARC (Permanent International Association of Road
the lighting of tunnels and underpasses. British Standard Congresses) (1987). Distribution of the operational cost of
5489 : Part 7. London: British Standards Institution. road tunnels. Technical committee report on road tunnels.
Working group operation-maintenance-management.
British Standards Institution (1997). Value management, Permanent International Association of Road Congresses.
value analysis, functional analysis vocabulary. Part 1.
Value analysis and functional analysis. British Standard PIARC (Permanent International Association of Road
BS EN 1325-1. London: British Standards Institution. Congresses) (1999). Reduction of operational cost –
report and recommendations. Technical committee on
CEN (European committee for standardization) (1996). road tunnels. Working group No 1. Permanent
Tunnel lighting. CEN/TC 169/WG 6 N 121E, 9th draft, International Association of Road Congresses. Preliminary
September 1996. report of 17 January 1999.
Connaughton J N and Green S D (1996). Value Sovik O L (1994). Tunnel cost in Norway - Practical use
management in construction: a clients guide. CIRIA of life cycle cost. Hordaland, Norway: Public Road
Special Publication 129. London: Construction Industry Administration, April 1994.
Research and Information Association.
Vejlby Thomsen L and Gudum J (1995). New Nordic
Dale S J (1993). Introduction to whole life costing. In: guidelines for tunnel lighting. XXth World Road Congress.
Life Cycle Costing for Construction, edited by Bull JW. Montreal: Permanent International Association of Road
Glasgow: Blackie Academic and Professional. Congresses. pp 195-200.
Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. London: The Zuman N (1997). Street lighting and illuminated traffic
Stationery Office. signs; in, Highway maintenance handbook. Second
BD 53/95 Inspection and records for road tunnels Edition. Ed K Atkinson. London: Thomas Telford
(DMRB 3.1.6). Publishing, pp 251–256.
BA 72 (in preparation) Maintenance of highway
tunnels.
BD 78/99 Design of road tunnels (DMRB 2.2.9).
TA 72/97 National motorway communications system
(DMRB 9.4.1).
Haack A (1998). Integration: a vital approach. Tunnel

Management International. October 1998.
Hayden G W and Parsloe C J (1996). Value engineering

of building services. Application Guide 15/96. The
Building Services Research and Information Association.
Health and Safety Executive (2000). Occupational

exposure limits 2000. Report EH 40/2000. Health and
Safety Executive.
Highways Agency (1996a). The value for money manual.

London: The Stationery Office.
Highways Agency (1996b). Trunk road maintenance

manual. London: The Stationery Office.
Institution of Civil Engineers (1996). Creating value in

engineering. London: Thomas Telford Publishing.
Jones S T and Fudger G (1987). Planning and design

considerations for road tunnels: The influence of operation
and maintenance. Contractor Report CR41. Crowthorne:
TRL Limited.
11
Table 8 General issues (Appendix B)
Recommendation Nature of likely benefit
Design teams should include representatives with experience of operation and maintenance. Ease and efficiency of maintenance.
Mechanical, electrical and civil engineering design should not be prepared in isolation from Widespread benefits, e.g. Whole life
one another. costs, safety, ease of maintenance.
Common standards for software and interfaces would simplify future upgrades of plant Whole life cost.
monitoring and environmental control systems, thus reducing upgrade costs.
Standardisation of common parts or consumables should be sought wherever possible. Whole life cost, simplified supply chain.
Condition monitoring should be considered in lieu of manual inspections. This may reduce Whole life cost, reliability.
cost but is also desirable for its ability to predict failure more reliably.
Design should aim to minimise the need for lane or bore closures for maintenance. Safety, availability.
Where safety considerations require a separate escape bore, consideration should be Safety, availability.
given to locating equipment requiring frequent access in that bore.
Design should aim to minimise the need for special skills for maintenance. Less special skills needed.
An area should be reserved for use as a maintenance contractor’s compound. Ease of maintenance.
Access covers in the carriageway, particularly in the wheel tracks, should be avoided. Safety, durability.
Specific consideration should be given to protection of electro-mechanical systems from water ingress. Safety, durability.
Table 9 Ventilation system (Appendix D)
Consider alternatives to manufacturer’s recommended maintenance intervals, for example Whole life cost.
through condition monitoring.
Consider the use of reversible motors and bi-directional impellers to avoid maintenance Whole life cost.
problems associated with variable pitch fans.
Consider operator intervention during traffic congestion, such as: ‘TURN ENGINE OFF’ Whole life cost, environment.
signs and radio messages, or restricting queuing in the tunnel.
Consider whether mechanical ventilation is needed in tunnels less than 575m long. Whole life cost, capital cost, environment.
Consider the use of fewer, more powerful fans. Capital cost, reduced maintenance.
Consider the use of electronic soft starters. Function (faster response).
Table 10 Lighting system (Appendix E)
Consider using threshold lighting in accordance with the method in draft CEN (1996) rather Whole life cost (less energy).
than that in BS5489: Part7: 1992,
On climbing approaches to tunnels consideration should be given to a reduction of SSD. Whole life cost (less energy).
Experience outside the UK provides a strong case for considering the use of counterbeam Whole life cost (less energy).
lighting installation. Trials may be necessary to prove its appropriateness in UK conditions.
Reduce the luminance of surfaces visible in the access zone and take measures to increase visibility. Whole life cost (less energy).
Use front access luminaires rather than end access luminaires. Easier maintenance.
Consider likely in-tunnel corrosion effects in detailed design of luminaires and supports. Avoid Durability.
contact between dissimilar metals.
Consider dimmable control gear for new or refurbished lighting installations. Whole life cost (less energy).
Optimising lighting switching levels and time delays in design and during maintenance. Whole life cost (less energy).
Regularly recalibrate photometers and lighting control equipment. Whole life cost (less energy).
Optimise lamp cleaning and replacement intervals by trials in short sections of the tunnel. Whole life cost (optimised maintenance).
12
Table 11 Pumped drainage systems (Appendix F)
Consider dual mid-tunnel sumps, dual outflow pipes and dry wells for tunnel sumps. Safety, availability, ease of maintenance.
Consider the use of soft starters or variable speed controllers for pump control. Durability.
Consider alternatives to manufacturer’s recommended maintenance intervals, for example Whole life cost.
through condition monitoring.
Consider whether the assurance provided by condition monitoring is sufficient to reduce
the number of pumps in the system. Capital cost.
Consider low maintenance level detection and duty cycling controls. Whole life cost (less energy).
Table 12 Fire protection systems (Appendix G)
Consider AFFF extinguishers rather than dry powder to avoid the dangers posed by inappropriate use. Avoid visibility problems.
Establish reliable procedures with the local water company for advanced notification of planned Availability.
maintenance to fire hydrants and water mains and put appropriate contingencies in place to allow the
tunnel to continue to operate.
Site nitrogen bottles used within nitrogen-foam flooding systems at locations not susceptible to Reduce damage risk.
vehicular impact damage.
Table 13 Communications and traffic control systems (Appendix H to Appendix K)
Advanced testing facilities to be built in to all new and replacement tunnel emergency telephone systems. Ease of maintenance.
New telephone systems should, whenever possible, be based on existing proprietary equipment. Ease of maintenance, simple supply chain.
The necessity of maintaining smoke control and internal telephone systems, where alternative means Avoid duplication of equipment.
of communication exist, should be reviewed.
Include text transmission facilities in radio relay systems. Aid to maintenance staff.
Consider replacing some pan, tilt and zoom CCTV cameras with increased numbers of fixed CCD cameras. Capital cost.
Consider digital CCTV cameras. Enhanced function.
Base tunnel signing control systems on generic designs (for example NMCS2). Simplified supply chain.
Base all new internally illuminated tunnel signs on LED technology. Durability, whole life cost (less energy).
Consider enhanced message signs using LEDs with integral battery support and battery management in Reduced maintenance.
preference to rotating prism signs.
Table 14 Environmental control system and plant monitoring (Appendix L)
Provide separate control systems for safety critical items used in emergency control procedures. Safety, availability.
Give special attention to the robustness of instrumentation located in the tunnel and seek to Durability, availability.
minimise its maintenance.
Advanced computer technology in tunnel ECSs is preferred. Reliability.
Systems integration, based on the tunnel ECS communications system, should be considered to Ease of maintenance, reliability.
reduce the number of system components.
13
Table 15 Electrical distribution and protection systems (Appendix M to Appendix R)
Consider use of peak lopping with tunnel generators. Whole life cost (lower supply tariff).
Consider whether twin generators suitable for peak lopping are an acceptable alternative Whole life cost.
to providing duplicate HV supply.
Use condition monitoring to schedule maintenance for transformers. Whole life cost, optimised maintenance,
reliability.
Check tightness of connections on LV systems during routine maintenance, taking care to System reliability.
avoid over-tightening. Alternatively consider the use of thermography to identify loose connections.
Use LED indicator lights in LV switchboards. Reliability.
Eliminate tripping and closing units as far as possible in the electrical distribution system. Reliability.
Where battery tripping and closing units are necessary, combine monitoring of batteries with Avoid duplication of equipment.
any other battery system provided.
Use split earthing systems to allow testing without entirely disconnecting the electrical Safety.
distribution from a safe earth.
Locate panels away from traffic where possible. Ease of maintenance, reduced risk of
damage.
Give special attention to corrosion risk and watertightness of panels. Durability.
Table 16 Emergency power supplies (Appendix S)
Condition monitoring of UPS batteries should be considered in all new tunnel installations, Whole life cost.
and UPS replacements.
Consider the use of a generator rather than battery power where power interruptions longer Whole life cost.
than 15 minutes are to be covered.
Table 17 Cabling and M&E support systems (Appendix T)
Tunnel service routes should be designed to be as dry as possible. Durability.

The greater use of appropriate grades of industrial plastics, for tunnel cable trays,
conduits and certain supporting systems should be considered. Durability.
Table 18 Tunnel service buildings (Appendix U)
Consider minimisation of cable runs when choosing service building location. Capital cost.
Consider integration with portal structures and ventilation structures. Capital cost.
Provide a single operator interface. Removes duplication.
14
Appendix A: Results of internal value engineering workshop
Workshop results Internal value engineering review score
Weighting
Whole Life Cost (WLC) 0.50

Environment (E) 0.25
Traffic Delay (TD) 0.10
Description and summary of discussion at Safety (S) 0.15
Idea Ideas ranked in order workshop and recommendation. Retain
No. of internal review score unless shown Park (P) or Kill (K) WLC E TD S Total
29 Higher pay for operators Means better training and qualification of 9 7 8 8 8.25
operators, need to develop standard job
descriptions, qualification and continuing training.
16 Condition monitoring Thought to be an excellent option for new

installations. 8 7 7 7 7.5
4 LEDs for tunnel lighting Technology does not exist at present. P 8 7 6 7 7.4
97 Design tunnel ‘to’ M&E Means considering needs of M&E equipment 8 7 6 7 7.4
and not fit around it from initial design stages.
87 QA systems for operators Sensible QA schemes, that avoid needless

paperwork, should lead to better quality procedures. 7 7 7 8 7.15
37 Reliability of funding The then current annual bidding cycle encouraged 7 6 8 8 7

a short term view, funding over a longer term allows
better planning and better choices.
67 Ensure tunnel is waterproof Thought to be the preferred option, but difficult to 7 7 6 7 6.9
achieve in practice.
84 Use LEDs not bulbs on Bulbs on distribution panels fail frequently. LEDs 8 6 5 6 6.9
distribution boards are more reliable and are available now, so this idea
should be implemented.
98 Exclude Civil contractor from Means that M&E equipment should not be designed 7 7 6 7 6.9
M&E equipment - take specialist wholly from civils view. Linked with idea 97.
advice
99 Design for maintainability Means taking a view of Whole Life Costs in design. 7 7 6 7 6.9
and durability
83 Replace battery UPS with Technology does not exist at present. P 7 7 5 7 6.8
fuel cells Development of technology will be driven by
needs wider than those of tunnels.
1 Internally illuminated signs Means substituting more reliable LEDs for 7 7 6 6 6.75
bulbs and fibre optics.
47 Regional tunnel control centres Centralisation of control for several tunnels 7 6 7 7 6.75
` will result in economies.
80 All electric road vehicles Technology does not exist at present. K 7 8 5 5 6.75
Development of technology will be driven by
95 ‘Performance’ maintenance These should ensure standards maintained, 7 7 6 6 6.75

contracts particularly towards end of contract period.
103 Counter beam lighting Idea added after workshop. 8 7 5 3 6.7
30 Dimming control Potential energy savings, but possible increase P 7 7 5 6 6.65

in maintenance cost and shorter lamp life.
Technology review required.
50 Stainless steel that does not rust Idea not considered viable. K 7 6 6 7 6.65
96 Preventative maintenance Already practised, but use of condition 6 7 7 8 6.65

monitoring would improve the technique.
23 Automatic closure barriers Physical barriers instead of coning. Capital 5 8 7 9 6.55

investment required but improves safety of
for operator and results in cheaper and faster
tunnel closure.
15
24 Automatic cross-over barriers As idea 23. 6 6 7 9 6.55
in central reservation
15 Simple equipment design Designers already consider this. 7 6 6 6 6.5
18 No access covers on road surface Should be possible at design stage to remove 6 6 8 8 6.5
requirement for these. Covers on wheel tracks
should be avoided.
48 Commonality of spares Requires standardisation of designs. Many 8 5 5 5 6.5
advantages. Disadvantages are obsolescence
and reduction of competition.
92 Mandatory permit to access Utility providers with services in tunnels often 5 8 8 8 6.5
enter without notice. Generally thought better to
avoid services in tunnels, or ensure agreements
with utility providers control of access.
93 ‘Control’ rights of utilities As idea 92. 5 8 8 8 6.5
79 Prohibit hazardous loads Topic is widely discussed elsewhere and not K 7 4 6 9 6.45
within the scope of the workshop.
73 Analysis of incident and Problems of differing standards and unnecessary 6 7 6 7 6.4
maintenance reports records. Well planned recording system should
result in better feedback and overall improvement
of standards.
85 Provide breakdown recovery This depends on individual tunnels, many have 6 6 7 8 6.4
nearby facilities so no need for dedicated staff.
Relatively few breakdowns so not thought a cost
effective solution.
10 No lighting Would save energy, but reduce safety. Standards K 8 8 2 1 6.35
exist for lighting levels. Idea not considered viable.
71 Fewer, bigger fans Reduces capital and maintenance costs, but still K 7 7 5 4 6.35
need a certain number of fans to provide
redundancy when one fan out of operation.
21 Mandatory speed control Speed control during maintenance works, similar 6 6 7 7 6.25
to motorway roadwork operations. Recommended.
33 Tube lights Light distributing pipes offer many advantages for 7 6 5 5 6.25
maintenance, but new technology requires
investigation.
52 No ‘brillo pads’ Means avoiding abrasive brushes for wall cleaning. K 7 6 5 5 6.25
Idea not considered viable.
82 Standard approach to manning, Nationally agreed standards might make planning 6 6 7 7 6.25
operations and maintenance at each tunnel easier and avoid missing important
considerations.
86 Eliminate hard shoulders Reduces capital cost. Depends on wider route
considerations. 8 7 2 2 6.25
88 Use lightweight gantries Lighter cheaper structures now required by 7 6 5 5 6.25
HA standards have lower capital but higher
maintenance cost.
25 Eliminate cones for closures See ideas 23 and 24. 5 7 7 8 6.15
51 Standardisation of equipment See idea 48. 7 5 5 6 6.15
28 Better control of over-height Other research suggests road layout should require 6 5 6 8 6.05
vehicles drivers to choose to drive through tunnel.
3 Self cleaning lights Non stick coating, e.g. ‘Teflon’ may reduce need for 6 6 6 6 6
cleaning. Requires further investigation.
5 Self cleaning walls See idea 3. 6 6 6 6 6
6 Self cleaning fans See idea 3. Particularly applies to fan body. 6 6 6 6 6
13 No duplication of equipment Means single HV supply may have sufficient 7 6 4 4 6
reliability, electricity supplies generally becoming
more reliable.
26 Pop-up cones These might jam and fail, considered impracticable. K 5 7 7 7 6
38 Heat pumps for service buildings Increased capital cost, but reduced energy cost. 6 7 5 5 6
Sound idea.
40 Generate own power See idea 35. K 7 4 6 6 6
16
42 Sell ‘space’ to utilities Income of benefit to owner of tunnel, but causes 6 7 5 5 6
problems in operation, e.g. providing access for
maintenance, and possible leakage. Should avoid
high energy supplies e.g. HV and high pressure gas.
46 Reduce lighting when tunnel Higher capital cost, but lower energy cost. Possible 6 7 5 5 6
is congested problems of reliability. System would form part of
advance lighting control.
62 Privatise tunnels Idea not considered viable. K 7 5 5 5 6
63 On-line maintenance manuals Present systems requires paper manuals and plans. 6 6 6 6 6
and help facilities Computer storage allows faster access, particularly
in emergencies. Increased capital cost and need to
consider back up.
64 Expert systems See idea 63. 6 6 6 6 6
65 Relational databases See idea 63. 6 6 6 6 6
66 Use Virtual Reality models See idea 63. 6 6 6 6 6
91 Reduce number of operators Consistency of approach would offer savings. 6 6 6 6 6
Longer response times. Overload in event of
incident. Tunnels in UK are widely spaced, so
fewer operators would each cover a wide area.
102 Need for backup HV supplies Idea added after workshop. See idea 13. 7 6 4 4 6
34 Optical fibres Light from central lamp distributed by optical K 6 6 5 6 5.9
fibres. Idea impractical.
9 More accessible control panels Remove panels to service tunnel. Greatly increased 6 5 6 6 5.75
capital costs. Need emergency panels to be located
in road tunnel.
60 Standard response times Idea not considered viable. K 5 6 7 7 5.75
72 Use item 66 for operator training Use virtual reality for training operators in normal 5 6 7 7 5.75
and emergency procedures without entering tunnels
therefore cheaper and safer. Requires VR model to
exist which should be available for a new tunnel.
8 Better lighting control panels Corrosion is a major problem with existing 7 5 5 3 5.7
(plastics) stainless steel designs. Plastics should be
investigated, but offer less impact resistance.
74 Prioritise on high impact See idea 73. 5 5 6 9 5.7
incidents
7 Better lighting supports Stainless steel supports are complex construction, 6 5 5 6 5.65
but no particular alternatives were formulated.
22 Better information for drivers VMS warnings provide advance information on 5 5 7 8 5.65
hazards. Network issue.
57 Simplified Man Machine Computer control of equipment from control room 6 5 5 6 5.65
Interface improves operational control.
75 Standardise recording and See idea 73. 6 5 5 6 5.65
reporting
54 ‘Engine-off’ signs automatic Cutting engines when stopped should reduce 5 6 5 7 5.55
emissions and save on ventilation energy costs.
In-tunnel matrix signals thought better.
36 Dust extraction Filters and electrostatic precipitators improve air K 4 7 7 7 5.5
quality/ avoid need for ventilation ducts.
Application limited to very long tunnels.
41 Change electricity tariff Economies by bulk purchase of electricity and at 6 5 5 5 5.5
appropriate tariff should reduce energy costs.
49 Disposable light fittings Idea not considered viable. K 7 3 5 5 5.5
68 Use tile linings Easier to clean and good reflectivity, higher 4 7 7 7 5.5
capital but lower maintenance costs. May be
cheaper ways of achieving same objectives.
76 Report responses and Idea was not fully recorded at workshop. K 6 5 5 5 5.5
effectiveness of
77 Simplify fund-bidding process See idea 37. 6 5 5 5 5.5
17
58 In-tunnel fire protection systems Idea not developed at workshop because 4 6 7 8 5.4
of limited time.
61 Development of statistical Idea not developed at workshop because of 5 5 6 7 5.4
techniques limited time.
45 Active noise suppression for Noise cancellation (of fans) would improve safety 4 7 5 7 5.3
ventilation during emergencies and maintenance. Solutions
may exist with passive silencers.
69 Fireproof the roof Fire resistant coatings would result in less K 4 6 6 8 5.3
structural damage by fire. Extra capital cost and
possibly reduced cost of repair following a fire.
Tunnel fires rare therefore idea not considered
worthwhile.
56 Programmed emergency Current sequences listed in manual, with computer 4 5 6 9 5.2
sequences control of equipment these can be pre-programmed.
Could reduce operator overload in emergencies.
Backup required. Sequences requires careful thought
in application.
12 Provide service tunnels See idea 9. 4 5 7 8 5.15
35 Emergency generators for rock Emergency generators provided where reliance 4 5 7 8 5.15
tunnels placed on dual HV supplies. See also idea 13.
39 Micro-wave link Problems with links from tunnel to remote control 6 4 5 4 5.1
room. Existing systems are satisfactory if properly
engineered.
55 Auto incident detection Systems to alert operators to an incident. 4 5 6 8 5.05
Technology is available and should be introduced
as appropriate.
59 Sprinklers Idea not considered viable at workshop. K 4 5 6 8 5.05
Further review being undertaken.
11 Auto vehicle guidance Development of technology will be driven by 4 5 7 7 5
14 Remove need to access during Remove local control facilities from tunnel, 4 4 8 8 5
normal operation e.g. auto reset. Reduced access to tunnel reduces
traffic disruption.
89 Stagger jet fans Easier maintenance access to side of fans. Avoids 5 5 5 5 5
loss of multiple units in fires. But more vehicle
movements during maintenance.
94 Charge utilities for consequent Charge utilities for costs of access. See idea 92. 5 5 5 5 5
costs
43 Intelligent CCTV Control CCTV based on electronic image 4 5 6 7 4.9
processing . See idea 55.
44 No phones Considered unacceptable. K 6 5 3 2 4.85
19 Lights on walls Moving lights to lower level would provide easier K 5 4 5 5 4.75
access for maintenance, but reduce effectiveness of
lighting.
78 Continuous catenary lights Lights on chain that can be pulled out of tunnel for 6 3 5 3 4.7
light replacement. Considered practically difficult.
32 Electrostatic precipitators See idea 36. 3 7 5 6 4.65
27 No 3-lane 2-directional tunnels Relates to the operational problems at Saltash 3 4 7 9 4.55
tunnel.
81 All tunnels to have maintenance Contractors normally provide their own vehicles. K 4 4 5 7 4.55
vehicles
31 Travelling wave of light Only applicable in long, low flow tunnels. K 4 4 6 6 4.5
101 Daylight screens Idea added after workshop. 5 3 5 5 4.5
2 Fail-safe equipment Main application for signs. Fans and light failures 3 5 6 7 4.4
normally left until next closures. Saves costs and
traffic delays resulting from unplanned
maintenance, but extra capital cost of duplication.
100 Paint tunnels in pastel colours Idea not developed at workshop because 3 6 5 4 4.1
of limited time.
18
20 Speed ramps in tunnels Results in risk of traffic bunching and K 4 4 3 5 4.05
rear-end collisions.
70 Disposable fans More use of disposable parts, reducing K 4 3 5 5 4
maintenance time. Judged not to save
overall costs.
90 No stagger-start - provide Stagger starts of fans required to avoid circuit 3 4 5 6 3.9
override for emergencies overload results in slower emergency response.
Modern fans are able to start quickly so this was
not viewed as a problem.
53 No washing - of tunnels Idea not considered viable. K 4 4 4 2 3.7
17 No maintenance No planned maintenance, i.e. run equipment K 1 1 3 1 1.2
to destruction. Likely to increase overall costs.
19
Appendix B: General issues
B.1 Introduction B.5 Condition monitoring
In the conclusions of their review Jones and Fudger (1987) The use of condition monitoring allows maintenance
commented that promoters and designers of new tunnels intervals to be optimised. Techniques such as vibration
need to be more aware of the requirements and problems of analysis, line current spectrum analysis, oil debris analysis
their operation and maintenance. Discussions with tunnel and shock pulse monitoring enable the condition of
operators at the value engineering and value management equipment and need for maintenance or repair to be
workshop and at other times indicate that this is still true. assessed. They can be used to optimise the maintenance
This appendix draws together general issues, which should regime and quantify any reason for adjusting recommended
be addressed by designers, which are not included in the maintenance intervals specified for individual items of
detailed reviews of individual equipment types. equipment. Particular applications of condition monitoring
are discussed in Sections D.5 and F.6 below.
B.2 Integration of all aspects of design and planning
Designers have reported that insufficient consideration is B.6 Access for maintenance
given to requirements of mechanical and electrical
Tunnel operators continue to report difficulties of access
equipment in determining the tunnel cross-section and
layout. In the planning stage, topography may be exploited for maintenance (see for example Section D.3 describing
to avoid the need for mechanical ventilation or make insufficient space around jet fans). Also an instance is
construction and escape shafts possible (Haack, 1998). reported of pipework installed without rodding access.
Jones and Fudger (1987) report a common problem of Access arrangements have implications for safety as well
reduction of tunnel cross-section to the minimum which as for maintenance costs and duration, and should be
limits cost of construction without due consideration being addressed fully in designs.
given to requirements for maintenance of services. The Consideration should be given to access that does not
provision of a service tunnel or use of fewer, more require lane or bore closures, or only requires lane closure
powerful fans (discussed in Sections D.5 and M.5 below) instead of bore closure, for example through appropriate
provide examples of how aspects of civil, mechanical and location of sumps and provision of service tunnels. Such
electrical design should not be considered in isolation. measures reduce disruption to traffic and have the
advantage that maintenance may be carried out in normal
B.3 Standardisation between Highways Agency tunnels working hours when work is likely to be to a better quality,
Many items of electrical and mechanical equipment are at lower cost and more easily checked.
designed and manufactured specifically for each tunnel Certain tunnel systems require the use of specified
project, so that there is little or no commonality between methods of working employing specialised skills. For
equipment installed in one tunnel and another. It has been example, working in confined spaces (such a sumps or
suggested that greater specification of standardised cable ducts) requires specific ‘Confined Entry’ training.
equipment could lead to cost savings, particularly when Similarly, the operation of a high voltage network requires
purchasing replacement parts. However, it is considered personnel to be ‘Authorised Persons’. During the design
that standardisation would have little impact on installation phase for the tunnel it may be possible to arrange the
or operating costs. The main benefits would be seen in design such that the requirement for the operator to
greater commonality of some replacement parts, reduction maintain certain specialised skills is reduced or eliminated.
of the risk of obsolescence and possible reductions in This expedient will reduce the overall maintenance costs.
stocks of spares. These are normally based on Consideration should be given to making available an
manufacturers’ recommendations, and vary so widely that area of land for use as a contractor’s compound for major
it is not practical to estimate a typical cost benefit. The maintenance works. This could be accomplished by simple
disadvantages of standardisation are that innovation may planning restrictions.
be inhibited and choice of supplier limited. Therefore it is
Instances have been reported of passing vehicles
considered that on balance the costs of implementing a
‘lifting’ access covers. Wherever possible these should be
rigid policy of standardisation would not be justified.
located away from the carriageway. If this is not possible
However greater compatibility of software and common
standards for interfaces would make future upgrading of plant they should be positioned outside wheel tracks.
monitoring and environmental control systems less expensive,
by reducing the need for additional software development. B.7 Water ingress
Damage caused by water ingress through the tunnel
B.4 Standardisation within a tunnel structure has required extensive refurbishment and
Provision of equipment of similar type, or from the same replacement of tunnel equipment in recent years.
manufacturer, may allow scheduling of maintenance by the Management of water to protect equipment should be
same organisation or during the same tunnel closure and so considered explicitly at the design stage. In addition to
reduce mobilisation costs of maintenance. Also the use of avoiding any drips from the tunnel crown attention should
common parts or consumables may result in economies in be given to the water tightness in hidden locations such as
stores and simplification of supply chain management. chambers, tunnel panels and ducts.
20
Appendix C: Cost information
C1 Indicative costs (UK tunnels) Table C3 Annual energy cost (1998 prices)
Table C1 summarises the key characteristics of several UK
Cost
highway tunnels. The following tables provide indicative
capital, maintenance, energy, staff and operational cost data Tunnel A (£k) D (£k) E (£k)
relating to these tunnels.
Lighting 97 45 36
Ventilation 5 45 37
Table C1 Details of tunnels Pumping 45 8
Tunnel Total 102 45 81
A B C D E
Length (km) 1.1 0.65 0.95 0.4 0.4

