Motorists in Surrey can drive safely through one of the UK’s longest road tunnels with the reassurance that it is protected by the very latest fire detection technology.
Supplied by Eurotech, a ‘smart’ Dual Optical smoke detection system has been installed in critical areas of the tunnel
Supplied by Waterlooville’s Eurotech Fire Systems Ltd, a ‘smart’ Dual Optical smoke detection system has been installed in critical areas of the Hindhead Tunnel.
The system is designed to detect the difference between smoke, steam, and dust ensuring that the tunnel is not closed due to false alarms, but that genuine fire danger can be detected instantly.
traffic management equipment and key systems
Eurotech was brought into the project by the main contractor, Balfour Beatty, with the task of helping to protect those areas of the tunnel that house the critical traffic management equipment and other key systems that keep traffic flowing.
The twin-bore Hindhead Tunnel is the longest non-estuary road tunnel in the UK, stretching more than a mile under the Devils’ Punch Bowl in Surrey, a national site of Special Scientific Interest. As the project completes the A3 dual carriageway link between London and Portsmouth, while taking congestion away from the local Hindhead area, traffic volumes through the tunnel will be high.
“We are not fire detection experts, but the Eurotech engineers answered all our questions very clearly and explained why their ‘Dual Optical’ product was the right solution for us,” said Hashi Hussein, Hindhead Tunnel’s Electrical Engineer
Fire detection technology
The performance of “DP”-type smoke detectors made it an easy recommendation for us and a simple implementation"
The Eurotech support team advised Balfour’s engineers on the choice and siting of the fire detectors which were then installed without a hitch and became operational immediately to provide maximum protection for the tunnel’s critical systems.
For Tim Williams, Sales Manager at Eurotech Fire Systems Ltd, the new technology provided an ideal solution for the project. “Because of the difficult environment that a tunnel presents, it was essential that the most appropriate smoke sensing technology was installed in the critical areas.”
“The performance of Eurotech’s “DP”-type smoke detectors made it an easy recommendation for us and a simple implementation for the tunnel team.”