No. of bores 2 1 1 1 2 Table C4 Operating staff cost (1998 prices)
No. of lanes/bore 2 2 2 3 2
Urban (U)/Rural (R) R R R U R Tunnel D (£k) E (£k)
Direction 2 1 1 Tidal flow 2
Staff 60 83
Table C2 Capital costs (1988 prices)
Capital cost
No of
units in Supply Install
tunnel £k £k
Electrical supplies 620

HV Power supply cables 3 km 48
LV Power supply cables 37 km 463
Control and communication cables 27 km 120
Tunnel panels 120

Distribution 24 157
Emergency 18 121
Ventilation 18 123
Nitrogen foam system 2 7
Smoke control 4 7
Service building equipment 2 9

LV switchgear 142
HV switchgear 155
HV transformer 38
Emergency generator/supplies 10
East & west emergency generators 2 75
UPS, lights, computer 1 5
Tunnel lighting (incl. dimming units) 3954 670 75
Tunnel ventilation (Jet fans) 72 197 27
Drainage and pumping (including

pumps, valves etc) 6
Sumps 10 154
Control panels 5 45
Plant monitoring and environmental

control system 444 39
21
Table C5 Annual maintenance costs (1998 prices)
Tunnel A £k B £k C £k D £k E £k
Electrical supplies
Cabling (including power control & communications) 7 1.9 3.2
Earthing 1 0.3 0.4
Tunnel panels
Distribution panels 6 1 2.4
Emergency distribution panels 1.5 0.9 0.8
Ventilation panels 2.4 0.36 1.2
Nitrogen foam flooding system 2.7
Tunnel smoke control panels 0.25 0.25 0.25
Service building (equipment)

M&E service buildings 6.5 3.5 6.1
LV switch boards 2 1.3 2.8 1.6
HV switch gear 7
Emergency generator/supplies
UPS system 5.4 5.7 8.5 21.1
Emergency generators 0.7
Battery tripping & closing units 0.8 0. 36 0.8
Tunnel lighting (incl. dimming units) 56.5 10.5 16.3 17.6
Tunnel ventilation (Jet fans) 59 19 45.5 11.8
Fire safety engineering

Fire extinguishers 0.6 0.2 0.6
Tunnel fire fighting 3 0.6 0.8 16.5
Drainage and pumping (including pumps, valves etc.)

Sump pumping systems 17
Sump control panels 1
Gas detection equipment 18.5
Communications
Emergency telephone system1 11.4 9.2 13.7 27.8
CCTV (equipment) 14.1 10.2 11.2 19.6
Traffic control
VMS system1 14.6 11.7 17.6 27.8
Road marking 4.8
Plant monitoring and control system (environmental control system) 40 50 18.4
Other
Global figure for maintenance 67.3
High level equipment2 23 6 5.4
Instation equipment1 6.5 5.2 7.8
Miscellaneous/other 4.8 42.1
1
See Table H1 and Table K1 for breakdown of equipment included.
2
Maintenance and renewal of supports and roof bolts to lights, fans and other equipment.
22
Table C6 Operating procedure costs (1988 prices)
Tunnel A D E
Number Number Number

of items Cost per Cost per of items Cost per Cost per of items Cost per Cost per
Procedure item per year item £k year £k per year item £k year £k per year item £k year £k
Operational
Daily inspection of tunnel 365 100 36.5
Traffic management
Planned lane closure Indeterminate 0.5 100 80 8 77.0
Planned bore closure 32 2.1 68 5 300 1.5
Maintenance procedures
Carriageway cleaning 8 0.095 0.76 7.1
Gully empty1 8
Wall washing 8 2.7 21 5 6.5 33
1
Funded by others
C.2 Indicative costs (international data)

The following tables collate cost data from a variety of
overseas sources.
Based on information from a large number of tunnels in
Norway, Sovik (1994) provided a means of calculating the
life cycle costs of any tunnel from a classification scheme
that includes safety class, above or below sea level, one or
two way traffic, ventilation type, length, lining and paving.
The data are summarised in Table C7.
Table C7 Annual operational cost data from Norway (Sovik, 1994)
Reinvestment Total
Maintenance Operation (equipment) annual cost Number
£k/km/year £k/km/year £k/km/year £k/km/year of tunnels
Mean excluding 3 Oslo tunnels 12.9 (32.3%) 15.5 (35.4%) 14.2 (32.3%) 42.5 25
Mean of 3 Oslo tunnels 161.3 (23.2%) 132.4 (19.3%) 396.4 (57.5%) 690.2 3
1
Cost converted at 11.2 Kr=£1.
2
Uncertain if data are expressed as cost per km of tube or cost per km of tunnel.
3
Maintenance = cleaning, washing and other maintenance.
4
Operation = power, telephone, lines and management cost.
5
Reinvestment = capital cost of equipment per year/lifetime years (does not seem to be discounted).
Table C8 Operational cost data from Chamoise tunnel

(France)
Breakdown of 1996 annual cost £k/km/year/tube
Equipment Civil engineering

Fluid Washing maintenance maintenance
21.6 7.7 12.4 0
1
Cost converted at 9.8 FFr = £1.
2
Fluid = Power, water, oils, and telephones charges (PTT).
3
Washing = Walls, pavement, signs, drains, luminaires, sumps, and
safety gallery.
4
Equipment maintenance = replacement and repair (new works such as
improvement of equipment not included).
5
Civil engineering maintenance = repairs (new works such as pavement
restoration not included).
23
Appendix D: Ventilation systems
D.1 Function and description of system operating conditions differ considerably from one tunnel to
A tunnel ventilation system has two main functions. Firstly, another the optimum intervals between overhauls for a
to supply sufficient fresh air to all parts of the tunnel to particular installation may best be established by trial and
reduce concentrations of exhaust pollutants to within error.
acceptable limits. Secondly, in the event of a fire, to exhaust Where dampers are installed it is normal to check
combustion products and control smoke movement. In operation and lubricate them every 6 months. Ventilation
Highways Agency tunnels the latter requirement generally ducts, particularly extraction ducts, will require occasional
determines the capacity of the ventilation plant. However inspection and cleaning.
environmental considerations, including avoiding health
hazards to the neighbouring community from exhausted air Control equipment
in the vicinity of tunnel portals or ventilation stacks, are The maintenance requirements for direct-on-line (DOL)
becoming an increasingly important aspect of tunnel and Star-delta starters are similar to those required for
ventilation design. A forthcoming TRL report will describe general electrical equipment, and are defined at similar
the purpose, operation and control of tunnel ventilation intervals, see Section O.2.
systems in more detail.
D.3 Issues
D.2 Description of maintenance procedures General
Longitudinal ventilation The nature of ventilation equipment is such that individual
Jet fans are accessed for maintenance by rising access fan performance does not normally deteriorate
plant, during planned tunnel closures. A number of significantly between maintenance periods. If ventilation
maintenance operatives, appropriate to the extent of the fans fail then they cease to function completely. Such
installation, maintain each ventilation fan in turn. failures are usually caused either by a fan motor failure or
The typical maintenance procedures necessary for a fault in the fan control circuit. In exceptionally dirty
ventilation fans are broken down into 3 monthly, 12 environments it is possible for accumulation of airborne
monthly and 60 monthly activities. The maintenance detritus on the fan blades to cause fan imbalance problems
specification involves: cleaning, checking mountings and with the attendant risk to motorists caused by blade or
terminals, run testing, blade clearance checking and detritus shedding.
adjustment, measurement and recording of run and starting
current, vibration measurement, electrical continuity and Longitudinal ventilation
insulation testing. After approximately 5 to 10 years the Problems associated with fan maintenance procedures tend
fan is removed to the factory for complete overhaul to result from the layout of the ventilation installation.
including stripping and repainting. Inappropriate siting of ventilation fans during initial design
(for example not leaving sufficient access space around the
Transverse, semi-transverse and hybrid ventilation fan) tends to increase the maintenance costs as it takes
Maintenance access to fan equipment in ventilation shafts more time to access terminal chambers, adjust blade
will generally not require tunnel closures or special clearances or remove and replace the jet fan. The
access equipment, since it is usual for motors and procedures commonly require the use of large numbers of
gearboxes to be mounted in a machine room outside the access plant. If any item of plant fails it can affect the
ventilation duct containing the fan. Duty and standby scheduled completion of the works.
fans are normally provided so that a fan can be taken out Prior to ventilation maintenance works, it is necessary to
of service without reducing the ventilation system isolate banks of jet fans. Since most site plant is operated
capacity below acceptable levels. via diesel engines, ventilating the work place can become a
The typical maintenance procedures necessary for shaft problem.
mounted fans are broken down into 3 monthly, 12 monthly
and 60 monthly activities. The 3 monthly tasks involve Semi-transverse / hybrid ventilation
cleaning, run testing and a visual inspection for any The basically symmetrical nature of most semi-transverse
damage. Every 12 months, additional operations include systems means that, in the absence of external influences on
checking bolts in mountings and impellers, terminal air movement (for example natural air flow through the tunnel
checking, blade clearance checking and adjustment, or piston effect from traffic), there may be a null point close
measurement and recording of run and starting current, to the centre of the tunnel where it is difficult to induce
vibration measurement, electrical continuity and insulation movement. This is of particular importance when considering
testing. After approximately 5 years the fan motor and the configuration of fans for smoke extraction. The essential
gearbox are removed to the factory for complete overhaul objective is to quickly achieve effective smoke control,
including stripping and repainting. Manufacturers’ particularly where a change of airflow is required between
recommendations for overhaul may be highly conservative normal and fire modes of operation. In several tunnels, jet
and vary widely between 2 and 10 years. Because fans are installed solely for the purpose of smoke control.
24
In one tunnel reversibility of fans has been achieved by Freewheeling
the use of variable pitch blades. If stopped in the ‘supply’ As described below, many UK road tunnels are effectively
position, such fans may need to be run up to speed in the self-ventilating when traffic flows freely, requiring ventilation
supply mode before the blades can be altered to ‘extract’. to operate only for brief peak periods. Traffic and wind
This could compromise safety in some smoke extraction induced air flows cause jet fans to turn and concern has been
situations, as has been observed during ventilation tests. expressed that this contributes to unnecessary bearing wear.
The variable pitch linkages can also be troublesome in use, However some fan rotation is needed to ensure bearings do
principally impaired by airborne detritus, and require not seize, and speeds at freewheeling are not thought to
frequent checking and maintenance. contribute significantly to bearing wear.
Controls D.4 Alternatives

Starting of fans is normally controlled either by direct-on- Maintenance intervals
line (DOL) starters or by Star-delta starters. DOL starters
Consideration has been given to the alternative maintenance
connect the fan motor directly to the electricity supply and
approaches of either conducting major overhauls on each of
for the first few seconds while the fan is running up to
the fans or replacing them with new units. For the A55
speed can draw a current of between six and seven times
tunnels by monitoring each of the fans and replacing with a
the normal running current. To reduce the impact on the
spare when necessary on a worst first basis, it has been
supply it is usual to introduce a time delay function,
found cost effective to carry out a programme of rolling
typically 15 seconds, to limit the number of fans that can
overhaul. The period to major overhaul can be extended by
be switched on together.
between 15% and 50% beyond that recommended by the
Star-delta starters reduce the starting current by connecting
manufacturer dependent upon the condition of the
the motor windings in star formation during the initial run-up
individual fan. Further details are given in Box 1.
period, then switching them into delta formation to enable
The approach of rolling overhaul has logistical
maximum torque to be achieved. Typical starting currents
advantages. Firstly, replacement of a few fans (six on the
with Star-delta starters are around three times the running
A55 tunnels) can be conducted during normal maintenance
current. Switching from star to delta operation is generally
closures, rather than during a long closure that would be
initiated by a time delay device, and because of the lower
required for replacement of all fans. Secondly, failures of
starting torque the time to run up to full speed is greater with
fans are likely to be distributed over a period of years,
this type of starter than with direct-on-line.
Of great significance is the comparatively long time it can rather than all occurring at exactly the same time.
take to start tunnel ventilation. A 15 second delay introduced
into the starting sequence for tunnel ventilation fans means Box 1 Comparison of alternative maintenance
that for a tunnel with 36 ventilation fans switched individually approaches
it would take nine minutes to start all of the fans. Time for The manufacturer’s recommendations are for
airflow to be established introduces another delay. If the complete overhaul after 5 years, which costs about
management of an incident requires the ventilation fans to be £4700 per fan at current prices and involves the
reversed an additional delay is introduced as the ventilation removal of each fan from the tunnel and a complete
control system is commonly designed to prevent the number overhaul being conducted away from site. The
of fan reversals per hour exceeding a specified value. There overhauled fan is effectively as good as new. The
would then be a further delay (of 9 minutes) whilst the fans cost of supply and installation of a new fan is
start in the reverse direction. Such accumulated time delays estimated to be in excess of £6000, to which must be
could be very significant when attempting to manage a tunnel added the cost to remove and dispose of the old fan.
fire. There should normally be an override control system to Since the ventilation system can operate with some
reduce the response time in emergency situations, although
fans out of action (tunnel ventilation systems may
this procedure may increase the risk of damage to the
provide acceptable levels of ventilation with 25% of
electrical system.
fans out of commission), it is acceptable to allow for
failure of some fans between maintenance closures
Corrosion resistance of jet fans and replace these during planned maintenance
The casings of jet fans for road tunnels in the UK are closures. For the A55 tunnels, six fans are held either
normally made of mild steel and painted. It is understood as spares or undergoing overhaul and are available as
that stainless steel is specified in Austria. Although replacements at the next planned closure.
corrosion problems have been noted, particularly in The vibration levels and amount of corrosion are
silencers where moisture is retained against the casing monitored during planned maintenance; the fans are
within the acoustic padding, use of stainless steel is not graded by their condition; up to six of the worst
considered to be economic because jet fans are in any case fans are then scheduled for removal, overhaul and
required to be removed for overhaul at intervals of 5 to 10 replacement during planned maintenance closures.
years. Use of plastic for structural components is not At the A55 tunnels it has been found that the mean
thought feasible because of the need to operate in specified life before overhaul is required is between about 6
fire temperature conditions. years and 6.5 years: some fans required overhaul
Impellers are normally made from fire resistant GRP or after about 10 years, but some failed after 4.5 years.
aluminium alloy and are inherently resistant to corrosion.
25
Variable pitch reversible fans The current Health and Safety Executive (2000)
By using reversible motors and bi-directional impellers the recommendations for occupational exposure to CO are 200
problems associated with the operation and maintenance of ppm for 15 minutes and 30 ppm for 8 hours. It follows that,
variable pitch fans can be avoided. However, published for maintenance personnel working in the tunnel for
figures suggest that bi-directional impellers are around 25% prolonged periods, a level of 30 ppm should not be exceeded.
less efficient and care should be taken that the ability to Given that exposure to carbon monoxide has a cumulative
meet all relevant performance criteria is not compromised. effect, it would be wrong to permit concentrations in tunnels
to approach the 200 ppm maximum. However, under
normal operational conditions, users are unlikely to be in
Maintenance of fewer, more powerful fans
tunnel for more than a few minutes, even with the most
There appears little alternative to the maintenance
congested traffic, and the use of an interim set point of, say,
procedures adopted for the maintenance of jet fans. The
100 ppm could be considered.
work specification for a jet fan, and the amount of labour
Calculations applying traffic flow data obtained for an
effort required to perform the maintenance, appears to be
actual urban tunnel to a typical twin bore 1.5 km tunnel
largely independent of the size of the ventilation fan. A
show that with a set point for CO of 50 ppm, and
maintenance crew could maintain a 22 kW fan in the same
emissions at 1990 levels, the annual energy consumption is
time as it takes to maintain a 12 kW fan. about 1800 MWh, costing about £90,000. Raising the set
The design of a road tunnel ventilation system is a point to 100 ppm would reduce this cost to about £11,000,
compromise between many factors. These factors include that is reduction by a factor of 8.
number and diversity of location of the ventilation fans to However, it has been found that with the reductions in
reduce susceptibility to mass fan failure during a serious emissions over the past ten years, the majority of UK road
tunnel fire. Provided that a tunnel ventilation system tunnels have become effectively self ventilating when traffic
satisfying such criteria could be designed to employ fewer, flows freely, requiring ventilation to operate only for brief
though more powerful jet fans a considerable maintenance peak periods, for example when traffic is slow moving or
saving could be made, with a corresponding reduction in stationary. The equivalent energy costs at predicted year
whole life costs. The Medway and River Lee tunnels have 2000 emission levels are practically negligible. Since
employed this approach and use only 12 ventilation fans in emissions are predicted to continue to improve for the
each tunnel bore, although the driving force behind the foreseeable future, which will impact not only on air quality
Medway installation was reduction of construction costs both inside and outside a tunnel, there is generally little to be
gained financially by adjusting the set points for ventilation
Acceptable levels of air quality response to carbon monoxide or visibility, since this
Energy and maintenance costs are directly linked to proposal has effectively been overtaken by improvements in
running hours, which in turn are determined by the set vehicle emissions. However, the ruling criteria for
points for acceptable levels of pollution. At current levels ventilation in the relatively short tunnels currently owned by
of emissions, a small change in the set points can result in the Highways Agency should be reviewed periodically in
a significant change in running costs, and it is therefore the light of decreasing vehicle emissions, changes in traffic
important to make sure that trip levels are not set too low. characteristics and increasingly stringent health and safety
Acceptable concentrations of CO and NOx should be regulations. Although relatively little forced ventilation is
correctly linked to exposure times. With free-flowing required to maintain air quality at a safe level under normal
traffic, tunnel users will pass through the tunnel relatively operation, even with heavy traffic, it is important for drivers
quickly and their exposure time to pollution in the tunnel not only to be safe but to feel safe. There is scope for
will be short. There may therefore be scope for automatic research into the necessity of ventilation for comfort, for
adjustment of set points linked to traffic flow, although instance to control odours from vehicle exhausts, as well as
because free-flowing traffic also generates a piston effect harmful gases and visibility, to maintain the confidence of
that assists tunnel ventilation, potential savings may not be tunnel users.
as significant as first thought. It should be remembered that there is unlikely to be
Tunnel ventilation systems are normally controlled by scope for reduction of ventilation plant as a result of
detectors which measure the concentration of carbon reduced emissions, since plant is almost always sized for
monoxide (CO) and obscuration in the road space. In most the clearance of smoke under fire conditions. It is also
cases it is the CO level that initiates the ventilation. There necessary to have the capability to maintain a low
appears to be no common standard for air quality in a concentration of CO, without assistance from the piston
tunnel and control systems may be set to switch on effect or external winds, to enable maintenance staff to
ventilation to its first level anywhere in the range between work safely in the tunnel for prolonged periods.
35 and 65 ppm concentration of CO. At the time of
compiling this report, the background level of CO outside Operator intervention
a tunnel may be around 25 ppm in urban areas, rising to 50 In many cases mechanical ventilation is only likely to be
ppm when traffic is heavy. The tunnel ventilation would required during periods of traffic congestion. Interventions
therefore have to work hard to maintain an air quality close by the operator at such times might reduce vehicle
to these levels. emissions in the tunnel and consequently reduce the
26
running time of ventilation and associated energy and The advantages of soft starters reduce as the number of
maintenance costs. Such interventions include: ‘TURN fans installed increases. However, it has been
ENGINE OFF’ signs and radio messages in stationary demonstrated elsewhere that there may be significant cost
traffic, restricting entry to the tunnel such that vehicles do advantages in using fewer, more powerful fans, so this
not queue in the tunnel, or closing a lane or bore. Most of option should be considered first.
these actions could be initiated automatically. However the Designers of new tunnels should certainly consider the
latter options might increase congestion elsewhere on the combination of fewer, more powerful fans together with
local network and which might not be acceptable. electronic soft starters to minimise the total fan run-up time.
Natural ventilation Predictive control

A number of shorter tunnels, around 400 metres in length, Experiments are being carried out in some countries,
have been found to be effectively self ventilating during notably Japan and in Europe, to link ventilation controls to
normal traffic conditions, principally due to the piston data on actual and expected traffic flows, to switch fans on
effect generated by vehicles passing through the tunnel. before pollution reaches the upper limit of acceptability
This suggests that forced ventilation may be unnecessary (and therefore to avoid overshooting the limit in practice).
for such tunnels. However, in these cases careful The overall benefits of this approach and the impacts on
consideration needs to be given to possible fire scenarios, maintenance and energy costs are yet to be established, but
particularly when loss of control of air movement could first indications are that there is potential for savings.
result in tunnel occupants being exposed to hazardous
combustion products and smoke logging of the tunnel.
Dust extraction
A detailed study, carried out on behalf of the Highways
Agency, on the requirement for mechanical ventilation in The removal of pollutants and particulates in the tunnel by
shorter tunnels is nearing completion. The report will provide means of filtration and electrostatic precipitation could be
information on the maximum lengths of self-ventilating used to reduce the ventilation demand. Such systems are
tunnels that may be considered under different conditions and considered most appropriate to longer tunnels than are
discussion on ventilation control philosophies. It is essential common in the UK. The capital costs in particular will be
that the local conditions are checked during design where high due to the space required in the tunnel. As the
mechanical ventilation is not contemplated. production of pollutant gases falls due to tighter emissions
legislation, the greatest benefits are likely to be realised in
the reduction of particulates. Indeed, several systems for
Electronic starters
extracting particulates have been installed in tunnels in
An alternative to the use of conventional direct-on-line
Japan, where there is a problem with particulate emissions
starters and Star-delta starters is electronic variable speed
from a large, ageing fleet of diesel lorries.
control and / or soft starters (additional considerations in the
use of soft starters can be found in Section F.5). Both types of
device can be programmed to limit starting currents to a level D.5 Value engineering review of alternatives
that would avoid the need for time delay functions. Variable Fewer, more powerful fans
speed drives allow the motor speeds to be varied, thus The cost of maintenance of jet fans is largely proportional to
permitting finer control of the response to air quality. Such a the number installed in a tunnel. The use of fewer, more
strategy would allow much faster response from the powerful fans will therefore offer significant maintenance
ventilation system. But it should be noted that variable speed cost savings over the conventional approach of using
fans are generally less efficient except at design speeds. numerous small fans distributed along the length of a tunnel.
The potential of this use of soft starters or variable speed For the purposes of this exercise, estimated costs for the
drives is to reduce the delays associated with fan starting, Conwy Tunnel, which has 72 small fans, have been
stopping and reversing during tunnel emergencies. Variable compared with Medway, which has 24 fans. Both fan
speed control of tunnel ventilation would also allow the installations have a certain amount of redundancy to cover
ventilation rates to be quickly varied, in accordance with the the possibility of one bank of fans being disabled by a
requirements of the fire services, during a tunnel emergency. major fire.
However, careful design is required to ensure that the higher The driving force behind the Medway installation was
frequency currents generated by these starters will not cause reduction in construction costs. By locating all fans in the cut-
motor overheating or excessive harmonics in the supply and and-cover sections at either end of the tunnel it was possible
distribution network. to reduce the height of the central immersed tube sections.
For a tunnel with a large number of jet fans, electronic In existing tunnels of rectangular cross-section it is
soft starters can significantly reduce the time to bring the likely that the internal height is determined by the original
ventilation system up to full power. The additional cost for fans and that larger fans cannot usually be accommodated.
a tunnel such as Conwy, with a total of 72 fans, would be This saving is therefore mainly relevant to new tunnels.
around £36,000 for a new installation. It would be difficult A value engineering review of installing fewer, more
to install soft starters as a replacement for existing powerful fans is shown in Table D1. This shows a
contactor starters without complete replacement of the significant saving in whole life costs of over 42%
motor control centres. (£559,000) for the case analysed.
27
Table D1 Value engineering review of jet fans
Fewer more powerful fans Existing Alternative

Design life:
20 years 72 small fans 36 large fans
Function review
Importance Rating Rating
Objective rating (1 to 100) (1 to 100)
Availability 0.25 70 80
Health and safety 0.40 40 45
Total weighted score 51 63
Whole life cost

Net Net
Present Estimated present Estimated present
Interval cost cost cost cost cost
(years) factor1 (£k) (£k) (£k) (£k)
Capital 1.0 432 432 288 288

Overhaul (5-yearly) 5 1.7 324 558 180 310
Maintenance (annual) 1 11.2 18 201 9 100
Maintenance (quarterly) 0.25 46.6 3 134 1.4 67
Total present cost 1325 766
Value ratio (Function/Cost)

Value ratio (x10-6) 38.5 81.6
Normalised value ratio 1.00 2.12
1
Present cost factors are for a discount rate of 6.0%.
2
For explanation of value engineering review see Section 3.3.
The following factors may give rise to further cost the basis of the following considerations. This discussion
savings if fewer, larger fans are used: is also applicable to drainage pumps (see Section F.6).
i Energy costs. Larger fans are more energy efficient than The electric motors in equipment such as jet fans and
smaller ones, although this may be offset to some extent drainage pumps are difficult to access to check for bearing
by a reduction in efficiency if the fans are located in wear and any imbalance due to mechanical damage. Fans
niches in the tunnel roof. If the installation is properly are mounted at high level above the carriageway and
designed, then the efficiency reduction due to recessing require tunnel closure and probably removal of sound
will be small (for example tilting the efflux 5° to 10° attenuators to check for play in bearings. Imbalance is
downwards, away from the ceiling improves the detected by measuring vibration and checking for
aerodynamic efficiency of the fan installation). excessive noise when running.
Measurement and analysis of vibration by means of
ii Construction costs. The height of rectangular section sensors permanently attached to the fan and pump would
tunnels may be reduced if fans are kept out of the central permit any increase in wear leading to imbalance to be
section. For example, the immersed tube sections of detected and continuously monitored, and the need for
Medway are about 300 mm lower than at Conwy. This servicing to be predicted well in advance. Any sudden
reduces not only the amount of concrete used but also deterioration could be automatically indicated by alarms.
the depth of excavation to accommodate the tunnel. This would not only do away with the need for manual
iii Electrical system costs. A reduction in the number of bearing checks, but by providing continuous monitoring
fans simplifies wiring, switchgear and control gear with would provide much better evaluation of the plant
a corresponding reduction in costs. condition than infrequent spot checks. The costs of the
three monthly inspections might be saved by the use of
These advantages must of course be weighed in the
condition monitoring. A value engineering review of this
design process against possible operational disadvantages of
scenario for fans is illustrated in Table D2 and shows a
using fewer more powerful fans. These might include the
clear benefit. However, since the three monthly inspections
formation of regions of locally reversed flow (the Craya-
for fans and pumps include other tasks as well as checks
Curtet effect) and changes in the aerodynamic efficiency.
for bearing wear and imbalance, introduction of condition
monitoring will not obviate the whole need for access
Condition monitoring unless experience demonstrates that intervals for the
Condition monitoring can take many forms, including associated visual inspections can also be extended.
measurement of vibration, running current, motor In practice tunnel ventilation and pumping installations
efficiency, temperature, etc. Of these, the most useful for are designed to meet their design performance with a
tunnel fans is the measurement of vibration, and this forms certain level of failures, and so the consequences of some
28
failures in service may be acceptable. However, in safety
critical systems (for example where failure of a fixing or
fan impeller could result in debris falling onto the road)
thorough risk assessment will be required to support a
proposed reduction in the inspection regime.
It is therefore concluded that condition monitoring is
desirable for its ability to detect plant deterioration and
predict failure more reliably than the checks currently
used. However, it might not reduce the need for inspection
and maintenance to a level that would justify the cost of
installation of the necessary sensors and supporting
equipment. There will probably always remain some need
to carry out periodic checks for mechanical damage and
security of fixings.
Table D2 Value engineering review of condition monitoring of fans
Condition monitoring of fans Existing Alternative
No condition Condition
Design life: monitoring monitoring
20 years 72 fans 72 fans
Function review
Whole life cost

Net Net
Capital 1.00 126 126

Maintenance (quarterly) 0.25 46.6 2.9 134

Value ratio (x10-6) 373 548
1
2
29
Appendix E: Lighting systems
E.1 Function and description of system exit zones are switched on and off in stages to give varying
The function of tunnel lighting is to maintain a base level of levels of luminance.
lighting within a tunnel, and enhanced lighting in the tunnel Tunnel lighting stages are switched by contactors,
entrance and exit zones, such that design traffic speeds can usually in the main lighting control panel, and are
be safely maintained. Current standards for lighting of supported by a variety of ancillary equipment, such as
highway tunnels are defined by BS 5489: Part 7: 1992. miniature circuit breakers (MCBs).
Tunnel entrance lighting is divided into a number of Tunnel lighting is most effective when installed at high
zones, each lit to a progressively lower level to provide a level within the tunnel. In some tunnels the lighting is
stepped reduction in luminance between the relatively installed along the tunnel haunches, whilst in others it is
bright exterior conditions and the tunnel interior zone. As suspended directly above the centre of the carriageway.
the daylight outside increases or decreases, groups of Since safety procedures would in many cases prohibit high
luminaires are switched on or off in stages so as to ensure level working whilst the tunnel is open to traffic, it follows
that the minimum lighting requirements are always that in order to perform lighting system maintenance bores
achieved. Typically each stage of lighting would double must normally first be closed to traffic.
the level of light produced by the previous stage. This
relatively coarse method of control means that a small E.2 Description of maintenance procedures
increase in external daylight can result in a 100% increase
The routine maintenance requirement for the luminaires
in the entrance zone light levels and energy consumption.
normally has three main components: cleaning, re-lamping
The tunnel lighting level almost always exceeds the true
and repairs. In maintenance terms there are two principal
requirements, and the entrance zones are therefore
designs of luminaire commonly in use in road tunnels. Some
normally over-lit.
have removable end caps that provide access to the luminaire
Tunnel lighting systems usually comprise a combination
terminations, gear tray and lamps (end access). Others
of fluorescent (MCF) luminaires and either high pressure
provide access to the luminaire internal equipment by a
sodium (SON) or low pressure sodium (SOX) luminaires,
hinged glass front cover (front access). End access luminaires
specifically designed to withstand the tunnel environment.
are typically arranged on brackets that allow each luminaire to
Improvements in the efficiency and colour rendering of
be lowered by approximately 200 mm for maintenance
SON lamps, together with their smaller size, means that
purposes. The cleaning specification involves cleaning the
they are now preferred to the older SOX lamps. The
outer surfaces of the luminaire and the glass front; thus for
reasons for the mixture of lighting types are two-fold:
cleaning it is not necessary for each luminaire to be lowered.
i In the tunnel interior, where the light levels are In addition to maximising the light transmission through the
relatively low, MCF linear fluorescent tubes provide a luminaire glass, cleaning also serves to remove deposits of
more uniform appearance free from apparent flicker at road traffic film and unburned hydrocarbon deposits from the
normal traffic speeds. SON and SOX lamps are more general body of the luminaires, hence minimising the risk of
powerful and are more suitable for use in the entrance fire and corrosion. For re-lamping, each end access luminaire
and exit zones where increased light levels are needed must be lowered and the end caps removed to gain access to
for the transition between external and internal the luminaire internals.
conditions. The maintenance requirement for tunnel lighting control
ii Traditional SON and SOX luminaire designs have not equipment comprises routine electrical distribution system
been capable of instantaneously re-striking (re-lighting) activities relevant to the particular type of switchgear
following a power failure. This limitation is inconsistent installed. Typical procedures at 3 monthly, 6 monthly and
with continuous safe tunnel operation. To provide a base 12 monthly intervals are described in Section M.2. The
level of lighting during the re-strike period, MCF maintenance requirements for dimming systems depend
luminaires are normally used for the lowest level of upon the specific type of dimming control equipment
lighting throughout the entrance and exit zones, with provided. Some dimming equipment requires extensive
SON and SOX used for higher levels only. periodic calibration works (as defined within the
manufacturer’s instructions) to ensure that it continues to
Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems are operate correctly. Other dimming systems require no
sometimes used to maintain supplies to sodium lamps on calibration work at all.
battery power for a limited period of time to avoid loss of
operation during interruptions to the mains supply.
Tunnel lighting control is achieved either by switching E.3 Maintenance costs
lamps on or off, or by dimming. The latter approach is Table E1 gives representative costs for operations at various
only used at present for control of MCF lamps to maintenance intervals. These include the provision of plant,
differentiate between base level day time lighting and supervision, and site operatives but exclude any hardware or
night time lighting, and has the advantage that all tunnel closure and site management costs. The plant hire
fluorescent tubes will share the same burning hours. The element of these maintenance costs is approximately £1.00
alternative is to switch off typically 50% of the fluorescent to £1.50 per luminaire; thus the labour element is the major
lamps at night. SON and SOX luminaires in entrance and cost. Table E2 gives representative lamp costs.
30
Table E1 Typical lighting maintenance costs (1998 prices) Entry to the front access type is generally much easier
than in the end access type resulting in a faster (and
Maintenance Maintenance cost cheaper) maintenance cycle. Problems have been reported
period per luminaire (£)
where end access luminaires are spaced too closely in the
12 months 8.5 longitudinal direction. Front access luminaires are
24 months 9.5 generally to be preferred.
60 months 11.0 A common design of luminaire is supported by inverted
stainless steel bolts, the heads of which locate in ‘T’ slots
formed in the extruded aluminium body. These slots are
highly susceptible to the accumulation of extraneous
Table E2 Typical lamp costs (1998 prices)
matter, including exhaust pollution particulates. This
Type of lamp Lamp purchase cost (£) detritus combines with moisture, salt from de-icing
operations and the residue of detergents used for tunnel
MCF Tube 1.66 cleaning to form a corrosive cocktail that attacks the
100W SON 6.50
150W SON 6.50
luminaire supports. Corrosion and failure of the aluminium
250W SON 7.00 extrusion has been observed at these points, thought to be
400W SON 8.00 due to galvanic corrosion between the dissimilar metals,
exacerbated by high stress at the point of contact, and the
residues described above. The extent of this problem
E.4 Issues
appears to vary from one tunnel to another, and may
High-level access plant is required to gain access to the depend on the particular grades of aluminium alloy and
lighting installation for maintenance. Such plant is stainless steel used, as well as on the severity of the
expensive to purchase (typically of the order of £30,000 environment. The majority of those luminaires affected
per unit); it is common to hire such plant for the duration will require removal and repairs before the end of their
of the maintenance works. The serviceability of such ‘on
designed operational life. A cost-effective repair involves
hire’ plant can be variable. It is expedient to ensure that
removal of the luminaire, cleaning, stripping down and
any such plant is inspected prior to arrival at site and that
painting. A plate is then used to spread the load over a
the use of the plant is only sanctioned when a copy of the
greater area of the extrusion slot and to make the
inspection certificate is lodged with the tunnel
aluminium/stainless steel interface less critical. Non-
management. The failure of an item of access plant can
metallic washers and/or grease may also be used to
contaminate the carriageway (with hydraulic or diesel oil)
separate dissimilar metals and reduce contact with
and prevent the works programme from being completed.
corrosive deposits. This repair costs around £55 (at 1999
A bulk lamp change may require the use of many such
access lifts depending upon the length of the tunnel and the prices), comparing favourably with a cost of around £400
extent of the lighting installation. Extensive operations of for a replacement luminaire and bolts of the correct grade
this type can cause traffic congestion within the tunnel, of stainless steel. Such measures may yield significant
and lead to unacceptable levels of vehicle exhaust whole life cost savings.
pollution caused by the plant. Any other works requiring Measurements of tunnel luminance in two tunnels have
coincidental tunnel access must be managed so as to shown lighting levels achieved are in accordance with
prevent access contentions. design standards. However an instance was observed of the
Tunnel lighting systems are designed with a specified switch off for lighting stages being delayed longer than
‘maintenance factor’ typically of 85%, that is it is necessary. Clearly, optimising the switching levels and
permissible for the lighting levels within the tunnel to time delays in design and during maintenance would result
decrease to 85% of the initial value whilst normal traffic in energy savings. Also, in view of the potential energy
speeds are maintained with safety. Such a strategy means savings it is recommended that calibration of photometers
that a tunnel is over illuminated by approximately 17.5% and lighting control equipment be considered a key part of
with new lamps and clean luminaires. Savings could be the maintenance regime.
made if the excessive illumination could be safely reduced.
Factors which detrimentally affect the lighting levels E.5 Alternatives
include lamp ageing, dirt on the luminaires and dirt on the
BS 5489, counterbeam lighting and daylight screens
tunnel walls (which decreases the reflected light values)
and ageing of tunnel wall finishes. Thus the cleaning of the The lighting levels required in BS5489: Part 7: 1992,
tunnel walls is closely linked to the maintenance strategy counterbeam lighting and daylight screens, have all been
for the luminaires. reviewed with the following conclusions (Bird, 1999).
Prior to re-lamping, it is necessary to isolate sections of Concern expressed about lighting levels may have its
luminaires. This can have a detrimental effect on the origin in the staged nature of lighting control, wherein
ability to perform other works at adjacent sites. lighting levels are often substantially higher than necessary.
Lighting maintenance procedures are very labour Dimmed control of lighting would smooth such steps.
intensive. Lighting system and/or luminaire design The conditions where savings may be made by adjusting
expedients to reduce the amount of labour required would lighting to traffic speed are limited. It is not recommended
significantly reduce the maintenance costs. that speed limits be imposed to allow of economy of lighting.
31
With regard to entrance lighting, current methods of For the base level lighting, with current tube technology,
determining levels are presently under review by the the first policy is not considered feasible in a tunnel,
International Commission on Illumination (CIE). It is because the relationship between the annual running time
recommended that the method in draft CEN (1996) be used and expected life of the lamp means that frequent failures
to determine threshold lighting. This is broadly equivalent to would be expected. In order to maintain the required level
the method of BS5489: Part 7: 1992, but uses a greater of lighting, frequent random replacements would be
number of subdivisions which would result in economy. required. This would in turn require frequent tunnel
Additionally increasing visibility by including visual aids closures, with consequent cost and disruption to traffic.
would allow a lower class of lighting to be used or, where Trials carried out on the A55 tunnels in North Wales
conditions warrant it, higher lighting levels would be demonstrated that for acceptable levels of lighting,
justified on technical grounds. Consideration should be optimum performance could be obtained if the cleaning
given to reduction of lighting in the second half of the frequency of the luminaires is set at 12 months and the
threshold zone in accordance with the recommendations of lamp replacement set at 24 months. These figures were
the draft European standard (CEN, 1996). On climbing found by leaving short sections of lighting unchanged.
approaches to tunnels consideration should be given to a Accumulations of dirt on the luminaires were assessed and
reduction of stopping sight distance (SSD). the effect of extending the operating life of the lamps was
Satisfactory experience in the Netherlands and elsewhere tested. It is normally possible to predict incipient failure
has provided a strong case for considering the use of because the lights would dim rather than fail. It was found
counterbeam lighting. Such systems generally require less that by specifying ‘tri-phosphor’ tubes these maintenance
lamp flux to provide a luminance equivalent to that from frequencies were achievable. This represented a halving of
symmetrical lighting installations (van Bommel and de Boer, the manufacturer’s recommended frequencies. In the case
1980). However, it is not possible to discount possible of the higher intensity entrance zone luminaires, because
objections to counterbeam lighting under UK conditions. they typically run for only 1000 hr/year, it was found cost
These might only be resolved by a trial installation at a new effective to maintain higher lighting stages on a
or refurbished tunnel, with provision to revert to breakdown-repair basis, when the relatively few failures
conventional lighting should these prove unsatisfactory. are replaced during planned maintenance closures. The
Advice in BS 5489: Part 7: 1992 is confirmed by same was found to be true for other lighting components
experience in the Netherlands that, although the use of such as gear trays and connectors. Luminaires that fail
daylight screens should not be completely discounted, it is between scheduled lighting maintenance activities are
unlikely that a good economic case could be made for repaired on an as-required basis. For tunnels where
them based on current electricity costs. They are also contractors perform the lighting maintenance, any such
known to be prone to certain problems associated with additional repairs must be specified as the duty of the main
snow and ice. However the longer term environmental mechanical and electrical contractor.
benefits of reduced energy consumption should be taken The maintenance procedure for any tunnel lighting
into account. system should be optimised around the particular system,
Research is currently underway at the Transport employing the general principles outlined above.
Research Laboratory into the development and use of
simulator technology to provide a means of investigation
Luminaire supports
of factors associated with illumination on driver
performance. This technology may be appropriate to the The design of luminaire support used in many tunnels acts
future design of tunnel lighting systems. as a trap for foreign matter and can become a significant
corrosion point. Greater attention should be paid during
luminaire design to ease of cleaning, the elimination of
Reduction of access zone luminance
points of high stress and corrosion traps, and the use of
BS5489: Part 7: 1992 (Section 17.6) suggests measures for more corrosion resistant materials. The glass face of
reducing the luminance of surfaces visible in the access zone. luminaires could be treated with an anti-stick coating to
These include: dark facades and carriageway outside the prevent traffic film from adhering to the glass face and
tunnel, tree planting and reducing the effect of low level sun reducing light transmission.
and the amount of visible sky. Vejlby Thomsen and Gudum
(1995) make other suggestions that increase visibility
including: straight approach to tunnel, light coloured Alternative light sources
carriageway inside the tunnel, retro-reflective road markings A number of advances have been made in lighting
and a large tunnel entrance to maximise daylight penetration. technology in recent years, and systems using induction
and sulphur lamps, light emitting diode (LED) technology
and new dimming techniques for discharge lamps are
Lamp changing policy
becoming available. All are at relatively early stages of
There are two main policies for dealing with lamp
development and are therefore expensive and unproven.
replacement (Zuman, 1997):
Induction lamps have a service life of up to 60,000
i burn lamps to destruction and replace as required; hours. This compares very favourably with the 17,500
ii planned cyclic replacement or bulk changing at hours being achieved from existing electronically
predetermined burning hours. controlled tri-phosphor MCF types, or the 25,000 to
32
30,000 hours from SON-T types. Light output is output. This equipment has not yet been used in a tunnel
comparable to MCF fluorescent tubes, but they are not environment, so life expectancy is unknown. The
dimmable and, being compact sources, may not be suitable dimmable ballasts could be installed up to 80m from the
for interior zone lighting because of flicker effects. luminaires with up to 20 units grouped in one sealed
Sulphur lamps are very intense light sources, currently enclosure, which would simplify maintenance. With this
up to 1.4 kW, being developed in the United States. They system luminaires could be smaller and lighter since they
may be used in conjunction with light tubes, typically up would no longer contain a ballast, although a starting
to 20 metres long per lamp, or 40 metres with a lamp at amplifier unit is required at the luminaire. Lamp life is also
each end. The lamps use a magnetron to irradiate sulphur expected to be doubled by using dimmable ballasts.
with microwaves in an argon filled bulb. Dimming is It will be appreciated that the lighting and the lighting
possible down to 20%. Life expectancy of the lamp itself is control system are indivisible for the purpose of performing
predicted to be between 10 and 20 years, but the weak link value engineering audits on alternatives. The inclusion of
at present is the magnetron, with a life of about 3 years. A dimming equipment for the SON luminaires would mean
motor to rotate the lamp and forced ventilation for cooling that the switchgear to switch between lighting levels would
are also required, which add to the energy consumption. not be needed. The lighting control system design then
These lamps are already being trialled in some Italian road changes so as to provide a variable output control signal to
tunnels. The attraction of these devices is that light sources the dimmable control gear. It is therefore unlikely to be
only need to be installed at approximately 40 metre practical to retrofit dimmable control gear to existing tunnel
intervals, with a potentially great reduction in labour costs lighting installations, since it represents a significant change
for maintenance. to tunnel infrastructure and operations. Such a system
Significant international research effort is being should only be considered for new tunnel installations and
dedicated to the development of high intensity, white, for the major refurbishment of existing tunnels.
light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Current lighting industry
research programmes are aiming to develop white LEDs as
E.6 Value engineering review of alternatives
a replacement for compact fluorescent, halogen,
incandescent and automotive light sources (Electrical Use of dimmers for threshold lighting
Review, 2 February 1999). The global LED market is Very detailed information on traffic speeds is available
currently worth around £1.1B and is growing at 15-20% from the variable speed limit section in the south west
per year. It can be expected that within a few years the use sector of the M25. It was hoped to combine this with
of LEDs as a source of tunnel lighting will become a actual lighting data from one of the M25 tunnels, albeit
realistic proposition. LEDs have a life expectancy of from a different sector, to make a preliminary evaluation
100,000 hours, or around 12 years. With such technology of potential cost savings. Unfortunately due to a change in
it may be feasible to install a luminaire that requires no tunnel operating system it was not possible to obtain this,
internal maintenance. therefore lighting data was obtained from the Conwy
The potential for the majority of the alternatives tunnel and was combined with M25 traffic speed data.
outlined above is largely indeterminate at the current stage However this still enables conclusions to be drawn in
of development. principle and provides an illustration of the process.
Using this base data four notional lighting scenarios
Dimming of entrance zone lighting were considered as follows:
It is not possible to switch lighting stages on and off i Undimmed. This represents the actual lighting executed
rapidly because this would reduce lamp and control gear during the day with the current arrangement, controlled
life and lamps take some 10 minutes to warm up. Problems in stages according to exterior light level. The switching
of short starter life have been reported at the Southwick levels and delays are arranged to avoid excessive
Hill tunnel, thought to be due to the short switching delay switching on and off in response to rapid changes of
of about 10 minutes. The use of dimmable luminaires exterior light level, for example during cloudy spells. In
coupled to a suitable control system would enable the this arrangement and for the purpose of this cost
entrance zone lighting to be altered rapidly to follow more comparison a total annual energy cost at the Conwy
closely the changes in external daylight and avoid tunnel is estimated at about £83,000.
excessive energy consumption. Also it would allow ii Optimised. Examination of the actual lighting level
lighting level to be altered rapidly in response to actual suggested that at this tunnel the switching levels and
speeds in the tunnel, for example to reduce levels when delays may be optimised to reduce the period for which
low speeds occur during traffic congestion, and rapidly stages remain lit when no longer required. If delays
increase levels when speeds increase. It also introduces the were reduced to 10 minutes the annual energy cost
possibility of compensation for reduced luminance arising would be about £73,000, representing a saving of 12%
from lamp age and accumulated dirt if light levels inside of the current estimated costs. However this probably
the tunnel are monitored, and standardising on one size of represents an extreme optimisation and might result in
lamp for a range of design outputs. reduced lamp and control gear life. In practice
Another recent development is the availability of optimisation might result in rather lower savings, but the
dimmable discharge lamp control gear This allows SON savings can be made with little cost by reviewing the
lamps of up to 1000W to be dimmed to 30% of their rated settings at each tunnel.
33
iii Dimmed. This illustrates lighting power consumption ii Next 8500 hours: undimmed average light output is
that would occur if dimmers were introduced that 85%. Output dimmed to 94% to give 85% x 94% =
enabled lighting level to closely follow that demanded 80%. Circuit power corresponding to 94% dimming is
by exterior light level. Savings occur by smoothing the about 98% of full load power.
steps and avoiding stages remaining lit when no longer iii Remaining 3140 hours to make up 1.5 years: no change.
required due to the switching levels and delays. The
A feedback control system will be required for each
annual energy cost with this arrangement would be
lighting section to measure the actual level of lighting in the
about £62,000, representing a further saving of 13%.
tunnel and adjust the dimming accordingly. Note that this
iv Dimmed lighting with speed control. Speed sensors would also automatically compensate for any reduction in
could also be used to control dimmers that also reduce lighting due to dirt on luminaires and walls.
lighting levels when speeds are low in all lanes. Use of If dimming equipment were already installed for reducing
this arrangement at the Conwy tunnel, combined with light levels from daytime to night-time stages, the addition
the traffic speed pattern of the M25, would result in an of a photocell and control interface would not be a major
annual energy cost of about £57,000, representing a task. Retrofitting would cost about £1000 per 50 metre
further saving of 6% from the previous arrangement. section, that is about £40,000 for the whole 1 km tunnel.
However it is thought that the M25 traffic conditions are The value engineering exercise shows that the
unique, with high design speed normally requiring high introduction of dimming to compensate for lumen
levels of entrance zone lighting and consistently lengthy depreciation in lamps in the interior zone is not economic
periods of reduced speed during the morning and as a retrofit option, even where time–based dimming
evening peaks. This may not be reproduced generally equipment is already in use. It could be considered as a
across the network. Also, careful consideration should useful feature for new installations where the additional
be given to safety of the system such that at no time are capital cost over a time-based dimming system would be
lower lighting levels introduced than required by the marginal. However, even in this case the energy savings
speeds: for example consideration should be given to would be small in comparison to the total energy costs.
situations of congestion clearing rapidly and traffic Similar conclusions are likely in the case of entrance zone
speeds increasing. lighting, but the relationship between power consumption
and light output is not presently known in sufficient detail
A typical evaluation over one day is illustrated in
to make meaningful calculations of cost.
Figure E1. Similar evaluations were made on three other
days and for both carriageways, and lighting energy costs
for these are shown in Table E3 and illustrated in Figure E2.
A value engineering review of dimming options is
presented in Table E4, which shows marginal savings in
whole life cost, but enhanced value from dimmed lighting
systems. However it should be noted that the costs of
dimming equipment used are a relatively large part of the
total cost. This is because this equipment is relatively new
and only presently available from one UK source. It is
therefore possible that this element of the costs will reduce
significantly in the future.
Dimming to compensate for ageing of lamps and changes

in wall reflectance
A value engineering review of the use of dimming of base
lighting to compensate for lamp ageing and changes in
wall reflectance is shown in Table E5. This review
assumes that bulk re-lamping will take place every 1½
years. The review is based on the cost of lighting the
Medway tunnel, using the loading averaged over 24 hours,
scaled up to a 1km length of tunnel.
Lumen output of fluorescent lamps falls steeply from
100% to 90% over the first 1500 hours of use. Between
1500 hours and 10,000 hours lumens fall more gently to
80%. Assuming the required light output corresponds to the
above 80% value, dimming may be implemented as follows:
i First 1500 hours: undimmed average light output is
95%. Output dimmed to 84% to give 95% x 84% =
80%. Circuit power corresponding to 84% dimming is
about 91% of full load power.
34
3500
Exterior light level
3000
Photometer reading (cd/m2)
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
120
Projected traffic speed
100
Maximum lane speed (mph)
80
60
40
20
350
Power consumption
Undimmed
Optimised
300
Dimmed
Dim+speed
250
Power consumption kW
200
150
100
50
0
00:00 04:00 08:00 12:00 16:00 20:00 00:00
Time
Figure E1 Typical daytime light levels, traffic speed and power consumption (based on M25 data for October 21, 1997)
35
5000
4500 Undimmed Optimised Dimmed Dim+speed

Daily lighting energy consumption (kWhr)
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
21-Jul-97 21-Oct-97 21-Jan-98 21-Apr-98 21-Jul-97 21-Oct-97 21-Jan-98 21-Apr-98
Eastbound Westbound
Figure E2 Daily lighting energy consumption
Table E3 Power consumption, costs and savings
Daily power consumption (kWh)
Dimmed with
Undimmed Optimised Dimmed speed control
Eastbound
21-Jul-97 4350 3458 3013 2758
21-Oct-97 2082 1957 1614 1525
21-Jan-98 949 949 821 813
21-Apr-98 1703 1370 1158 1109
Westbound
21-Jul-97 3531 3461 3051 2522
21-Oct-97 2447 1966 1744 1564
21-Jan-98 1233 1233 908 902
21-Apr-98 1841 1568 1293 1251
Average daily energy/bore (kWh) 2267 1995 1700 1555

Annual energy cost @5p per unit (£) £82,743 £72,829 £62,065 £56,774
Saving on previous option (£) £9,914 £10,763 £5,291
Saving on previous option as % of undimmed 12% 13% 6%
36
Table E4 Value engineering review of entrance lighting
Dimming of Function: light tunnel Existing Alternative Alternative

entrance lighting
Dimmed entrance
lighting, also traffic
Design life: 20 years Undimmed Dimmed entrance lighting speed sensitive
Function review
Importance Rating Rating Rating
Objective rating (1 to 100) (1 to 100) (1 to 100)
Availability 0.25 60 55 50
Sustainability 0.35 50 75 80
Health and safety 0.40 45 45 45
Total weighted score 50.5 58 58.5
Whole life cost

Present Estimated Net Estimated Net Estimated Net
cost cost present cost present cost present
Details factor1 (£k) cost (£k) cost (£k) cost
Capital Lighting 1 745 745 745 745 745 745

Dimmers and control 1 220 220 220 220
Speed related controls 1 40 40
Maintenance Annual 11.2 57 638 45 504 50 560
Energy Annual 11.2 82 918 62 694 56 627
Total present cost 2301 2163 2192

Value ratio (x10-6) 21.9 26.8 26.6
Normalised value ratio 1.000 1.22 1.21
1
2
Table E5 Value engineering review of interior zone dimming to compensate for lamp ageing and wall reflectance
Dimming to compensate for lamp ageing and wall reflectance Existing Alternative
Design life: 20 years No dimming Dimming
Function review
Whole life cost

Net Net
Capital 1.0 40 40
Energy cost first 1500 hours 1.5 7.2 9 65 8 59
(16% dimmed)
Energy cost next 8500 hours 1.5 7.2 51 369 50 360
(6% dimmed)
Energy cost remaining 3140 hours 1.5 7.2 19 136 19 136
(undimmed)

Value ratio (x10-6) 87.5 86.9
1
2
37
Appendix F: Pumped drainage systems
F.1 Function and description of system F.2 Description of maintenance procedures
Most road tunnels incorporate a drainage system to The maintenance requirements for pumps are typically
provide containment for extraneous water flows into, and defined at 3 monthly, 12 monthly and 5 yearly intervals.
spillage within, a tunnel (and associated carriageway) and For each of the periodic pump maintenance activities it is
to provide a means of removing them from the tunnel. A necessary to gain access to the pumps. Since the sumps are
pumping system is usually only provided if the tunnel confined spaces an access procedure, which complies with
construction does not facilitate gravity drainage. the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997, is necessary. In
A typical tunnel drainage system comprises a number of addition to pump maintenance, maintenance of other sump
sumps. Where the approach roads run downhill into the equipment such as pipework and valves is scheduled for
tunnel portals it is usual to provide sumps located at the the same time, thus reducing mobilisation overheads.
portals to intercept surface water that would otherwise The 3 monthly maintenance activity typically comprises
enter the tunnel. Further sumps may be located beneath the a visual inspection of the pumps, conducted with the pump
carriageway at any low points within the tunnel. in its operating location. The 12 monthly maintenance
Within each sump there are a number of pumps. These activity entails removing the pumps from the sump and
are usually specified to be flameproof and submersible. conducting a limited internal inspection of each pump. The
They are normally controlled via level monitoring 5 yearly maintenance activity entails replacing each duty
equipment designed to start a pump when the level in the pump in turn with a spare and sending the duty pump to a
sump exceeds a specified limit and to stop it when the certified workshop for a complete overhaul.
level has fallen to a (lower) specified limit. If the level All of the above maintenance tasks should be capable of
continues to rise with one pump operating, further pumps being carried out during routine single bore closures.
will be switched in until the maximum pumping capacity is However, where a sump receives inflow from both bores,
reached. A variety of different types of level monitoring there is a very remote possibility that a spillage in the open
equipment is available, including float switches, bore may present a hazard to staff carrying out
capacitance probes, ultrasonic and radio frequency probes. maintenance in the other bore, and appropriate procedures
The sump and pumping system should be designed to must be instituted to manage this risk.
cope with specific maximum inflow conditions. Typically The maintenance requirements for direct-on-line (DOL)
and Star-delta starters are similar to those required for
for a portal sump this should correspond to a 1 in 100 year
general electrical equipment, and are defined at similar
storm. Because storm water will normally be intercepted
intervals, see Section O.2.
before it enters the tunnel, any sumps within the tunnel
The maintenance of pump duty cycling systems, sump
should be sized to different criteria. The maximum inflow
level control equipment and sump level monitoring
is commonly taken to be the flow of water from two fire
equipment is usually conducted as a part of pump control
hydrants operating simultaneously.
panel maintenance, for reasons of efficient maintenance
Pump duty cycling is usually achieved by an electro-
scheduling. Typical procedures at 3 monthly and 12
mechanical relay, and is a means by which the run times
monthly intervals are described in Section O.2.
for a number of pumps, situated within the same sump, can
be equalised. It is usually interposed within the local pump
control systems. Following the completion of a pumping F.3 Costs
cycle, the pump duties rotate so that the next pump in turn Table F1 gives representative costs for operations at
is the first to operate the next time there is a pump demand. various maintenance intervals for a typical sump
In addition to normal water flows, the design of the containing three pumps.
pumping system is also required to facilitate the safe handling
of an accidental spillage on to the carriageway. It is not Table F1 Typical sump maintenance costs (1998 prices)
uncommon for petrol or diesel fuel to be spilt on to the
Maintenance period Maintenance cost per sump (£)
carriageway during a road traffic accident. Tunnel sumps are
usually equipped with gas detectors, to detect spillage of 3 months 55
petrol and an inert gas foam blanketing system that discharges 12 months 1030
into the sump automatically should flammable gas 5 years 6560
concentrations exceed a safe level. This is discussed further in
Sections G.1 and L.1. Environmental legislation forbids the F.4 Issues
discharge of noxious substances into the environment. Any The personnel required to perform routine 3 monthly
such spillage into a sump must be contained and dealt with in activities do not need to be specialists in the maintenance
the appropriate manner. With current technology this of flameproof equipment. Thus, a general mechanical and
requirement can only be sensibly achieved by the use of electrical contractor can train his own staff to perform
remote monitoring using instrumentation and closed circuit these tasks correctly. Such a strategy reduces maintenance
television to enable an accurate assessment of any incidents to costs as the mobilisation costs for specialised pump
be made without delay. maintenance contractors is usually much higher than for
general mechanical and electrical contractors.
38
Most pump control systems comprise standard electrical the scheme. It is possible to adopt a separate pump and
control components that have been developed over many motor (dry well) arrangement such that the motor is not
years. In particular, the use of electro-mechanical relays submersed. This arrangement usually results in a larger
for pump duty cycling must now be considered to be old civil engineering component to the scheme and therefore
technology. Many motor starters combine additional safety greater capital cost, however, maintenance may be easier
features within them, for example built in overload and safer with a resulting benefit in whole life terms.
protection and automatic no-volt protection. Features such
as these can be expected to be developed further and Use of soft starters for pumps
greater use should be made of integrated electronic Tunnel pumps are usually started and stopped via direct-on-
protection, to replace electro-mechanical devices. line (DOL) starting (for smaller pumps), or via Star-delta
Tunnel sumps are often of irregular shape; thus the most starters (SDS) for larger pumps. Typical control systems are
useful measure of level within such sumps may be the designed to start and stop the pumps automatically in
percentage of the sump volume that is filled. It is thus accordance with the level in the sump. Although pump sizes
important that sump level monitoring systems are specified will have been optimised to minimise the number of stops
to be capable of volumetric calibration. Such systems can and starts, certain inflow conditions may require the pumps
then be accurately calibrated to provide sensible to be started and stopped many times per day. The impulse
measurements to the tunnel operator and to provide a load that occurs when starting electrical machines causes
pump level control function. significantly more wear within the machine than occurs
during steady state running. The use of ‘soft starters’ to
F.5 Alternatives gradually accelerate such machines has been found to
Dual mid-tunnel sumps significantly reduce starting transients and associated wear.
For sub-aqueous immersed tube twin bore tunnels, such as By limiting starting currents, economies in the size of the
the Conwy, Medway and Lee tunnels, it is usual to associated power supply cabling may also be possible. But
construct mid tunnel sumps as chambers common to both the maintenance requirements associated with the use of
tunnel bores. This is normally achieved by interconnecting variable speed controllers and soft starters are greater than
sump chambers beneath the carriageways in each bore by a for existing DOL or SDS designs.
number of pipes. It is understood that this strategy is
adopted in order to obtain the desired minimum sump Use of condition monitoring for pumps and pump motors
volume in a cost-effective manner. As a consequence, if a Pump motors are usually squirrel cage induction machines.
spillage does occur it will have an immediate effect on The condition of these types of motors can be assessed by
both tunnel bores and can necessitate the immediate a variety of established condition monitoring techniques,
closure of both tunnel bores which can result in significant such as line current spectral analysis, without the need to
traffic disruption. A further consequence of this design is remove the pump from the sump. Generally, a
the possibility of ‘pressure piling’, if a sudden build-up of maintenance strategy based on the condition of the pump/
flammable gas is ignited before an effective foam blanket motor assembly, rather than on manufacturers’
can be established. Pressure piling occurs when an recommended intervals, can be developed through the
explosion in one chamber causes a shock wave to application of condition monitoring.
pressurise the gas in a second chamber prior to explosion Many tunnel pumping systems are based on the provision
in the second chamber. The consequence of pressure piling of three pumps within a sump. This level of provision allows
is that the severity of the explosion which occurs in the for one pump to be out of commission whilst maintaining two
second chamber is greatly increased. pumps available for use. It may be that the same level of
Separate sump chambers for each tunnel bore would system reliability that is achieved by using 3 pumps could be
eliminate any risk of pressure piling and would facilitate achieved by the use of proactive maintenance systems,
the operation of one bore in contraflow whilst a spillage in including condition monitoring to support two pumps.
the other bore was attended to. However, in the case of sumps located within the tunnel it
may not be considered appropriate to act immediately on the
Dual outflow pipes from mid-tunnel sump information provided by condition monitoring which might
It is common to design tunnel sumps with only one require an unscheduled tunnel closure to effect repairs. In this
outflow pipe. With this arrangement any significant scenario reliance must be placed on only one pump until the
problem with the outflow pipe will have an immediate next scheduled access, which might not be acceptable.
effect on the safe operation of the tunnel and could result
in tunnel flooding with attendant major disruption to Use of electronic duty cycling controls
traffic. The provision of dual outflow pipes from the mid- A small programmable electronic device, such as a small
tunnel sump would reduce the risk of delays to traffic, and programmable logic controller (PLC), could provide the
allow remedial works to be scheduled on a planned basis. pump duty cycling function. The adoption of such devices
would increase the reliability of the duty cycling system
Dry well and reduce the maintenance costs. However, overall
Alternatives to established tunnel pumping systems usually savings would be small, because of the relatively low
comprise variations on the engineering implementation of capital and maintenance costs involved.
39
F.6 Value engineering review of alternatives
Condition monitoring
The general discussion and conclusions relating to
condition monitoring of jet fans is also applicable to pump
motors, see Section D.5. However in the case of pumps
there are potentially greater savings in maintenance
because they are located in potentially hazardous confined
spaces, and need to be removed and partially dismantled
for any mechanical checks to be made. Pumps have the
additional drawback that it is normally not recommended
to allow them to run dry, and therefore checks with the
motors running would have to be made in situ in the sump.
Table F2 shows a value engineering review of condition
monitoring for pump motors. It compares three options:
three pumps per sump with three monthly inspections,
three pumps per sump with condition monitoring and two
pumps per sump with condition monitoring. Costs of three
monthly inspections of pumps are about 30% more than
for fans, but the task includes a greater number of items
not associated with the motors themselves, such as the
functional checking of level detectors and controls. When
these are taken into account, the costs of checking fans and
pumps in isolation are likely to be comparable. The costs
of installing a condition monitoring system for pumps is
also likely to be comparable to that for fans.
The review shows a small benefit from the use of
condition monitoring on a three pump system. It also
demonstrates that much larger benefits could be gained
from a two pump system with condition monitoring
(assuming that the operational risks associated with such
an arrangement were acceptable).
Table F2 Value engineering review of condition monitoring for pumps
Condition monitoring of pumps Existing Alternative (1) Alternative (2)
Design life: 20 years No condition monitoring Condition monitoring Condition monitoring
9 pumps 6 pumps 9 pumps
Function review
Importance Rating Rating Rating
Objective rating (1 to 100) (1 to 100) (1 to 100)
Availability 0.25 50 65 75
Sustainability 0.35 50 65 60
Health and safety 0.40 40 50 55
Total weighted score 46 59 62
Whole life cost

Net Net Net
Present Estimated present Estimated present Estimated present
Interval cost cost cost cost cost cost cost
(years) factor (£k) (£k) (£k) (£k) (£k) (£k)
Capital cost of monitoring 1.00 11 11 16 16

Additional pumps 1.00 18 18 18 18
Maintenance (quarterly) 0.25 46.59 0.36 17
Total present cost 35 11 34

Value ratio (x10-6) 1320 5620 1830
Normalised value ratio 1.00 4.25 1.38
1
2
40
Appendix G: Fire protection systems
G.1 Function and description of system The foam blanket will eventually break down, typically
Fire extinguishers after an hour, depending on the other substances present.
The function of tunnel fire extinguishers is to provide the Inflow of water can accelerate this process. Facilities are
vehicle driver with a means of fighting a small vehicle normally provided for the fire brigade to inject additional
fire. Tunnel fire extinguishers are usually provided within foam into the sump to maintain the foam blanket.
the chambers of tunnel emergency panels. They would
contain either a dry powder extinguishant, suitable for Automatic gas discharge fire extinguisher
fires involving carbonaceous solids, flammable liquids and Rooms within the tunnel service buildings containing
flammable gases (classes A, B and C), or aqueous film safety related equipment are normally equipped with
forming foam (AFFF), suitable for carbonaceous solids automatic gas discharge fire extinguisher systems, to limit
and flammable liquids (classes A and B) only. the effects of any fire that may occur. These rooms are
typically the high voltage and low voltage electrical
Fixed fire fighting equipment switchrooms, battery room and computer/communications
Fixed tunnel fire fighting equipment is intended for use by equipment room.
the fire services, or suitably trained fire fighting teams, in The oldest systems may still be designed to use Halon
the event of a tunnel fire. It usually comprises reel- gas, now prohibited from new installations. More recent
mounted hoses permanently plumbed to the fire hydrant installations may use carbon dioxide (CO2). The most
water main. If a fire occurs within the tunnel the fire- recent are likely to use synthetic gases based on a nitrogen/
fighting team do not have to deploy and connect their own argon mixture which has the advantage of being breathable
hoses, thus minimising site mobilisation time prior to in limited quantities.
attacking the fire.
G.2 Description of maintenance procedures
Fire hydrant water main The maintenance intervals for both fixed and portable fire
The function of the fire hydrant water main is to provide a extinguishers are given in BS5306. The maintenance
source of water for fire fighting within the tunnel and procedures for fixed tunnel fire fighting equipment depend
tunnel approaches. The fire hydrant water main usually upon the exact equipment concerned. The majority of the
comprises a 200mm cast iron water pipe, charged to a maintenance comprises functional checks to ensure the
pressure of at least 4 bar. The fire main may also comprise system works, that hoses are intact and free from damage,
part of the local potable water distribution main. that nozzles are present and that reels and valves work
correctly. Reel mounted hose pipes should be thoroughly
flushed out. Such checks would usually be performed at 3
Nitrogen foam flooding system
monthly intervals. There may be a requirement to
The function of a nitrogen foam flooding system is to
periodically replace hoses with new ones.
exclude air from the liquid surface to prevent the risk of an
The maintenance of the fire hydrant water main should
explosion in a sump. It is normally triggered by gas include checks on the hydrants and on the isolator valves.
detectors (Refer to Section L.1) to operate before the
These typically include at 3 month intervals test of valve
lower explosion limit (LEL) is reached, or by heat
operations and checks for leakage with and without blanking
detectors. caps in position. At 5 yearly intervals overhaul of valves will
The system usually comprises a number of nitrogen gas
be in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.
bottles, a foam generating set, a control system and a
The maintenance of the nitrogen foam flooding system
number of foam-generator nozzles. The foam-generator should typically includes 3 monthly checks that: all panels
nozzles are installed within the sump to discharge nitrogen
are clear of alarms, all bottles are in place, secure and at
foam on to the liquid surface within the sump. They are
the correct pressure, and all connectors and earthings are
connected to the foam-generating set by pipework. When free of signs of corrosion, damage or overheating. A test
the control system receives a discharge signal from the gas
firing of the system should be carried out with a purging of
detection system (or its own heat detection system) it
foam in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions at
causes the nitrogen to be discharged into the foam- intervals of 12 months.
generator set and foam generation to start. The sump
pumps and ventilation system are then automatically
disabled. The system continues to discharge until all the G.3 Issues
nitrogen bottles have emptied. The system generates a Fire extinguishers
foam blanket that lies across the top of the sump, The discharge of a dry powder fire extinguisher within a
preventing an explosive environment from occurring. The tunnel causes a cloud of particles of such density that
system is designed such that the nitrogen bottles continue visibility within the tunnel can be totally obscured. The
to discharge for 10 to 15 minutes following completion of inappropriate discharge of such extinguishers can cause a
the foam blanket. This ensures that the environment within severe hazard to traffic. Hazards to traffic can also arise
the sump is made fully inert. from the inappropriate use of fixed fire fighting equipment.
41
Fire hydrant water main also be used, but because of the pressure of the discharge
If a fire hydrant water main also serves as a part of the and very low temperature of the nozzle they can be
local potable water supply, the tunnel operator must have hazardous to the user if used inexpertly.
procedures to ensure adequate fire fighting capability in
the event of a supply failure or reduction in pressure. In Fixed fire fighting equipment
particular, mutually agreed procedures with the water The value of providing of fixed fire-fighting equipment
supply company must be established such that the tunnel (e.g. hose reels) is related to the methods of working of the
operator receives advanced notification prior to any local fire service. The current alternative to its provision is
maintenance activities that may compromise the supply. the use of the fire services own equipment.
Nitrogen foam flooding system Nitrogen foam flooding system

Nitrogen foam generator sets usually rely upon bottles of The nitrogen bottles used within nitrogen foam flooding
nitrogen sited adjacent to the generator set. The nitrogen systems could be sited at a location not susceptible to
bottles are usually very heavy and difficult to install. Great vehicular impact damage, for example in a service bore if
care must be taken to ensure that the interconnecting provided. However the pipework and associated
pipework is secure and does not leak. Special working engineering would be more complex and might increase
procedures during the maintenance of such systems includes the whole life system costs.
the wearing of eye protection. The nitrogen bottles are
charged to a pressure of 175 bar. The consequences of a
Sprinkler type systems
traffic accident resulting in severe damage to the nitrogen
bottle enclosure and displacement of the bottles are Following the recent serious fires in the Mont Blanc and
extremely serious. The injuries and damage resulting from Tauern tunnels, there has been widespread discussion of
such an accident could be substantially greater than those the potential of sprinkler type systems to quickly control a
normally expected in a traffic accident. tunnel fire before it spreads, and to cool air sufficiently for
The maintenance works associated with the nitrogen people to escape. Such systems have generally not been
foam system include an annual test discharge. Care must recommended because of concerns that:
be taken to ensure that no one is within the sump when this l they may destroy stratification of smoke overlying clear
test is conducted. Following completion of this test the air;
sump should be completely ventilated and oxygen tests l a fuel or oil fire may be exacerbated;
conducted to ensure a breathable atmosphere prior to any l most fires occur within a vehicle and so the seat of the
one being permitted to enter the sump. fire cannot be directly targeted by sprinklers;
Fire service personnel will be able to respond more
l chemicals may be present that react adversely with
effectively to an incident in a particular tunnel if they are
water;
thoroughly conversant with the exact equipment in use.
Suitable opportunities should be provided, during planned l stream may scald people at some distance from the fire;
maintenance tunnel closures, to enable them to make l discharge over moving traffic may introduce additional
periodic familiarisation visits. hazards.
Tunnel sumps are provided with an additional foam inlet
Some of these problems may be addressed by water mist
for use by the fire services. The type of foam used within
or foam systems but further work is being undertaken to
the foam-generating set must be compatible with that used
review systems for rapid detection and suppression of fires.
by the local fire service. Certain foams are incompatible
and contact between these different types of foam results
in early degradation of the foam.
If there are constant water flows into the tunnel (perhaps
caused by a breach in the waterproofing around the tunnel)
the tunnel sump will require frequent pumping out. The
resulting high flow rates into the sump serve to reduce the
effective life of a foam blanket, as the rising level within
the sump will quickly cause the foam blanket to be
breached. The tunnel operator must have procedures in
place to manage this eventuality.
G.4 Alternatives
Fire extinguishers
There appears little alternative to the use of fire
extinguishers within tunnels. It may be more appropriate to
use an AFFF extinguisher rather than dry powder to avoid
the dangers posed by inappropriate use. Gas discharge
extinguishers containing carbon dioxide or FM200 could
42
Appendix H: Communications: telephone systems
H.1 Function and description of system Table H1 Maintenance costs (1998 prices) for
The provision of telephone systems varies from one tunnel emergency telephone system
to another, and historically has been determined largely by
Tunnel A B C
the requirements of the tunnel operator and the local police
and fire authorities. Breakdown of equipment served
Up to three separate systems may be provided, fulfilling Emergency telephones No 35 35
the following functions:
Breakdown of maintenance cost
i An emergency telephone system (ETS), to enable the Emergency telephone system £k 11.375 9.16 13.65
public to summon assistance in the event of an incident.
ii A smoke control telephone system, to enable the fire
operational when required. The only way to ensure with
brigade to communicate between one end of the tunnel
total certainty that an emergency telephone is functioning
and the other.
is to live test it frequently, but very regular tests may be
iii An internal telephone system, for use by maintenance staff. impractical and costly. However, the successful testing of
Increased use by maintenance personnel and emergency any telephone that is connected to the same outstation unit
services of hand-held and vehicle mounted radios or as the tunnel telephones will give the tunnel operator
mobile telephones has rendered the latter two systems confidence that the outstation unit is functioning correctly,
largely obsolete, provided that suitable radio relay although the speech paths to and from individual tunnel
facilities are available to maintain radio communications telephones have not been tested.
within the tunnel. Commonly, the complete emergency telephone system
The ETS provides reliable communications between will be a bespoke set of equipment produced by a low
specific locations within the tunnel (such as emergency volume manufacturer. Over the expected life of the system,
panels and smoke control panels) and a remote location. The expertise and support for such systems can be expected to
latter may be either the tunnel control room (for manned diminish, as technology changes, and the tunnel operator
tunnels) or the local police control centre. The ETS may experience problems with maintenance support. The
comprises a number of telephone instruments installed level of service that such a system can provide will quite
within accessible and clearly marked cubicles, frequently quickly appear to be antiquated, as improvements in
within the tunnel emergency/distribution panels. Each of the technology become common place.
telephone sets is connected to an outstation concentrator unit Smoke control and internal telephones are largely
and thence via a trunk line to the instation and answering redundant because of alternative means of communication.
panel at the control centre. Emergency telephones are
provided with a flashing light above the cubicle to give H.5 Alternatives
visual notification of an incoming call. This is necessary Alternatives to existing ETSs involve changes to the
because a ringing tone would not be audible above the
detailed engineering of the installation. The incorporation
relatively high ambient noise level in the tunnel caused by
of remote test facilities on the tunnel phones to provide the
traffic motion and tunnel plant.
ability to feed test tones along the speech path from
instation to outstation to tunnel phone and back again
H.2 Description of maintenance procedures would greatly increase the tunnel operators confidence that
Ideally testing all aspects of operation of the emergency the system is working correctly. If the off-hook switch was
telephones should be carried out at intervals of 1 week, replaced by encapsulated reed switches, and the off-hook
and of other telephones at intervals of 3 months. However facility was achieved by incorporating a magnet into the
because of access limitations testing is frequently limited phone handset there would be great confidence that the
to planned tunnel closures. The telephone should be system would correctly function when so required. Such
cleaned and inspected for defects and correct number test facilities would provide far greater confidence that the
labelling at the same time as testing. At intervals of 1 year ETS was working correctly and reduce the number of
any battery supplies to telephones should be tested, and at special tunnel accesses required to investigate alleged ETS
intervals of 2 years the batteries should be replaced. failures, with an attendant reduction in traffic delays.
Where possible the ETS should consist of standard
H.3 Maintenance costs products from a recognised volume manufacturer of
telecommunications equipment. This would tend to greatly
Table H1 presents maintenance cost data for the
reduce the capital and maintenance cost of ETSs.
emergency telephone systems in three of the tunnels that
Consideration should be given to using a modern feature-
are listed in Table C1.
rich private automatic branch exchange (PABX) that
would provide most of the basic functions of the ETS and
H.4 Issues provide additional facilities such as built in call logging
Emergency telephones by definition are used under etc. Additional test features could be added to this basic
exceptional circumstances. However they need to be 100% system to provide a cost-effective ETS.
43
Appendix I: Communications – radio relay systems
I.1 Function and description of system I.2 Description of maintenance procedures

Tunnel structures tend to block radio communication Radio relay systems are designed to operate at remote
between the tunnel interior and the outside world. unmanned locations and maintenance requirements are
Communication is typically lost about 50 metres in from therefore minimal. The equipment is often designed such
either portal. Radio relay systems provide continuity of that cabinet ventilation fans are not required. In order to
radio coverage for hand-held and vehicle mounted radios ensure that the systems are functional and available for
for the whole length of the tunnel. use, a weekly on-air test of all channels for acceptable
A radio relay system is designed to handle specific radio speech quality is recommended. On an annual basis it is
channels and typically serves, as a minimum, radio necessary to check the acceptability of system frequency
channels used by the police, fire and ambulance services, accuracy, transmitted power levels, receiver sensitivity and
when responding to incidents. Each organisation may use a selectivity, and transmitter output and audio levels to and
number of fixed radio frequencies, or channels, within the from the control centre.
tunnel. This requirement may be satisfied by the provision
of separate transmitters and receivers for each channel or a
more complex base station arrangement capable of I.3 Issues
intelligent channel selection. It is important that the radio relay systems are specified so
Some tunnels also provide a relay service for the tunnel as not to cause interference to or be susceptible to
operator/maintainer, commercial or BBC radio channels interference from other items of tunnel equipment. The
and mobile telephone service providers. same arguments apply to other items of tunnel equipment
A typical tunnel radio relay system comprises a leaky in that they should not produce unacceptable levels of
feeder antenna through each bore of the tunnel, linked to a radio frequency interference that may compromise the
number of transceivers in a tunnel service building. A leaky operation of the radio relay systems.
feeder antenna is a specially constructed coaxial cable The equipment cost to provide radio coverage in the
installed along the length of the tunnel that acts as a wide tunnel can be high. Users could share common equipment,
band distributed antenna system, allowing radio frequency rather than providing a number of standalone systems,
(RF) signals to leak in or out of the cable along its length. although the risk of common mode failure increases.
An alternative to the leaky feeder is a series of discrete
The testing of every channel can be a logistical problem.
antennae along the length of the tunnel. If the tunnel portals
For example, the police may be unable to carry out frequent
are located in cuttings, it may also be necessary to provide
on-air radio checks but may also be unwilling to allow the
‘Yagi’ antennae outside the portals to give sufficient radio
tunnel operator access to a police mobile transceiver in order
frequency coverage on the approach ramps. In order to
to undertake the checks on their behalf.
reduce the number of leaky feeders or other antennae it is
normal to combine the output of the transmitter and the There is no alternative to regular maintenance checks of
input to the receiver onto a single cable. A pre-requisite for radio equipment. The Radio Communications Agency is the
this is a split frequency channel arrangement. A diplexer authority responsible for management of the radio spectrum.
must be added between the coaxial feeder cable and the They would take action against an organisation that was
transmitter and receiver to block high power transmissions causing radio interference due to lack of maintenance of
that would otherwise damage the receiver circuitry. The their radio equipment. By initially purchasing equipment of
radio communication equipment that will actually be a proven quality and stability from a reputable source, the
operated within the tunnel will typically be medium power maintenance can be kept to a minimum.
(approximately 25 Watt ERP) vehicle radios and lower In order to have confidence that the systems are 100%
power (2 Watt to 5 Watt ERP) hand held radios. available for use a set of equipment that self-tests and
For optimum signal quality the transceivers are normally provides permanent test tones down all audio paths should
linked to the appropriate users’ remote base stations by be specified.
land lines, so that the tunnel system behaves as an During a tunnel incident the noise levels from
additional transmitter/receiver on the local area wide ventilation fans, fire engine water pumps, vehicles etc is so
communications network. In cases where a land line high that audibility of the radio relay transmissions can be
connection to the tunnel service building is not feasible, an a problem. Such problems may be overcome by building
external antenna may be located in the vicinity of the headphones and microphones into the protective helmets
tunnel to receive transmissions ‘off-air’ and rebroadcast worn by members of the emergency services.
them inside the tunnel. However, this method rarely gives
satisfactory performance because of the problem of
I.4 Alternatives
feedback between external and internal antennae.
The transmitter and receiver that comprise a single channel The alternatives to current radio relay system designs are
operate on different radio frequencies (the reverse of the expected to result from technology advances in the field of
frequencies that the mobile radio uses) so that the system can digital electronics.
operate in ‘full duplex’ or ‘talk through’ mode, where the The inclusion of a text transmission system as a part of
transmitter and receiver operate simultaneously. This provides the radio relay system would assist in the transfer of
point to point communications between two users within the information during a tunnel incident in conditions of high
tunnel by re-broadcasting the received signal. background noise.
44
Appendix J: Communications – CCTV systems
J.1 Function and description of system J.3 Maintenance costs
The function of the closed circuit television (CCTV) Data from three tunnels (A, B and C, listed in Table C1),
systems is to provide video coverage of the inside of a which each had either five or six cameras per bore, showed
tunnel and the tunnel portal and maintenance crossover that the mean cost of annual maintenance per CCTV
areas for traffic monitoring, assessment of incidents and camera was approximately £1100 at 1998 prices.
general observation of the structure.
A tunnel CCTV system is a bespoke configuration of
J.4 Issues
proprietary components, designed to satisfy the
requirements for a particular site. The CCTV cameras are Older CCTV installations may use tube based cameras,
installed inside weatherproof housings, and may be which suffer from relatively poor image quality and low
equipped with pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) facilities. Inside the light performance. Camera technology has advanced
tunnel, cameras are mounted clear of the traffic space on rapidly over the past few years, particularly with the
brackets attached directly or indirectly to the lining. Outside introduction of charge coupled devices (CCDs) for
the tunnel cameras are usually mounted on top of a high reception of images. Low light performance has vastly
rigidity mast. Some such masts are equipped with camera improved and the cost differential between colour and
raising and lowering equipment, to facilitate maintenance monochrome systems has reduced to the extent that
access to the camera assembly. Other lighter duty lattice monochrome is now rarely specified. The additional visual
structured camera poles are designed with a hinged section information available from colour cameras is most useful
to allow maintenance access to the camera assembly. for tunnel safety monitoring and enables better
The video output from the camera can be transmitted to identification of vehicles.
the control centre by various means, and via a number of It is important to ensure that tunnel cameras are supplied
intermediate transmission stations. For some installations with electricity from the UPS supply to ensure continuity
the transmission media may be fibre optic cabling. These
of safety surveillance during mains-power supply failures.
transmission systems may either be single channel (only
The pan and tilt heads are generally sealed long life
transmitting the output from one camera) or multi-channel
items that only require external cleaning. The exception to
(typically transmitting the output from 12 or 24 cameras).
this is when additional components are fitted inside the pan
For other installations, it may be appropriate to wire
directly from the camera, using high quality co-axial cable and tilt heads. Such components may include orientation
to the control centre or to an intermediate site. feed back systems, sometimes based on potentiometers,
It is also possible to transmit colour CCTV pictures over that provide signals which define the 3 dimensional
a twisted pair of audio cable, by using proprietary launch orientation of the pan and tilt head platform, and hence the
amplifiers and receivers. It is common to have to ‘correct’ camera. If such facilities are provided it is necessary to
the video signal after it has been transmitted over such remove the pan and tilt head to inspect these components.
media owing to the differential frequency spectrum loss The majority of CCTV camera transmission systems are
from the video signal. based on analogue transmission technology. In order to
For some applications it may be appropriate to digitise multiplex camera signals on to a single fibre the
and compress the video signal and transmit it over a digital multiplexer must operate at up to 500MHz for a 12 camera
transmission network to the control centre. Again, some installation and up to 1GHz for a 24 camera installation.
loss of picture quality may be expected due to the limited Analogue transmission technology of this type is
bandwidth of available equipment. susceptible to distortion from a number of different
When the video signals arrive at the control centre they sources. If the video signal level in a channel within the
are commonly fed into a video matrix, which allows any of system exceeds specification, intermodulation distortion
the input signals from the cameras to be switched to a can occur as the harmonic component of the signal starts to
defined monitor. There is a control system associated with interfere with signals in higher channels.
the video matrix that facilitates the selection of each of the Access to the bottles containing fluid for wash/wipe
camera inputs, and may include features such as automatic facilities is normally very difficult, and in practice the
sequencing of pictures and display of a selected scene on
effectiveness of the wash function is not always very good.
receipt of an alarm signal (for example from opening of an
Location of cameras at high level in tunnels is necessary
emergency door). The control system also interfaces with
each of the CCTV cameras, via the transmission system, to give a good view under normal traffic conditions.
such that signals can be sent to the camera to control pan, However, being close to the ceiling they will quickly
tilt and zoom and camera wash/wipe facilities. become obscured by smoke in the event of a fire and should
not therefore be relied upon for use under fire conditions.
J.2 Description of maintenance procedures
J.5 Alternatives
The detailed maintenance procedures depend on the particular
type of cameras in use. Servicing, cleaning and testing of a The cost of CCD based cameras has fallen considerably
typical modern charge coupled device (CCD) type camera owing to mass production. It may now be possible to
system will be carried out at intervals of 6 months and may increase the number of cameras within a tunnel and omit
involve removal of the camera to the workshop. the requirement for pan and tilt heads. This would result in
45
cost savings for the pan and tilt heads and for the
associated camera control boards and control transmission
systems. Such a system would require cameras to be
mounted to view traffic in both directions to facilitate
monitoring under contraflow conditions. However there is
significant benefit to the safe operation of a road tunnel by
having PTZ facilities available on a tunnel camera which
enable the operator to focus on incidents within the tunnel.
A mixture of cameras with PTZ facilities and fixed
cameras would probably cost a similar amount to an
existing installation and would provide a more resilient
overall CCTV infrastructure. Pan and tilt heads are reliable
established technology. Alternatives would be in the
detailed engineering (use of different materials etc) rather
than in the concept.
The output from CCD cameras is a standard 1 Volt peak
to peak video signal. CCD cameras are inherently digital
devices. It is possible for the output to be a standard digital
video signal (for example MPEG II) and for the
subsequent transmission also to be digital. This would
eliminate the traditional analogue transmission problems
(such as inter-modulation distortion, phasing etc). The
reduction in system component count would result in a
higher reliability, lower cost system with consistent picture
definition. Furthermore a change to digital camera outputs
and a digital transmission system would enable video
pictures to be transmitted to any location served by a high-
speed digital communications system. Limited quality
pictures can be transmitted via a telephone line. Such a
facility would enable remote viewing of camera images by
a specialised emergency service (such as the National
Chemical Emergency Centre, or Bomb Disposal) in the
event of a serious tunnel incident requiring specialised
emergency resources.
Automatic incident detection

The advent of powerful, cheap computing and image
processing software has made possible the concept of
drawing operator’s attention to tunnel incidents
automatically. Such a system could for example use CCTV
cameras to detect stationery traffic and either alert an
operator or automatically turn traffic signals to red.
However the benefits and reliability of such a system is not
proven in comparison to a system using detector loops on
the road surface.
46
Appendix K: Traffic control – tunnel VMS systems
K.1 Function and description of system Table K1 Maintenance costs (1998 prices) for VMS
The function of a tunnel variable message sign (VMS) system and instation equipment
system is to provide a means of indicating to motorists that a
Tunnel A B C
tunnel lane is closed, that a tunnel is closed completely, that
a tunnel is in contraflow or any combination of the above. Breakdown of equipment served
Variable message signs associated with tunnels are Tunnel signs No 40 14 24
generally of two types: matrix or rotating prism. Matrix Gantry signs No 28 4 19
Prism signs No 23 33
signs are used as lane control signs at tunnel portals and in
the tunnel interior to indicate lane availability or closure by Breakdown of maintenance cost
means of a matrix of coloured points of light forming green VMS system £k 14.625 11.7 17.55
arrows or red crosses. Older types use an array of coloured In-station equipment £k 6.5 5.2 7.8
lamps to give the required indications. More recent designs
are based on fibre optic technology to reduce the number of K.4 Issues
light sources required. Rotating prism signs are used to
display more complex messages relating to tunnel closures It is the experience of a number of tunnel operators that
and diversions and because of their larger size are rarely VMS for tunnel closure or lane closures are not regarded
used within tunnels but are post or gantry mounted on the by the public as mandatory, and that nothing less than a
tunnel approaches. Small rotating prism signs are, however, physical barrier will guarantee that no vehicles will attempt
sometimes used within tunnels to indicate speed restrictions, to disobey them. There is therefore an element of doubt
where these are variable. about the effectiveness of these signs for controlling traffic
A typical VMS system will include internally and to protect operatives or emergency services personnel
illuminated tunnel signs, internally illuminated post attending an incident who may be in the tunnel prior to the
mounted and gantry signs, and a number of different types laying of cones.
of rotating prism signs. Each of these different signs has a The control system for VMS is safety related and
different maintenance requirement. requires type approval. The consequences of a malfunction
Tunnel VMS systems vary significantly within their of the control system may be that contrary signing is
detailed designs. They generally comprise a number of presented to motorists, which could result in an accident.
sub-elements, combined together to form a bespoke Any modifications, additions and software updates to the
configuration for the particular tunnel complex. The control system may invalidate this approval and must be
roadside and/or gantry mounted signs are manufactured by thoroughly tested off-line prior to installation in the tunnel
proprietary variable message sign manufacturers, and are VMS system. Following installation a re-validation test
controlled via a local control box. The local control box must be conducted to ensure that the VMS system is
also contains additional facilities such that the sign can be operating as intended.
controlled from a remote location via a local electronic Experience with some VMS systems has highlighted a
controller / sign driver. At the remote location, additional
number of functional limitations that may lead to
equipment is provided to facilitate the remote control. It is
operational difficulties and need to be eliminated in design.
common for the signing control system to be a based on
These include the following:
industrial microprocessor technology, configured and
programmed in accordance with system requirements. i If the control system fails during implementation of a
lane or tunnel closure plan the variable message signs
may not maintain their current aspects. The control
K.2 Description of maintenance procedures
system should be designed to fail to a safe state and to
Owing to the wide variety of different designs it is
facilitate recovery from this situation in a structured
inappropriate to consider the maintenance requirements for
manner without completely stopping traffic whilst the
the control system in detail. The variable message signs are
signing systems are reset.
the system elements that require the most maintenance.
Typical maintenance requirements for internally ii When signing is set for maintenance operations, for
illuminated gantry and post mounted signs are a weekly example contraflow, the implementation of an
inspection of operation and for defects. An internal emergency signing plan may override advance signing
inspection is normally carried out at intervals of three in such a way that it creates a danger for approaching
months. Typically at intervals of six months bulbs should motorists.
be replaced and at intervals of one year mechanical and iii Where control is distributed, failure of one part of the
electrical equipment is serviced. VMS system may lead to a loss of co-ordination of
signing between one part of the system and another.
K.3 Maintenance costs iv If the VMS system is designed to ‘count down’, as one
Table K1 presents maintenance cost data for the would expect with a typical motorway control system,
emergency telephone systems in three of the tunnels that there may be an unacceptable delay in implementing
are listed in Table C1. lane restrictions in response to an incident.
47
Bulbs for internally illuminated tunnel signs can be enhanced message signs, based on high intensity LED
designed to operate at a number of different voltages, technology is therefore now a practical alternative. Such
usually either 24V (70W H3 tungsten halogen lamps) or signs can be used to provide useful information to
10V (50W dichromatic lamps). H3 lamps are much less motorists, rather than giving instructions that motorists
expensive than dichromatic lamps, however the heat often ignore. The use of such signs has the potential to
generated by H3 lamps has been found to degrade the fibre reduce the maintenance required by complex electro-
bundles in many tunnel signs, resulting in a much reduced mechanical signs, and to provide an enhanced level of
operational sign life. The cost associated with reduction in service to the motorist, thereby reducing traffic delays.
sign life is much greater than the additional cost of Electro-mechanical signs do have the advantage that
dichromatic lamps, therefore the use of dichromatic lamps they do not require a power supply to display a new aspect
results in lower whole life cost. once they have rotated to display it. However, the low
The complex mechanisms associated with rotating prism power requirements of LED sources implies that a
type signs result in a much higher maintenance reasonable back up power supply could be provided for an
requirement than for internally illuminated signs. However LED sign from a battery source.
prism type signs currently have the advantage that they do
not require a power supply to maintain an aspect. K.6 Value engineering review of alternatives
Advances in light emitting diode (LED) technology are
starting to erode this advantage (see below). LED technology
For a tunnel bore with 20 variable message signs LED
technology would imply a reduction in electricity usage
K.5 Alternatives
equivalent to approximately £1,250 per annum (2000
The work associated with modifications to a tunnel control prices), that is £62.50 each per sign per annum. In addition
system can be extensive, requiring offline testing and post there would be no requirement to change bulbs twice per
installation validation testing. The VMS control system year at a materials cost of £20 per annum, and so the
could be constructed around a set of safety validated maintenance cost would reduce significantly, perhaps
software tools such that new signs and signing plans could yielding a further saving of £20 to £30 per sign per annum.
be introduced into the control system by a pre-validated Total cost savings per annum for such signs, from these
method. The software tools could recognise a database of sources, would be expected to be £100 to £110 per sign per
different sign types and have all the relevant characteristics annum. The capital cost for LED signs is currently around
of the signs available. The whole life cost for such a the same as that for conventional signs and is expected to
system might be much lower than for existing designs and fall further. The life expectancy of the LED signs is
would form the basis of a generic design that could be expected to exceed conventional signs by 20% to 30%. Thus
used in any tunnel. It could be a free issue item to a the cost of ownership over a 10 year period would be
contractor for a new tunnel. The only bespoke aspect of expected to be 50% to 60% of that for a conventional sign.
the system would be the local configuration. It would
facilitate the rapid implementation of system modifications
and updates. It would greatly reduce signing system
change costs and lead times and help the tunnel operator to
provide a better service.
The use of generic electronics components for a tunnel
signing control system would decrease the amount of bespoke
design in the hardware aspects of a tunnel VMS control
system resulting in a reduction in whole life costs. This might
be achieved through the application of components used in
equipment for the second generation National Motorway
Communications System (NMCS2, TA 72: DMRB 9.4.1).
Spares for a signing system based on generic components
would be far easier to manage and would be common
between a number of different tunnels. Spares holdings, and
associated costs would reduce accordingly.
Internally illuminated signs for tunnels can now be
constructed using high intensity LEDs rather than fibre
optic bundles with tungsten or halogen bulbs as the light
source. The life expectancy for such LEDs is in excess of
100,000 hours, and the power requirements are much
lower (typically 50% of that for the most efficient
conventional sign design), resulting in a considerable
reduction in whole life cost. The resulting signs can be
lighter, require smaller supporting structures, be much
more reliable and require less maintenance. The
replacement of prism type electro-mechanical signs with
48
Appendix L: Tunnel ECS and plant monitoring systems
L.1 Function and description of system Field instrumentation
General Field instrumentation is used to provide measurements of
The function of the environmental control system (ECS) is environmental variables to the ECS. This type of
to provide a means by which signals to control the tunnel instrumentation usually comprises carbon monoxide (CO)
lighting and ventilation systems can be generated. The sensors, visibility (obscuration) sensors, anemometers for
ECS may also provide a means of communicating the ventilation control and photometers for lighting control.
status of these systems and measurements of gas levels, CO and visibility sensors function by measuring the
pollution levels and luminance levels to a remote location. absorption of a specific wavelength of infrared light either
It is also usual for the ECS to handle alarms, status by CO or by particulates in the air. These absorption
information and remote control signals for other tunnel measurements are then used to compute the concentrations
plant, particularly electrical switchgear and emergency and of the respective pollutants. If CO levels exceed a
fire protection systems. predefined limit, or if tunnel visibility falls below a
Because of the variety of designs of ECS they are predetermined level, the relevant outstations will cause the
discussed in generic terms in this appendix. The potential ventilation system to start and run until acceptable levels
application of micro electronics to the control of are attained. Photometers employ light sensitive electronic
equipment in highway tunnels was discussed in a TRL elements to measure ambient light levels (luminance)
report by Bennett et al. (1984). around the tunnel portals. The outstations responsible for
lighting control receive the signals from the photometers
and use them to control tunnel entrance and exit zone
ECS processing elements
lighting levels. Tunnel interior zone lighting may also be
ECSs are based on computer technology. Technical
controlled by a time clock function to switch between day
advances in the use of computer systems for plant control
and night time levels of illumination.
and the availability of standardised graphical software have
provided the potential for cost-effective innovative design
solutions. The design of tunnel ECSs has evolved with Gas detection systems (see also Section G.1)
technology over the past 10 to 15 years. Older, computer It is usual for tunnel sumps and similar confined spaces to
based ECSs were designed around dual redundant central be equipped with oxygen sensors and flammable gas
computers that contained all the control logic to operate the sensors, to detect potentially hazardous atmospheres within
tunnel systems. This control logic was implemented as the sumps. The range of different types of gas that may be
computer ‘tasks’ or ‘processes’. Newer designs use a central monitored is quite variable; in the majority of installations
computer linked to programmable logic controllers (PLC’s, the gas sensors are of the electro-chemical cell type. If such
commonly referred to as outstations) at strategic locations a system detects flammable gas then it is usual for an alert to
corresponding to the principal concentrations of plant. All be given at 20% of the lower explosive limit (LEL) for that
control and other information is passed along a common gas. At 30% LEL the operation of sump pumps would be
data transmission network. The PLCs are programmed to inhibited and automatic fire protection systems initiated.
receive information about ambient lighting conditions and Hydrocarbon sensors will normally be calibrated on
air quality from local sensors and to output the appropriate hexane which gives a calibration equivalent to petrol
control commands to the lighting and ventilation plant. They vapours. If there is a danger of accumulations of methane
also gather plant status information from the associated (for example in cable draw pits), gas sensors calibrated to
plant and relay it to the central computer. PLCs often utilise measure methane may be installed. In some locations there
‘ladder logic’ to build the control functions. This system is a danger that hydrogen sulphide may be produced by the
enables control sequences to be broken down into discrete action of acidic waters on sulphur bearing rocks. In such
steps for simplicity of programming and troubleshooting. locations one may find hydrogen sulphide gas sensors.
The central computer receives manual control signals, for Oxygen depletion monitors are used to detect the
plant override or updating of control parameters, and relays presence of gases which may not be hydrocarbon based
but which will nevertheless reduce the ‘breathability’ of
them to the appropriate outstations. An operator’s position is
the air because of displaced oxygen.
normally provided with a graphical user interface for user-
It should be noted that such gas detector systems are not
friendly display of plant status and control options. SCADA
sensitive to diesel spillage (owing to the low volatility of
(Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) software is
diesel fuel), and therefore such systems cannot be relied
usually employed to manage data communications between
upon to provide complete coverage.
the central computer and the outstations.
The majority of existing ECSs are a bespoke
configuration of industrial computers and/or PLCs, L.2 Description of maintenance procedures
operating proprietary-based software packages that have The majority of equipment is computer based. The
been configured for use at the site. Such combinations maintenance routines that apply are unique to the
allow the exact control requirements, for any particular particular type of system installed. Typically every three
tunnel, to be achieved cost-effectively. months computer cooling fans and air filters should be
49
cleaned, computer and PLC connections should be supported for several upgrades of operating hardware,
checked, back up copies of software should be taken and without significant changes. This would avoid the
the following should be tested: substantial off-line validation testing which is required
i All aspects of computer system operation and response. prior to upgrading hardware or software, because many
emergency functions are implemented via the ECS.
ii Capacity and fragmentation of computer hard discs.
iii Local PLC memory battery.
Sensors
At intervals of 12 months voltage and earthing of PLCs Tunnel instrumentation is the key to safe and economic
should be tested. operation of tunnel plant. If a particular sensor or type of
The maintenance requirements for both CO & visibility sensor requires frequent maintenance and is prone to failure,
sensors are peculiar to each individual manufacturer. the maintenance costs become excessive. Rugged CO
Typical sensors would be cleaned, serviced and calibrated sensors have been used in harsh industrial environments for
at 3 monthly intervals many years, as for example flue gas analysers in coal fired
The maintenance requirements for gas detection systems power stations. It has been found that these types of CO
are similarly peculiar to the exact type of system. Typical sensors are built to a much higher standard than other
systems would require cleaning, checking connections, available sensors, require much less maintenance and are
calibration and testing of operation at 3 monthly intervals. At considerably more reliable. A similar finding has been made
intervals of 12 months the gas sensor is normally replaced. for visibility sensors. A rugged variant of this type of sensor
has been used on airfields for measuring ambient air opacity
L.3 Issues for many years and has been found to be very reliable with
General low maintenance requirements.
In many road tunnel installations the provision of
emergency controls, such as ventilation control from smoke Year 2000 problems
control panels, is achieved via the central computer which, In the past it was realised that in many cases it was cheaper
in turn, activates inputs to an outstation in the ventilation to adapt low cost 286 or 386 computer chips for specific
control panel. This then causes the ventilation to start in the applications rather than to develop purpose-made devices.
normal way. During a tunnel fire there is a high probability This meant that calendar functions were available where
that control cables and equipment will suffer fire damage. they were not necessarily needed. Such chips were
Such damage may prevent the ventilation system from frequently built into systems such as motor control
functioning. To design emergency controls to be activated devices, fire alarms and telephone switchboards. However,
via the central computer serves to introduce a possible date-related problems can only occur if the calendar is
failure mode into the emergency controls, which are safety actually used. In general, therefore, only devices that
critical systems. Safety critical control systems based on actively use date-related functions are at risk. For these
computer technology require high reliability, multiply devices the change from 31/12/99 to 01/01/00 is not the
redundant design criteria that far exceed the design only date on which problems could occur. Many older
specifications for typical road tunnel ECSs. process control devices are programmed to recognise dates
It is important to consider carefully what is required of up to 9/9/99, after which their date awareness will cease.
the various parts of the system, in the event of failure of a There have been estimated to be six such dates upon which
piece of equipment. For instance, if there is a loss of various types of system could malfunction. Non-compliant
communication between the central computer and devices were still being sold as recently as 1998, so age
outstations, it may be better for the outstations to continue cannot be taken as an indicator of compliance. Also it
to control lighting and ventilation in accordance with the cannot be assumed that dates will have been set correctly
latest instructions received from the in station, rather than in all date aware systems.
to revert to a default level. It seems to be generally accepted that there are many
devices, or combinations of devices, for which the
possibility of malfunction cannot be adequately predicted.
ECS processing elements
However, adoption of a ‘wait and see’ policy risks placing
Computer hardware, such as that used to implement ECSs,
great pressure on resources for remedial works on non-
has advanced significantly over the past 15 years, in terms essential systems.
of speed, reliability and physical size. Computer
equipment is now accepted to have a relatively short
operating life. Supporting older computer technology can L.4 Alternatives
be more expensive than replacing it with a modern system. System design
Many tunnel systems, in addition to the ECS, use Traditional ECS designs have featured duplicate central
computer equipment. It appears appropriate to implement computer systems, operating in a ‘hot standby’ mode, so
all such systems around a common computer operating that if the ‘duty’ processor should fail the ‘standby’ unit
system, such that the operator can achieve economies of could immediately take over. The reliability of modern
scale when supporting system software. The common computers is such that a parallel device is not justified. It is
factor is the software, and software configuration. The type also sometimes the case that equipment provided to link
of software chosen should therefore be such that it can be and co-ordinate the two processors can in itself be an
50
additional cause of system failure. It is now accepted that could take advantage of traffic flow data. The ability to
ECS design should be as simple as possible to minimise receive traffic flow data from the TTC would permit closer
the equipment count. Reliable system designs, based on and more predictive control of the ventilation system, by
high bandwidth ring communication PLC systems, offer anticipating changes in levels of pollutants before critical
levels of performance and resilience that could only levels are reached. While it is doubtful that this will bring
historically be achieved with hardwired controls. significant energy savings, there may be advantages in
One would expect a modern ECS system to comprise a reducing the occasions when fans are run at full capacity.
central PC as the graphical user interface, with a RAID Reverse data flow would also open up the possibility for
drive (that is an array of hard disks configured so that if emergency control of certain items of plant, such as
one disk fails, the others can re-constitute any data held on lighting and ventilation, from the traffic control centre.
the failed disk). All system configuration changes, such as The possibility exists of combining the functions of the
changes to operating parameters, would be implemented TTC and the ECS in-station in a single computer which
from this point. This central computer would communicate would allow significant simplifications to be made to
with the outstations connected via a ring data software and hardware. This has successfully been done in
communications network. The software would be such that the Medway tunnel. However, unless a standard design for
switching any number of outstations out of circuit would both software and hardware can be established there could
have no effect on the response speed for the remainder of be problems relating to type approval of the equipment for
the system. The preferred means of communication with use in its traffic control function. Also the ability to tailor
outstations would be via dedicated fibre optic cables to ECS software to the specific needs of individual tunnels
eliminate the possibility of electromagnetic interference might be lost.
from other tunnel equipment.
Linking ECS to CCTV
Control logic In recent systems it is common practice to link the ECS to
Modern control software, based on neural network or the CCTV controller, so that certain defined events, for
fuzzy logic technology, offers the potential to provide example opening of an emergency door, will cause the
control systems that continuously and automatically adapt scene of the event to be displayed on a CCTV monitor
to changes in the operating environment. Such systems are screen, possibly with an accompanying alert signal. A link
potentially capable of matching tunnel lighting and to the TTC could extend this facility to automatically
ventilation demands to the requirements of a large number display the front of a queue of stationary traffic, for
of variables including tunnel traffic speed and density, rate instance, to speed identification of any incidents requiring
of rise of pollution levels, absolute pollution levels and the operator’s attention.
predicted traffic flows. Such software should be capable of
avoiding situations where a small change in the external Sensors
circumstances results in an unnecessarily disproportionate System instrumentation remains the key component in the
response by the tunnel plant. It should aim to reproduce safe and cost effective operation of tunnel ECSs. It is
more closely the human reasoning process which takes a envisaged that alternatives to existing CO & visibility
global view of many factors and makes a judgement on the sensor designs would include much longer measurement
most reasonable response. The ability to optimise paths such that the measurement is a more representative
environmental control in such a manner holds the potential sample of the tunnel air quality and not just a localised
for significant energy savings. effect. This would allow the ECS to determine more
A difficulty associated with the use of this type of accurately the appropriate levels of ventilation.
advanced automated control system is being able to Advances in gas sensing technology (such as the
understand what the controller is doing (and why) for any ‘electronic nose’) hold the potential of detecting a much
given set of system inputs. Tunnel ECSs, based on neural wider range of chemicals facilitating the remote
processing / fuzzy logic technology would have to include identification of chemical spillage within the tunnel
a user friendly interface that allows the tunnel operator to confines. Such information, during the early phases of a
determine the controller’s response, and logical tunnel incident, offers the potential for the early application
‘reasoning’ to any set of inputs. of a safe and effective incident management plan.
Tunnel traffic controller Monitoring records and reports

Recent tunnels may be provided with a tunnel traffic In order to perform its control function for tunnel lighting,
controller (TTC) to handle and interpret traffic flow data ventilation and power distribution systems, the ECS has
from inductive loops in the carriageway and to control access to information on environmental conditions within
matrix and variable message signs associated with the the tunnel such as switching of plant and running times. It
tunnel. The TTC is equipped to interrogate the ECS to would also be relatively easy to monitor energy
obtain data on plant status relevant to its traffic control consumption at strategic points on the power distribution
function. There may be advantages in arranging for network. Software is available to automatically compile
information to flow from the TTC in the reverse direction periodic reports on system performance and energy
so that, for instance, the ventilation control algorithms consumption, and to predict future energy consumption and
51
costs. Such information could be of great value for
budgeting purposes. A further possibility is to analyse actual
data to predict the effect of changing performance criteria,
for instance air quality set points, to permit optimisation of
the system performance and avoid unnecessary use. Such
reports could be requested and received at any remote
location via a modem or similar link.
The production of such reports on systems performance
has the potential to reduce running costs if it can be
demonstrated that equipment set points can be adjusted to
reduce ventilation fan running times. However, this has not
been proved and the primary motivation for this facility is
as a useful management tool for prediction of running
costs and maintenance needs. This information could
easily be made accessible not only to the maintaining agent
but also directly to the overseeing organisation.
52
Appendix M: Electrical systems – HV distribution and protection
M.1 Function and description of system At intervals of 12 months maintenance activities should
The function of the high voltage (HV) distribution and include removal of each circuit breaker on a one by one
protection systems is to provide a controlled source of high basis so as not to compromise the reliability of supply to the
voltage electrical energy to the main tunnel power tunnel. Each circuit breaker should be serviced according to
transformers. A regional electricity company (REC) the manufacturer’s instructions with particular emphasis
being placed on the lubrication of selector switch blades and
usually provides the electrical supplies for the operation of
vacuum roller contacts, friction pins, bearings and pivot.
a tunnel and associated ancillary services. These electrical
Vacuum bottle wear clearances should be checked and
supplies provide the permanent power source to the service
bottles outside limits should be replaced. All mechanical
plant with locally generated temporary power supplies
interlocking facilities should be checked for operation and
usually available for emergency supply in the event of a
overall condition. Voltage transformer (VT) chambers
mains power failure. The permanent supplies normally should be visually checked and all terminations and
comprise one or two fully rated high voltage (11kV) connections to each circuit breaker should be thoroughly
feeders, derived from the REC distribution network. examined. The protection systems associated with each
Where two feeders are provided, if one supply fails the circuit breaker should be tested annually using secondary
tunnel can normally be supplied with power via the other. current injection testing techniques.
Thus the alternative supplies need to be independent of
each other at as high a level as possible in the distribution
M.3 Issues
network in order to minimise the chances of a single fault
disabling both supplies simultaneously. Where it is necessary to distribute HV electricity within a
The primary electrical distribution to road tunnels may network not under the control of the REC, onerous
be arranged in a number of different ways depending upon requirements are placed upon the system designer to
the local HV distribution network operated by the ensure that the operation of protection systems is properly
graded and that HV faults within the tunnel HV
particular REC. A common method of distribution is one
distribution network do not trip the REC supply
in which both independent HV supplies, from the REC, are
switchgear. In order to ensure correct grading it is
terminated within a HV switchroom at one end of the
necessary to comprehensively protect the tunnel HV
tunnel. Interconnecting cables are then installed to provide
network with protection relays. The additional complexity
HV supplies to another HV switchroom at the other end of introduced into the HV network design results in a much
the tunnel. Another common method of distribution is that higher capital cost for a HV switchboard than would be the
one independent HV supply is terminated directly at each case for a typical REC switchboard. The additional
end of the tunnel in HV switchrooms. A single protective equipment provision both complicates, and adds
interconnecting cable, through the tunnel, then provides cost to, the maintenance cycle.
for resilience of supply. In order to manage an HV network it is necessary to
High voltage circuit breakers are usually provided with have procedures in place for the correct operation of the
power solenoid operating mechanisms. The DC closing switchgear and distribution system. If these requirements
and tripping supply to each switchboard is provided from are fulfilled using internal staff, it is essential that a
dedicated tripping and closing battery units located within formal HV Authorised Person training procedure is
the respective HV switchrooms. Mechanical interlocks instigated and maintained.
formed through ‘Castell’ type key mechanisms are usually Section M.1 referred to two common methods of
provided within each circuit breaker section to impose a providing HV supplies to a tunnel and in particular the
fixed sequence of switchgear operation. This prevents the provision of two ‘independent’ supplies. The
incorrect operation of circuit breaking units and isolators, specification of independent supplies is intended to
thus preventing danger to personnel. ensure that common mode failure points are eliminated. It
Bus zone relays are employed to monitor the busbars must be remembered that although the 11kV feeders may
within the HV switchboard and protect against internal be independent, the upstream sources from which the
faults. The relays are able to detect areas of the board in 11kV is derived (usually 33kV) may not be. It is also
which a fault has occurred and switch out the relevant possible that, at some time in the future, the REC may
faulty section, allowing the healthy part of the board to reconfigure its 11kV network distribution arrangements
remain energised. resulting in the 11kV supplies being derived from a
common source. Such changes result in a corresponding
decrease in the resilience of tunnel supplies.
M.2 Description of maintenance procedures
HV distribution supplies to tunnels have been found to
The typical 3 monthly maintenance activities should be more ‘operationally’ fault tolerant if an open point in
incorporate visual inspections for signs of overheating and the HV supply ring exists at one of the tunnel service
checks to ensure that relays, meters and indicators are building HV distribution points. Faults on either of the
operational. Owing to the comparative infrequency of supplies to the tunnel, or the associated distribution
operation of tunnel HV switchgear it may be appropriate to network, cannot then result in total supply failures to the
include the trial operation of the switchgear to ensure the tunnel. It is operationally more acceptable to have some
switchgear does not become sluggish in operation. supplies available rather than to have none.
53
The cost of electricity comprises a fixed and a variable but also to work in parallel with the mains supply to supply
element. The fixed element comprises charges for annual the emergency peak load over and above the normal day to
declared supply capacity; annual maximum demand, day power requirements. A further step would be to use
annual reactive demand and other fixed cost elements. The local generation for peak lopping, to supply peak period
variable element comprises charges for the amount of demand and only to take the base level of energy from the
electrical energy used, the cost of which varies according REC. This would then allow charges related to mains supply
to the time of day, week and year (assuming a seasonal capacity to be reduced to a minimum.
time of day (STOD) tariff which is normally the most While the savings on electricity charges are attractive,
appropriate). The cost of electrical energy can be much there will be significant increased costs, associated with
lower if provided at 11kV, owing to pool purchasing the generation plant, which should be considered as
arrangements. In addition, the fixed costs are reduced if follows:
electricity is supplied from an HV substation, rather than i Increased running hours will increase maintenance and
from the HV network. The fixed cost per kVA of declared fuel supply and storage requirements.
supply capacity (DCS) is much lower (for 1997/8 typical ii If the incoming mains supply is reduced to a level where
costs were £12.48 per kVA at network compared with it cannot support the whole of the tunnel plant then
£8.40 per kVA at substation). A typical 1 km twin bore some duplicate generation equipment will be needed for
tunnel could have a DCS of 1500kVA, thus saving redundancy.
approximately £6,000 per year in DCS costs. Further,
iii Synchronising switchgear and controls will be complex
adopting to take an 11kV supply at a substation also
and expensive.
reduces fixed Annual Maximum Demand Charges (by
approximately 10%) and results in reductions in the iv Typical standby generators may not be intended for
distribution elements of the unit charges and the reactive frequent or prolonged use.
demand charges. v The space requirements for additional plant and
The power demand of a typical tunnel fluctuates widely equipment may preclude upgrading of existing tunnel
according to the time of day and operational generation for peak lopping.
circumstances. There is a nearly constant base load vi It is unlikely that running generators continuously and
consisting of base level lighting and control and exporting surplus power to the grid will be cost-
communications equipment. There is then the boost effective on the scale considered here.
lighting which increases according to the level of external
daylight, and ventilation which generally increases at peak It is becoming more and more unacceptable to close
periods when emissions are at their highest. Drainage tunnels as a result of electricity supply failures. Ventilation
pumping plant will operate occasionally depending mainly supplies to tunnels should be assured such that normal
on weather conditions. Finally, emergency conditions, for operation can continue without interruption under mains
example a major fire, may require lighting, ventilation and failure conditions. It is recommended that increased
availability of electrical supply to road tunnels be adopted
drainage to be running close to their maximum levels
as a major design criterion. It is fully expected that the
simultaneously. The result is that incoming supplies have
importance of this aspect of tunnel management will
to be rated to serve the maximum foreseeable load, which
increase as the road network is subjected to the increasing
in most UK tunnels will be the emergency condition and
pressure of traffic growth.
which will only rarely, if ever, be required, while the
Emergency supplies have traditionally been provided by
actual consumption for much of the time will be
diesel generators; specified to supply a certain ‘critical’ base
considerably less. The fixed element of energy costs is
load. Ventilation systems have not traditionally been
therefore related to a supply capacity that is not needed for
supported by such supplies, on the basis that most tunnels
most of the time.
are to some extent self-ventilating under normal operational
Although there have been significant improvements in
conditions and therefore an acceptable environment can be
the reliability of power transmission equipment in recent
maintained for a limited period, although emergency cover
years, some operators report an increase in the occurrence
for smoke clearance will be lost. Ideally, the tunnel should
of outages due to unplanned network switching operations,
close if ventilation supplies are lost for a significant period.
some of which may take several hours to resolve. The
However, in practice the difficulty of enforcing a tunnel
frequency of supply failures varies widely from one tunnel
closure means that most operators would be reluctant to do
to another and from year to year. Supplies in city centres
this unless it is absolutely necessary. As traffic densities
appear to be the most reliable, while those in rural or semi-
continue to increase, and techniques of road network
rural areas are most prone to interruption. It must therefore
management are employed to make best use of the road
be assumed that complete loss of mains power, sometimes
network, the pressure not to resort to emergency closures of
for several hours, will almost certainly happen from time
road tunnels will continue to increase.
to time and that suitable standby systems must be provided
For a single tunnel operation, the resources required to
if a tunnel is to remain open under these circumstances.
manage and operate even a small HV distribution network
are quite considerable. It is possible to design the
M.4 Alternatives distribution system such that the HV distribution becomes
If generators are to be provided, it may be worth considering a part of the REC responsibilities and allocate tunnel staff
using them not only to cover for mains failure conditions resources to other duties.
54
Where it is decided that a HV network is required, The corresponding saving on electricity purchased will
consideration should be given to the provision of self- be a reduction of the availability charge on a single supply
powered protective devices and self-charging circuit breakers by (1500 – 400) x £1.6 = £1,760 per month or £21,000 per
to eliminate the need for tripping and closing supplies. year. The increase in costs per unit of electricity consumed
It may also be found that the relative simplicity of is complex to calculate and depends very much on the load
design of SF6 (sulphur hexafluoride insulated) switchgear profile of the tunnel, the tariff applied and the prevailing
may make it cost-attractive as an alternative to the use of cost of diesel fuel. However, an initial estimate indicates a
vacuum switchgear. possible rise of about 2% on a daily bill of about £300,
which equates to £6/day or £2,000 per year.
M.5 Value engineering review of alternatives The significant whole life cost saving shown in Table M2
is represented by the difference between the present cost of
Replacing dual supplies with a single supply
the availability charge saved and the extra fuel consumed
A value engineering review comparing a conventional supplying demand above the 400kVA threshold. Overall
supply comprising dual HV supplies with a single HV the review indicates a slight value benefit in the use of
supply is shown in Table M1. As the overall reliability of existing generators in this configuration for peak lopping.
even two HV supplies cannot be guaranteed, a single
standby generator is included. For the single HV supply
two standby generators operate in parallel which should
give overall reliability as good as, if not better than, the
other arrangement. Both arrangements require
uninterruptible power supply equipment. The single HV
supply shows considerable saving in whole life cost and
better value. The main saving is in REC standing and
availability charges for the reduced supply.
Use of standby generator for peak lopping

A value engineering review of using existing generators for
peak lopping is shown in Table M2. This compares the above
scenario where two generators are provided in parallel with a
single HV supply with a DCS of about 1500kVA, with an
alternative using similar equipment to reduce the peak
demand on the incoming supply to 400kVA.
The estimated load profile for a typical day shows three
peaks in demand. Two correspond to traffic peak periods,
when ventilation may be expected to be used in response
to congested traffic. The third is around midday when
lighting is at its peak. Outside these periods the load is
unlikely to exceed 400 kVA.
One 500 kVA standby generator equipped for parallel
operation with the mains and arranged to operate when
load demand exceeds 400 kVA will be sufficient to
support peak loads under all normal operating conditions,
and will enable power drawn from the mains to be limited
to 400 kVA. Should the mains fail, the second 500 kVA
standby generator will bring the total available power to
1000 kVA, sufficient for an adequate response to all
emergency situations. In this instance the top two stages of
boost lighting would be inhibited to reduce the emergency
load to within the capabilities of the generators.
The costs given previously already include for
synchronising switchgear. The extra costs for load
shedding of lighting is negligible. If one generator runs for
about 5 hours per day, the fuel consumed will average
about 550 litres per day or 200,000 litres per year. It
should be noted that, because running a generator at part
load is inefficient, the generator would be run at full load
and the surplus power used to provide part of the base
load. At 12p/litre the cost of fuel will be about £24,000
p.a. (approximately 6p/unit) of which an estimated 50%
would be replacing base load.
55
Table M1 Value engineering review of HV supplies
HV power supply strategy Existing Alternative

Design life:
40 years Two HV supplies One HV supply
Function review Importance Rating Rating

Environmental Impact 0.35 50 55
Total weighted score 74.25 71
Whole life cost

Present Estimated Net Estimated Net
cost costs present costs present
Details factor1 (£k) cost (£k) cost
Capital Cables 1 100 100 50 50

Transformer & switchgear 1 100 100 50 50
Standby generator 1 100 100 200 200
Maintenance – cables Inspect 3 monthly 61.43 1 61 0.7 43
Test annually 14.95 2.4 36 2 30
Test 6 yearly 2.1 4.5 10 2.5 5
REC charges Monthly standing charge 185 6.6 1221 3.3 611
Maintenance – generators Annual 14.95 2 30 4 60

Value ratio (x10-6) 44.8 67.9
1
2
Table M2 Value engineering review of using existing generators for peak lopping
Use existing generators for peak lopping Existing Alternative
Design life: Two generators

20 years - no lopping Peak lopping
Function review
Whole life cost

Net Net
Capital
Availability charge 1 11.16 21 234 2 22
Fuel cost (to cover peaks) 0.083 141.07 9.5 1339 9.8 1386

Value ratio (x10-6) 31.8 31.6
1
2
56
Appendix N: Electrical systems: transformers
N.1 Function and description of system
The function of transformers is to transform electrical
energy from high voltage to a voltage suitable for the
operation of tunnel electrical equipment (typically 415V,
3 phase, 4 wire systems).
A typical tunnel transformer would be rated at 1000 kVA,
11kV / 415V. The specification of transformers in sizes and
types corresponding to those normally used by RECs in their
distribution networks can considerably improve the time to
obtain spares or replacements, should the need arise, since
suppliers frequently keep one or two units in stock for such
eventualities. However, it will be appreciated that the detailed
specification for transformers is determined by whole tunnel
electrical system and significant variations about the above
rating will be found in practice. It is usual to provide ONAN
(Oil Natural Air Natural cooled) transformers with oil level
indication, silica gel breather, filling and drain points and
winding temperature alarm units. Off load tap changing
facilities typically allow an open circuit voltage selection
within the range 404V to 445V.
N.2 Description of maintenance procedures

The 3 monthly maintenance should include visual
inspections of the correct oil level, condition of breather
silica gel cartridges (for discoloration) and confirmation of
normal operating temperatures.
The 12 monthly maintenance should include checking of
transformer cable terminations. An oil sample analysis should
be carried out to ascertain oil condition and provide historic
data such that the degradation rates of the transformer oil and
transformer insulation may be monitored.
N.3 Issues
Transformers are generally very reliable, with lives in excess
of 30 years and very high operational efficiencies. The
majority of failures in older transformers occur as a result of
time dependent thermal ageing, leading to a degradation of
the paper insulation. Transformer oil can easily be replaced or
recycled. Degradation of winding insulation requires the
removal of the transformer for refurbishment.
Measurements of oil-gas (chromatography), moisture
levels, acidity levels, dielectric properties and high
pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) have been shown
to correlate with the remaining life of transformer
insulation. It has also been shown that the detection of
furfuraldehyde, a derivative of paper, using HPLC is one
of the best indicators of degradation of paper insulation in
HV transformers. Use of these methods can provide the
information, which enables planned maintenance to be
scheduled on a predictive basis.
N.4 Alternatives
For new installations it may be cost effective to specify air-
cooled low loss transformers, which are cheaper to
maintain and have even higher operational efficiencies
than the more traditional oil-cooled designs.
57
Appendix O: Electrical systems – LV distribution and protection
O.1 Function and description of system accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. The
The function of low voltage (LV) electrical distribution switching contacts of air circuit breakers (ACB’s) should
and protection systems is to provide a controlled source of be checked for any pitting or other surface damage and
LV electrical energy for sub distribution to the tunnel and metal vapour deposits should be cleaned from the arc
to associated ancillary services. chutes. All mechanical linkages, friction pins, bearings and
The outputs from the main tunnel power transformers rollers should be lubricated and the correct operation of
are supplied to one or more LV switchboards. The LV solenoid or stored energy operating mechanisms tested.
switchboards provide the sub distribution for the tunnel The 12 monthly maintenance will require access to the
and ancillary services. The LV switchboards usually busbar chambers of the switchboard to ensure that the bus
incorporate circuit breakers, to control the supply of is in good condition and that all connections are tight.
electrical energy to the LV switch board bus, and banks of These works necessitate the complete isolation of parts of
other switching devices (such as switchfuses, fused the switchboard. The protection systems associated with
switches and contactors). Many such switchboards contain each breaker should be tested annually using secondary
the facility to switch emergency generator supplies on to current injection testing techniques.
the LV bus automatically should the main supplies fail. Testing of the correct operation of the mains failure
The switchgear associated with a LV switchboard has a switching modes of the LV switchboard should also be
specifically designed arrangement of protective equipment, conducted at 12 monthly intervals. These works are
selected to provide security of supply and automatic safety conducted as a part of the final tests to prove that all HV
tripping should a fault occur. Over-current, under-voltage and LV works have been completed and that the
and earth fault relays provide protection for the mains emergency switching modes of the electrical distribution
transformers and LV switchboards. In the event of an system function correctly.
impulse surge (such as a lightning strike), or a prolonged
fault, the relay will trip the appropriate circuit breakers to O.3 Issues
isolate the relevant busbars. It has been found that the majority of electrical faults are
Where supplies are provided to the tunnel systems at caused by loose connections. It is generally accepted that
HV, additional control circuitry and protective devices are electrical connections should be checked for tightness as a
placed between the HV and LV switchboards such that the routine maintenance item. Care needs to be taken to ensure
HV switchboard, transformers, and LV switchboard that the connectors are not over tightened. Over tightening
operate as a combined system. This ensures that the can lead to broken wires within the connector and the creation
distribution system is able to switch out faulty sections of of intermittent faults that are very difficult to identify.
the network with the minimum possible disruption to
tunnel service supplies. The system as a whole is designed
O.4 Alternatives
to supply the installed loads under all reasonably
foreseeable ‘single fault’ failure conditions. Alternatives to LV distribution and protection will
Where two independent incoming supplies are provided, comprise changes to the detail of the engineering.
it is preferable to bring each supply by its own transformer The indicator lamp units, used to indicate the status of
to a separate busbar on the main LV switchboard. This the LV switchboards and the associated protective devices,
then makes it possible to switch tunnel equipment from are traditionally based on filament bulbs which have an
one incoming supply to the other within the low voltage operating life of approximately 2,000 hours; or about 3
system without involving the specially trained ‘Authorised months of continual operation. It is now possible to replace
Persons’ who would be needed to operate HV switchgear. such units with high intensity light emitting diodes (LEDs)
with a typical operating life of 80,000 hours, thus reducing
the maintenance replacement requirements to about twice
O.2 Description of maintenance procedures
during the operating life of the switchgear. Solid state
The 3 monthly maintenance should include ‘good instruments with LED or liquid crystal displays also offer
housekeeping’ tasks such as cleaning the switchgear, greater reliability than moving coil instruments.
replacing any faulty indicator lamps and identifying any
signs of obvious equipment malfunctioning. The correct
rating and installation of protective devices should also be
checked at this interval.
The 6 monthly routines should include ensuring that all
switchboard cable connections are tight and that all internal
components are free from obvious signs of damage.
The 12 monthly maintenance should include inspection
of the condition of relay and contactor switching contacts;
any contacts showing excessive burning should be
replaced. Main switchboard circuit breakers should be
withdrawn from service (one at a time) and serviced in
58
Appendix P: Electrical systems: battery tripping and closing units
P.1 Function and description of system
The function of a battery tripping and closing unit is to
ensure that a supply is available to operate protective and
control devices within the switchboards. The batteries
ensure that the protective devices will continue to operate
for a limited number of operations if all mains supplies fail.
Battery tripping and closing units consist of a number
of batteries and a battery charging system. The control
and protective devices within both HV and LV
switchboards are designed to operate from a direct
current (DC) supply. It is essential that the battery
tripping and closing units operate correctly, as loss of
supply from these units will render the protective devices
within the main switchboards inoperative.
P.2 Description of maintenance procedures

inspections of components, terminations, and battery stack
electrolyte levels and general condition. Battery stacks
should be discharged at 3 monthly intervals and the correct
functioning of low voltage alarms should be recorded.
The 6 monthly maintenance should include the
measurement and recording of individual cell voltages.
The 12 monthly maintenance should include ensuring
that the float and boost charge levels are set in
accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. The
settings of all the units’ alarms and trip levels should also
be calibrated and recorded.
P.3 Issues
It is possible to design an electrical distribution system that
does not require tripping and closing units to power the
system protective devices. Such a design has the advantage
that system protection is distributed amongst the circuit
breakers and results in the elimination of the tripping and
closing units as a common mode failure point for the
protection system.
P.4 Alternatives
The requirement for these units could be eliminated
completely provided that the main switchgear was
specified accordingly.
For installations where batteries are deemed to be
necessary, the technology now exists for automatic
monitoring of battery condition and prediction of life
expectancy. While it may not be economic to install such a
system purely for a tripping and closing battery, it may be
feasible to include monitoring of these batteries via an
extra channel on a monitoring system provided for other
battery arrays, for instance serving uninterruptible power
supply (UPS) sets.
59
Appendix Q: Electrical systems – earthing
Q.1 Function and description of system
The function of the earthing system is to provide a low
resistance path to earth so as to safely discharge leakage
currents.
The main earthing arrangements for a tunnel may take
many differing forms, however, they frequently comprise a
number of conductive copper mats, buried in the ground
adjacent to a tunnel service building. Earth cables, which
connect the extraneous metal parts of electrical equipment
and lightning protection systems, are connected to the
earth mats. More recently constructed tunnels may use
reinforcing steel in buried concrete structures as part of the
earthing system.
Q.2 Description of maintenance procedures

examinations of all accessible cables, joints and bonds for
signs of damage or corrosion. This includes lightning
protection tapes and down conductors.
The 5 yearly maintenance should include the testing of
the earth mats and main earth cabling systems to ensure
that low resistance paths to earth are within design
specification limits.
Q.3 Issues
When periodically testing main earth mats or earth pits it is
necessary to disconnect the main earth connections to it.
This can leave the distribution system without a safe
earthing system. Earthing installations should be designed
to be split such that a part of the earthing system can be
left in operation whilst the other half is tested.
Q.4 Alternatives
Alternatives to earthing will comprise changes to the detail
of the engineering possibly including the use of electrically
conducting polymers in the place of copper, to eliminate
the risk of corrosion of the earth mats.
60
Appendix R: Electrical systems: tunnel control panels
R.1 Function and description of system Increases in traffic density and a growing awareness of the
The function of tunnel panels is to house equipment that health hazards associated with exhaust emissions mean
provides local electrical sub-distribution, local control for that the time spent by personnel on such walkways is now
tunnel services and emergency service equipment. kept to an absolute minimum. In addition, recent tunnel
There is a considerable variation in the design of tunnel designs have done away with raised walkways to provide
panels. Typically they house distribution and control space for a stopped vehicle to be parked at least partially
equipment for tunnel electrical distribution, emergency off the carriageway to minimise the obstruction and hazard
distribution, emergency equipment, smoke control, sump to other traffic. Where this is the case, no access at all is
control, lighting control, and ventilation control. They may permitted while the tunnel is open to traffic because of the
also contain CCTV and ancillary supplies as well as fire risk of an operative being struck by a vehicle.
extinguishers, emergency telephones and fire hydrants. While emergency panels need to be in the road bores so
The value engineering issues around the contents of such as to be accessible to tunnel users, many other panels do
panels have been addressed elsewhere within this report. not necessarily need to be located there. It is now normal
This appendix addresses the panels themselves, and typical practice to locate lighting and ventilation control panels in
maintenance operations that would be carried out on the main low voltage switchrooms, where they are
electrical distribution and control equipment in the panels. accessible at all times for testing and inspection. However,
Tunnel panels are usually constructed from 6mm thick, this results in an increase in the number of cables running
316-grade stainless steel, with door seals to provide an from the switchroom to the plant located in the tunnel.
IP65 level of environmental protection, although older Tunnel panels often exhibit a higher rate of surface
panels may be of mild steel, zinc sprayed and painted. corrosion than an equivalent panel, housed outside a
They feature a number of separate chambers to house tunnel. This is because a tunnel environment has a higher
supply points or equipment specific to the tunnel (for degree of air borne contaminants than is found outside a
example CCTV supplies, incident detection equipment, tunnel, and there is no rain to wash such contaminants
lighting distribution fuses / MCBs, fire hydrants, from the panel. Tunnel panels are almost exclusively
emergency telephones and fire extinguishers). Access to specially built for a particular tunnel application. They are
all sub-distribution chambers is via tamperproof locks with correspondingly expensive, and have a long lead-time if a
special keys to prevent unauthorised access. replacement panel is required.
Most modern road tunnels have such panels situated at
road level, adjacent to the carriageway. An incident within
R.2 Description of maintenance procedures a tunnel that results in extensive damage to such panels
Stainless steel panels, in road tunnels, are susceptible to may result in the loss of extensive services within the
surface corrosion. The maintenance normally required for tunnel. Such service loss can be sufficiently serious to
such panels is external cleaning and internal vacuum prohibit the safe operation of the tunnel.
cleaning. Routine checks should be carried out to ensure Washing water penetration has been reported in the
that earth connections to panel doors are tight and that panels at the recently opened Fore Street tunnel, despite
door furniture (such as door closers, hinges, and locks) specification of stainless steel panels to IP65. At Holmesdale
works correctly and is not corroding. The integrity of door tunnel a similar problem was reported with mild steel panel
seals should also be checked. Leaking door seals will allow doors which were thought to have become misshapen after a
tunnel-washing water to penetrate the seals and damage second coat of paint. Polythene sheets have been suspended
sub-distribution, control or emergency equipment. inside the panel to protect equipment.
The protective coatings applied to mild steel panels are
easily penetrated by stone chippings and other debris R.4 Alternatives
thrown up from the road surface, and rusting will quickly
Panel materials
set in at the point of damage. Protective coatings are
frequently thinner on the corners and edges of panels and The cost of manufacturing special tunnel panels from 316-
these points are more vulnerable to breakdown of the grade stainless steel, to IP65 standard of environmental
protection. These panels require frequent attention to protection is very high. Cost savings could accrue if an
repair damage to the paint finish to prevent incipient rust alternative approach was adopted based on proprietary
panels. The outer casing of a tunnel control panel should
from spreading.
be designed to be sufficiently robust that the impact of a
vehicle would not compromise the services provided from
R.3 Issues the panel. This could imply a very large protective
It is usual for electrical distribution and control panels, structure, or the re-siting of the panel to a position where it
serving tunnel lighting, ventilation fans, drainage pumping is less likely to suffer damage, such as within a service
plant, communications and CCTV equipment, to be bore adjacent to the main bores. Such a bore would
located in the side walls of the traffic bores of a tunnel. In normally be combined with an escape bore. Panels housed
older tunnels access for maintenance was frequently in such a bore would not require the same degree of
gained, while the tunnel was carrying live traffic, via mechanical or environmental protection as panels mounted
raised walkways on one or both sides of the carriageway. within a tunnel bore.
61
Service bores amended accordingly and repair or replacement costs
Bored tunnels with a circular cross-section will normally would be reduced. However, the additional depth required
have an invert below the road deck which is used both as to accommodate two stages of protection could be a
an air supply duct for ventilation and a route for electric disadvantage where space is at a premium.
cables and pipework for drainage and fire protection
systems. A typical two-lane tunnel would have sufficient R.5 Value engineering review of the use of a service
headroom within the invert to accommodate electrical bore
distribution and control panels. However, they would need A value engineering review of the use of a service bore to
to be located close to the centre line, where the headroom house panels and services for a rectangular cross-section
is greatest, and the consequent additional resistance to air tunnel is given in Table R1. The costs of adding a service
flow may be unacceptable. The safety of staff working in bore are nearly all additional, offset to some extent by
the invert, where emergency ventilation could lead to high reductions in operating costs, tunnel closure costs
air velocities, would also need to be carefully reviewed. (including traffic diversions) and reduced down time in the
Although tunnel inverts are frequently damp due to event of a fault. These are very difficult to quantify and
seepage of water through joints in the tunnel lining, and
will vary widely between one tunnel and another. The
potentially highly corrosive to steelwork, the environment
following discussion gives an approximate idea of the
would still be preferable to the traffic bore. If such a tunnel
additional costs involved.
can successfully be longitudinally ventilated, avoiding the
need to use the invert as a ventilation duct, then the
location of electrical panels in the invert could be a Distribution and control panels
practical proposition. In a typical twin bore tunnel, 1 km long, there may be 20
Cut-and-cover and immersed tube tunnels are normally electrical distribution panels and one mid-point pump
of rectangular cross-section with dimensions as small as control panel. Moving these to a central service bore
possible to minimise excavation and construction costs. In would enable enclosures of lighter construction and lower
older tunnels cabling and pipework would run in the IP rating to be used instead of stainless steel, saving about
hollow interior of raised walkways; in later tunnels with no £1,000 per panel or £21,000 in total.
raised walkways they would be run in cast-in ducts
beneath the verges and carriageway. As constructed, these Ventilation and lighting control panels
tunnels rarely have anywhere to locate electrical panels Relocating these panels from the LV switchroom (where
except in the side walls of the road bores, although some they are assumed to be integral with the LV switchboards)
tunnels in the Netherlands incorporate ducts for transverse to the service bore (where they will be distributed
ventilation and cabling. according to the major groupings of equipment) is likely to
Concerns about safe means of escape from tunnels result in very little cost difference. It is assumed that the
under waterways, where egress can only be made at either cost of the increased number of panels will be almost
end, have led to the introduction of separate escape exactly offset by the generally lighter standard of
passages between the two road bores in a number of construction for smaller units.
tunnels overseas. Typical of these are the River Lee
Tunnel in Ireland, the Noord Tunnel in the Netherlands
Cabling
and the Øresund Tunnel in Denmark. Since an escape
Cabling systems vary widely according to the type of
passage only needs to be about half the height of the road
tunnel and the design of the various electrical systems.
bore, the remaining space is available for services and is
However, if it is assumed that there are the equivalent of
ideal for electrical switchgear and control gear.
30 cables running the whole length of the tunnel, at an
In the above instances the provision of a dedicated
average installed cost of £10/metre, and that by locating
service bore is unlikely to be justified on economic
panels into a service bore these can be replaced with 20
grounds alone. However, if there is a requirement for an
larger cables at an average of £12/metre, then the saving
escape passage or ventilation ducts to be incorporated into
will be £60,000.
the structure then the opportunity could be taken to include
a service bore.
Lighting and ventilation to the service bore
Internal panels It is estimated that the costs of lighting and ventilation to the
service bore itself will be about £40,000 for each system.
An alternative to the existing tunnel panel design is the use
of additional internal panels, housed inside the main tunnel
panels, to provide the required levels of environmental Maintenance costs
protection. The outer panel would then become a The inspection and maintenance costs for a typical tunnel
mechanical protection device for the inner panel, and distribution panel are estimated to be about £2,000 per year.
provide additional protection against washing water For a whole tunnel this would be about £40,000. Relocation
ingress. Since the role of the outer panel casing would be of these panels to a service bore would permit access during
changed to mechanical and primary environmental normal working hours without tunnel closures, and this
protection, construction material specifications could be could reduce costs by 50% to £20,000 per year.
62
Conclusions
The net present cost of constructing and equipping a
separate service bore will be around £3.6 million for a 1
km tunnel, while the potential savings arising from
improved access to equipment are only about £220,000
over 20 years. It is clearly not economically justifiable to
provide this facility in isolation. Construction costs have
therefore been eliminated from Table R1.
However, if suitable space exists as a consequence of
the need to provide an escape passage, or the availability
of an obstructible invert, then there may be benefits in
using this space for the location of electrical panels.
However, such measures cannot be evaluated by simple
consideration of whole life costs. The true benefits are
more difficult to quantify, taking the form of improved
access to investigate and respond to system faults, and for
replacement or refurbishment of panels or components,
which in turn would reduce the down time of equipment.
Whether or not this is significant depends on the
circumstances of the individual tunnel under consideration.
Table R1 Value engineering review of locating panels and services in a service bore
Location of panels and services in existing service bore Existing Alternative
Design life: Extra costs if Panels in

20 years no service bore service bore
Function review
Whole life cost

Net Net
Capital (panels) 1.00 21 21

Capital (cabling) 1.00 60 60
Capital (lighting and ventilation) 1.00 80 80
Maintenance 1 11.16 20 223

1
2
63
Appendix S: Electrical systems – emergency supplies
S.1 Function and description of system mains supply when it is deemed safe to do so. A resistive
Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) or resistive and inductive load bank is sometimes provided
The function of UPS is to maintain supply without a break to enable the generator to be tested on load without the
in the event of interruptions to the mains electricity supply. need to connect it to operational equipment.
In addition, UPS also serve to provide a transient free,
stable supply for sensitive electronic equipment. S.2 Description of maintenance procedures
UPS battery installations vary widely from one tunnel to Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS)
another; the oldest tunnels may have very little UPS cover, Typical maintenance requirements for UPS systems
while more recently constructed tunnels may have systems include cleaning and inspection at intervals of 3 months.
providing in excess of 100 kVA standby UPS power. Servicing is not normally required. Typically operation
Static UPS systems usually comprise a set of batteries, should be tested at intervals of 3 months, and a battery
an inverter and a battery charger. The inverter normally discharge test carried out at intervals of 6 months. The
draws power from the mains supply and feeds it to the latter test involves applying the fully rated load to the
connected load. In the event of any interruption to the battery and measuring the voltage over a set period of
mains supply, power is drawn from the battery and
time. This determines the performance of the battery
converted to alternating current to feed the load for as long
stack as a whole, but does nothing to detect irregularities
as the break lasts, or until the battery voltage drops to its
in individual cells. Cells or monoblocs can be discharge
lowest permissible level. The size of the battery stack is
tested individually, but with 1000 or more cells in a
therefore proportional to the length of time (autonomy) for
tunnel installation this is a very lengthy process.
which the UPS is required to operate. The longer the
Discharge testing alone is unsatisfactory as a means of
operating time, the larger the battery stacks.
estimating battery condition. Some failure modes of cells,
Rotary UPS perform a similar function, but employ a
for instance overcharging and drying out, can lead to a
continuously driven motor/alternator combination to
short term increase in performance before rapid failure,
power the load. If the mains fail, the motor is driven by the
and the act of discharge testing can actually precipitate
battery. As static UPS technology has improved over
subsequent failure. Failure of a discharge test may result
recent years, this form of UPS has become less popular,
from a very small number of deteriorating or defective
mainly because of its high initial cost and need for
cells, the remainder being healthy. However, it is
mechanical, as well as electrical, maintenance.
common for a complete battery stack, typically costing
Two types of battery are commonly used; vented nickel-
cadmium (Ni-Cad) or valve regulated lead acid (VRLA). £8,000 or more, to be replaced if the discharge test yields
The latter are commonly misleadingly referred to as unacceptable results, when, in fact, maybe only two or
‘sealed’ or ‘maintenance free’, neither of which are three cells or monoblocs actually need replacement. The
accurate descriptions. Stacks of single cells or monoblocs cost of replacing a single monobloc would be around
(up to 4 cells in a single unit) may be used. Vented nickel- £200 (1998 prices).
cadmium or lead acid batteries can emit hydrogen and for
safety reasons must be housed in a separate room, well Standby generators
ventilated and designated a Zone 2 hazardous area. Typically every 3 months servicing of the standby
Although it is not strictly necessary to segregate ‘sealed’ generator should include checking of levels, belts, starter
valve regulated lead acid batteries from other electrical batteries, leaks and lubrication where necessary.
equipment, they, too, can emit hydrogen if overcharged Typically a test run should be carried out at intervals of 3
and so require good ventilation. Also, for temperature months. This should include the following checks; test
control reasons, it is desirable to locate them away from run for one hour using load bank at 100% load, noting
heat generating equipment. the oil pressure and temperature, engine speed, exhaust
temperature, load bank settings, water temperature, turbo
Standby generators air pressure, alternator battery charge current and
The function of standby generators is to provide a power alternator output (volts, amps, kVA, frequency, power
supply, to defined tunnel services, in the event of mains factor), battery charger current and voltage prior to
power failure. starting. Operation of control panels, associated lamps
Standby generators usually comprise a diesel driven and alarms should also be tested. It should be noted that
alternator complete with bulk fuel storage, fuel certain generators may need to be run more frequently
management and the control gear necessary to switch the than every three months to maintain adequate lubrication.
output of the generator onto the tunnel electrical At intervals of 1 year servicing typically includes a full
distribution system. The generator will start automatically lubrication and adjustment service. During servicing,
and be switched to serve essential electrical loads if the checks for any excessive vibration, leaks, alarm
incoming mains supply fails. It will normally continue to operations, lights, vents, building and door damage
run after mains power is restored, relying on manual should be carried out. Repairs to the building housing the
intervention to switch the essential loads back on to the generator should be made as necessary.
64
S.3 Issues cost-effective to provide a small diesel generator rather
The battery stacks associated with UPS installations are very than additional batteries, with a UPS/battery provided to
expensive to purchase and to maintain. A significant part of support the load while the generator is starting. Such a set
the cost of maintaining a UPS is in maintaining the battery could be based on a variety of proprietary prime movers,
stack, and the total number of cells needs to be kept to a including LPG powered units, capable of room sealed low
minimum. For the majority of UPS designs, the battery stack level flue installation.
is not required until a mains failure occurs, and continuous
charging is not conducive to an extended battery stack life Future developments of fuel cells
because batteries generally provide the best performance Automotive traction research has resulted in the
when they are cyclically charged and discharged. development of small, compact fuel cells. Such fuel cells
The life and performance of valve regulated lead-acid are currently under trial for both automotive and domestic
batteries is very sensitive to temperature. Optimum electrical applications, and, with a suitable inverter, are
performance is at around 20ºC to 25ºC. Typically battery expected to provide a potential alternative to a generator/
life is reduced by 20% for every 5ºC by which the ambient battery/UPS combination.
temperature exceeds 25ºC. Control of the ambient
temperature should be considered if the battery room Hybrid generator/UPS
regularly exceeds this value. Another approach would be to use a hybrid standby
Nickel-cadmium batteries are less affected by ambient generator/rotary UPS combination. In these devices a
temperature and potentially have a longer service life. diesel engine is linked to a rotary UPS via a flywheel,
However, they require more maintenance than valve- which is normally driven by the mains supply. If the mains
regulated lead-acid types and may soon be prohibited for fails, the flywheel supplies sufficient energy to start the
environmental reasons. diesel engine and to power the connected loads until the
Some tunnels do not have standby generation available. diesel takes over. In theory this system should need no
The electrical distribution system for such tunnels often batteries at all, relying instead on the kinetic energy stored
include UPS with large battery stacks that can provide 2 in a flywheel. This approach does, however, have an
hours support for around 8 to 10% of the base load obvious limitation if the diesel fails to start and it is
lighting. Battery stacks suitable for this type of application important to allow for possible generator failure.
will typically comprise 186 cells, costing £100 to £200
each (1998 prices). S.5 Value engineering review of alternatives
Issues relating to standby generation are addressed in Battery condition monitoring
Appendix M.
A value engineering review of battery condition
monitoring for UPS batteries is shown in Table S1. The
S.4 Alternatives size, type and performance of battery stacks vary widely
Battery monitoring from one tunnel to another according to the designer’s
Battery condition monitoring can take several forms, and may preference and the conditions of use. For the purposes of
involve measuring voltage, impedance or resistance and this assessment a hypothetical installation of six UPS sets
temperature. The most basic form measures voltage alone. is assumed, each with sufficient battery capacity to supply
Cells or monoblocs may be monitored individually, or, more 40kVA for 1 hour. The corresponding six battery stacks
commonly, in groups of, say, 16 cells or 4 monoblocs. would each consist of 64 x 6 volt monoblocs, which would
Monitoring connections are made to either end of each group be monitored in groups of 4.
of cells and the voltage measured periodically. Results may The time spent on discharge testing would be halved
be easily recorded and analysed, using a dedicated low with battery monitoring, saving about £300 per year on
specification PC (or the PC already provided for plant labour costs. Smaller savings on visual inspections would
monitoring and control, if the operating system is be more or less offset by the time spent on gathering and
compatible). Any groups where the voltage deviates analysing performance data. The major savings would be
in the avoidance of premature replacement of healthy cells.
significantly from the average for the installation are
The life of VRLA batteries in UPS applications should be
identified. These groups would contain possibly defective
around 10 years. However, current practice leads to
cells and can easily be located for inspection. Trends may also
replacement of batteries on average about every 5 years.
be analysed over a period of time to view the effects of ageing
Replacement of six stacks of batteries as described
of the installation and predict the optimum point for
above costs about £50,000 (at 1998 prices). This means
replacement of the complete battery stack. The need for
that current replacement costs for a tunnel average about
discharge testing may be reduced to once every 12 months
£10,000 per year. If battery monitoring equipment is used
through monitoring with failed cells easily located, making
to identify defective monoblocs and, say, 10% of the 6 x
possible a policy of replacement only of failed cells or groups
64 monoblocs (= 38 units) require replacement before bulk
instead of premature replacement of healthy units.
replacement is indicated, say after 8 years, costs over 8
years will be £50,000 + (38 x £200) = £57,600, or £7,200
Standby generator as an alternative to batteries per year. To this should be added the capital cost of the
As an approximate rule of thumb, if standby power is battery monitoring equipment (£18,000), less the savings
required for more than about 15 minutes it would be more in labour for discharge testing (£300/year)
65
The financial benefits of installing battery condition
monitoring in this analysis are shown to be significant,
although there may be a considerable variation between
one installation and another. There is also the additional
benefit of greater information about the health of the
battery installation, which will assist in planning
maintenance and in preventing unexpected failure. This
further tips the balance in favour of considering this
provision for new and refurbished systems. Since UPS
systems are primarily used to power safety related systems,
anything that will improve the reliability of these systems
will, in turn, enhance the safety of the tunnel. It is
understood that some UPS manufacturers are considering
the integration of battery monitoring into UPS equipment.
This analysis suggests that this will bring cost benefits for
new installations.
Table S1 Value engineering review of battery condition monitoring
Battery condition monitoring Existing Alternative
Design life: Replacement Condition

20 years every 5 years monitoring
Function review
Whole life cost

Net Net
Capital 1.00 50 50 68 68
Replacement cells 5 1.72 50 86
Replacement cells 8 1.02 58 59
Extra testing if no monitoring 0.5 22.97 0.15 3.4

1
2
66
Appendix T: Cabling and mechanical and electrical support systems
T.1 Function and description of system Tunnel ducting systems can be very wet. The insulation
Tunnel electrical systems use a large variety of different of cables insulated with cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE)
cables. Cables range from single core unarmoured cables, compounds can break down if it comes into sustained
through single and multi-pair communications cables and contact with water, and only cables designed for prolonged
wire armoured power cables to HV cables. To reduce the immersion in water should be used.
risk of toxic fume production in the event of a tunnel fire, Although the chemical resistance of cable sheathing
all of these cables should be sheathed in low smoke, zero materials is generally very good, long term exposure to
halogen (LS0H) material. certain substances, such as oils and tar, can cause local
Tunnel cable handling systems comprise cast-in or softening and destruction of the sheath. This has been
buried ducts, conduits, trunking and cable tray or ladder. known to result from seepage of such substances from
Individual cables may be cleated directly to the structure. surrounding contaminated ground.
Metallic components of support systems are almost always The mechanical and electrical supporting systems used
manufactured from either hot-dipped galvanised mild steel in tunnels are highly susceptible to corrosion. This can also
or from stainless steel. Stainless steel is currently more lead to failure from secondary causes such as cracking or
commonly specified. The layout of each system is metal fatigue. Corrosion problems may be due to one or
bespoke, assembled from standard sets of parts. more of the following factors:
Mechanical supporting systems vary in accordance
i Installation in a continually wet environment (for
with the exact requirements of each individual tunnel.
example cable pits, drainage sumps).
Such systems are used to support equipment such as
tunnel luminaires and tunnel ventilation fans and are ii Electrolytic corrosion due to contact between dissimilar
commonly manufactured from either galvanised mild metals, differential stresses or stray electrical currents.
steel or stainless steel. iii Chemical attack from tunnel cleaning detergents,
In the context of this appendix the term ‘mechanical and particles from vehicle exhaust smoke or impurities in
electrical support systems’ is taken to cover all supporting groundwater seeping in from the surrounding soil.
systems for mechanical and electrical services, for example iv Condensation in untrafficked zones, for example shafts
cables, pipework and equipment. or galleries.
See also Section E.4 for the effects of corrosion on
T.2 Description of maintenance procedures
supports for tunnel luminaires.
Cables and support systems are not normally cleaned,
unless this is incidental to cleaning of the equipment
served or is necessary to facilitate inspection. Tunnel T.4 Alternatives
cables and mechanical and electrical support systems are There is a significant opportunity to use fibre optic cables
commonly inspected at intervals of 3 months and in the place of copper cables for tunnel data and
extensively tested every 5 years. communications systems. The use of fibre optic cables
The 3 monthly interval inspection and maintenance would improve the reliability of data and communications
normally includes a visual inspection of accessible cables transmission systems by reducing the probability of field
and metalwork for signs of damage, defects, loose fixings wiring failures and eliminating susceptibility to induced
or corrosion. Remedial action is taken as necessary. In electromagnetic interference. Such a system would have to
addition, at 5 yearly intervals all power cables should be include a fibre optic interface which would normally be
tested for continuity, insulation resistance between cores based around an LED. Such interfaces are a further
and earth and for circuit earth fault loop impedance. potential failure point, although the reliability of these
Communications cables are similarly maintained except systems is very high (the mean time before failure for an
that there is no requirement to perform an earth loop LED is approximately 100,000 hours). If implemented as a
impedance test. There is, however, an additional part of the environmental control system (ECS), a twin
requirement to retest the frequency response of audio path ECS ring communications system would further
communications cables to revalidate the audio channels. increase system reliability.
All screws and bolts securing support systems and Some mechanical and electrical support systems could be
equipment to the tunnel soffit are normally torque tested. fabricated from an appropriate grade of fire retardant
Costs for these works are a function of the extent of the industrial plastics. The use of industrial plastics, such as glass-
cabling, cable handling and mechanical supporting reinforced polyester, for cable tray and ladder and certain
systems in use at the tunnel. Particularly significant costs mechanical supporting systems would eliminate the risk of
are the costs of re-testing all cables at 5 yearly intervals corrosion and the need for earthing of such systems (and the
and torque testing screws and fastenings.
associated periodic maintenance). It would also be expected
to be faster to install, with lower whole life costs. However,
T.3 Issues systems manufactured from such materials are generally less
There is little alternative to the use of extensive cabling rigid than the equivalent metallic components, resulting in a
and mechanical and electrical support systems within need for closer spacing of supports. The different coefficient
road tunnels. of expansion may also need to be taken into account.
67
An opportunity exists to replace existing galvanised
supporting components for lighting systems with stainless
steel. This would be expected to improve the whole life
cost of the system.
T.5 Value engineering review of alternatives

A value engineering review comparing the use of stainless
steel with hot dipped galvanised protection of components
for lighting supports is shown in Table T1. This assumes
that in the corrosive tunnel environment galvanised
components would require replacement at intervals of 15
years on average and replacement cost is that same as initial
installation. The calculation also neglects the remnant value
of components which will not be life-expired at the end of
the design life (if required this factor could be added into the
calculation if required). It also assumes that the stainless
steel does not corrode. Taking account of potential traffic
delay costs during the replacement of galvanised
components, the use of stainless steel components shows a
slight advantage in value ratio, although the whole life cost
is greater. Further benefits are the increased confidence in
the security of components and reduced occupational health
and safety hazards by avoiding the further construction
activity of replacing components.
Table T1 Value engineering review of corrosion protection of lighting supports
Lighting and cable support Existing Alternative
Design life: Hot dipped Stainless

20 years galvanised support steel support
Function review
Objective weighting (1 to 100) (1 to 100)
Whole life cost

Net Net
Capital (supply supports) 1.00 55 55 165 165

Capital (install supports) 1.00 50 50 50 50
Inspection 1 11.16 2 22 2 22
Maintenance 1 11.16 5 56 2 22
Replacement (supply) 15 0.18 55 10
Replacement (install) 15 0.18 50 9
Traffic delay cost (tunnel closure) 15 0.18 68 12
Total present worth costs 214 260

–
1
2
3
Traffic delay cost for replacement of supports: 20 night closures @£570 per hour (night time closure) based on lane rental costs for a dual 2 lane
trunk road and 40,000 ADT
68
Appendix U: Tunnel service buildings
U.1 Function and description event of communications systems failure, or as an incident
Many items of electrical and mechanical equipment control room for use by the emergency services.
associated with road tunnels are bulky and require To provide for the needs of the above systems, service
additional space for access and maintenance. It is normally buildings will normally incorporate the following features:
uneconomic to provide suitable space within the main i normal, emergency and standby lighting;
tunnel structure, and therefore separate structures, known ii power supplies for maintenance and test equipment;
generically as service buildings, are provided locally to the
iii air conditioning to maintain the temperature of
tunnel. For tunnels with semi-transverse or hybrid
batteries and electronic equipment within the limits
ventilation, service buildings may be combined with the
required for correct operation;
ventilation buildings housing the main ventilation plant
and, possibly, access via stairs to and from the tunnel. iv fixed fire extinguishing systems for rooms with a
There may be one or more such buildings, located above significant fire risk or containing essential equipment
or below ground, over the tunnel or adjacent to it, and (typically electrical rooms, electronic equipment rooms
containing some or all of the following equipment. and generator rooms);
v raised ‘computer’ floors for electronic equipment
Incoming electricity supply high voltage switchgear and rooms and main LV switchrooms, for ease of access to
transformers the large amount of cabling;
Because high voltage switchgear must only be operated by vi intruder and fire alarm systems;
an appropriately qualified ‘Approved Person’, it is normal vii basic mess and washroom facilities for maintenance staff;
for high voltage equipment to be located in a dedicated, viii vehicular access and car parking for maintenance
locked room. vehicles;
ix pedestrian access to the tunnel;
Main low voltage switchboards and control panels for
lighting and ventilation systems x a workshop and storage facilities for spares and traffic
signs are less commonly provided, but nevertheless
These are usually located together in the main low voltage
valuable.
switchroom.
U.2 Description of maintenance procedures

Standby generators and fuel tanks
Diesel generators can be a source of significant noise and Maintenance of the tunnel equipment located in the service
vibration, and therefore need to be located away from any buildings is covered in the relevant Sections elsewhere in
areas where this might be a problem. Underground this report. The building services systems in general require
locations are undesirable because of the need to duct high little maintenance, and in many respects can be maintained
volumes of cooling air to the engine and to discharge the as and when failures occur. Annual inspections should be
exhaust. undertaken and any necessary touching up of paintwork and
maintenance of the roof should be carried out at this time.
Cleaning of the gutters and weeding should also be carried
UPS sets and batteries out at intervals typically of 1 year. Routine functional and
Batteries, even so-called ‘sealed’ types, require reliable safety checks should be carried out at least once a year on
ventilation to prevent the build-up of explosive vapours. all electrical equipment (to satisfy the Electricity at Work
Wet-type cells should be installed in a separate room, Regulations), air conditioning (to ensure performance is
which must be designated as a Zone 2 hazardous area. within acceptable limits) and emergency lighting and
Temperature control is needed to maximise battery life. security systems (to verify correct operation).
Equipment cubicles for computer, communications and U.3 Issues

CCTV equipment
The preferred location for a service building is over, or
To avoid problems arising from electromagnetic immediately adjacent to, one portal of a tunnel, where ease
interference, this equipment should be kept away from of access for vehicles and pedestrians to the tunnel can be
electrical power systems. combined with a minimum route length for electrical
cables. The greater the distance from the service building
Local control facilities to the tunnel, the greater will be the size of cables required
As a minimum requirement, there should be a local control to overcome voltage drops. Location of a service building
position capable of monitoring and operating plant during at ground level minimises construction costs and
maintenance activities. Appropriate CCTV, traffic control maximises access for maintenance and plant replacements.
and communications facilities will also be provided, Transformers, standby generators and fuel tanks are best
according to the needs of the site. Such a facility may also located outside the service building, where ventilation
be used as a backup to a remote operator’s terminal in the requirements and fire risks can more easily be resolved.
69
In many cases the location and form of service buildings architectural detailing for an acceptable appearance. This
is heavily influenced by the land available and planning may mean that such an approach is favoured by those who
constraints, and are often fixed in the early stages of are less reticent about the appearance of their tunnels.
consideration of a project before design commences. This When renewal of control equipment is undertaken, careful
can lead to operational disadvantages, for instance the consideration should be given to the operator interfaces
need to drive a considerable distance or to implement actually required. In most cases a single terminal to combine
special traffic management measures to get from the engineering and operational requirements will suffice.
service building to one or both tunnel bores.
Location of large plant items below ground level can
considerably complicate access for replacement, and the
land take for a service building below ground will generally
be greater than the equivalent above ground structure.
Natural ventilation will also be less freely available.
In a number of tunnels, a dedicated control room is
provided with separate control terminals for a tunnel
operator and a maintenance engineer to work side by side.
In almost all cases this is unnecessary duplication of
equipment, and provision of a separate room for the
equipment is not justified.
In many cases tunnel service buildings are the signing-
in point for tunnel maintenance staff. It is therefore
useful if space is provided for this and furnished with a
desk and chairs. This space should be directly accessible
from outside without the need to pass through rooms
containing equipment.
U.4 Alternatives
The location and appearance of a service building is more
often than not dictated by external requirements. However,
the established custom of locating service buildings close
to portals is not necessarily the most efficient approach as
far as electrical systems are concerned. For existing
tunnels there will be little that can be done to improve
upon fixed locations of equipment and cable routes.
However, for a new tunnel, a simple cost-benefit analysis
should be carried out, before the sites of the service
buildings are finalised, to determine the optimum
compromise between cable route lengths and ease of
access between the service building and the tunnel.
In general, the maximum practical ‘reach’ of low
voltage services into a tunnel from a service building is
about 500 metres. This means that a 1 km tunnel could be
served either by two service buildings, one at each end, or
by a single, central building. The latter approach is not
always feasible, for instance in river crossings, but, where
it is, considerable cost savings may be possible by
reducing the total structural and equipment costs.
However, such savings must be set against loss of
operational convenience arising from less convenient road
access to the tunnel.
An approach commonly used on the Continent, but less
in the UK, is to integrate the service buildings into the
portal or ventilation structures, with access via service
roads from either side of the main through route. This has
the advantages of minimising structural costs and cable
route lengths, while providing good access to either tunnel
bore. It may also provide a useful diversion route for
vehicles that may be trapped on an approach road by an
unexpected tunnel closure. Aesthetically, the result may be
to increase the visual bulk of the portals, requiring careful
70
Abstract
Achieving value for money in operation and maintenance of equipment in tunnels is increasingly important and
areas are sought where economies can be made without compromising safety or increasing congestion. To address
this need a value engineering review has been undertaken of highway tunnel equipment.
The review was based on the procedures in the Highways Agency Value for Money Manual, and comprised a
value management and value engineering workshop and subsequent detailed reviews. The operators of ten sets of
tunnels were consulted together with various suppliers. Additionally general experience reported at meetings of the
Highways Agency Tunnel Operators’ Forum and the UK Tunnel Operators’ Forum was incorporated.
The principles of value engineering are summarised and a specific methodology is proposed for dealing with
tunnel equipment. It was found that it was unrealistic to define unique optimum solutions for all tunnel equipment
because of the many site specific factors associated with highway tunnels. However, it was possible to identify the
areas in which changes were likely to have the most significant impact on value.
For each of the main systems the function, typical maintenance, common problems and possible alternatives
associated with the equipment, are discussed in the report. Where adequate information is available options have
been costed and a number of detailed value engineering reviews are presented showing the implications of
particular alternatives. Over 60 specific areas of possible improvement have been identified and are listed in the
report.
Related publications
TRL448 Value management for tunnel procedures by S Bird, J E Potter, D M Hillier and K H Bowers.
2001 (price £35, code H)
CR252 Study of the costs of cut-and-cover tunnel construction by A R Umney and D Miller.
1991 (price £20, code D)
CR63 A study of the operating costs of road tunnels in the United Kingdom by A M Rossell and B R Pursall.
1988 (price £20, code C)
CR41 Planning and design considerations for road tunnels: the influence of operation and maintenance
by S T Jones. 1987 (price £25, code F)
SR833 The application of microelectronics to the control of highway tunnels by H J Bennett, M F Chudleigh,
M P Halbert and G K A Oswald. 1984 (price £20)
Prices current at June 2001
For further details of these and all other TRL publications, telephone Publication Sales on 01344 770783 or 770784,
or visit TRL on the Internet at www.trl.co.uk.
71

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Value engineering for tunnel equipment

Prepared for Quality Services, Civil Engineering,

A Evans (The North East Wales Partnership - Trunk Road Agency),

TRL Report 449

This report has been produced by TRL Limited, under/as part

TRL is committed to optimising energy efficiency, reducing

2 Value engineering principles and method 3

3 Function assessment process 4

4 Cost assessment process 7

5 Review and decision phase 9

Appendix A: Results of internal value engineering workshop 15

Appendix B: General issues 20

Appendix C: Cost Information 21

Appendix D: Ventilation systems 24

Appendix E: Lighting systems 30

Appendix F: Pumped drainage systems 38

Appendix G: Fire protection systems 41

Appendix H: Communications: telephone systems 43

Appendix I: Communications – radio relay systems 44

Appendix J: Communications – CCTV systems 45

Appendix K: Traffic control – tunnel VMS systems 47

Appendix L: Tunnel ECS and plant monitoring systems 49

Appendix M: Electrical systems – HV distribution and protection 53

Appendix N: Electrical systems: transformers 57

Appendix O: Electrical systems – LV distribution and protection 58

Appendix P: Electrical systems: battery tripping and closing units 59

Appendix Q: Electrical systems – earthing 60

Appendix R: Electrical systems: tunnel control panels 61

Appendix S: Electrical systems – emergency supplies 64

Appendix T: Cabling and mechanical and electrical support systems 67

Appendix U: Tunnel service buildings 69

The purpose of the project is to re-examine the present

1.2 Objectives Value management

1.3 Sources of information 2.2 Approach used in this study

For each system identify all options

Choose first system,

Assess health and Assess availability Assess sustainability Assess any

safety implications implications using implications using site-specific

Calculate function review score: multiply each

Calculate net present

Record npc & function

Divide function review score by Normalise value ratios for each

Determine Select the combination of options which gives

Figure 1 Value engineering review process

Weighting totals 1.00 1.00 1.00

Provide emergency supply

0.034 0.023 Provide control room

Weighting totals 0.340 0.340

Figure 2 FAST diagram for highway tunnel equipment

Table 1 Relative weighting of objectives

Health and safety 0.40 0.45 0.2

100 Provides an environment free of any health and safety risks.

Table 3 Availability scoring

100 Full availability at all times (no closures required).

Table 4 Sustainability scoring

100 Sustainable. Imposes no limitations on future generations.

Haack A (1998). Integration: a vital approach. Tunnel

Hayden G W and Parsloe C J (1996). Value engineering

Health and Safety Executive (2000). Occupational