Ecodesign and ecomanagement of the electrical systems of roadway tunnels

This paper discusses the design criteria for the electrical systems of roadway tunnels with particular regard to two crucial aspects of the economical and safe management: energy performance and safety in case of fire. The electrical power systems of roadway tunnels include the mechanical ventilation and the support lighting. The authors propose an adaptive criterion for the design of the support lighting system in order to minimize costs and energy impact. Electric systems of roadway tunnels need a more sophisticated architectures to allow the presence of extensively distributed loads and more stringent installation requirements due to the presence of fire hazard. Mechanical and electrical design criteria must be based on duty categories, characterized, for instance, by environmental parameters. Design criteria must include variable configurations so that to simplify installation, allow flexible operation and optimize the cost-benefit ratio. A special power distribution, herein defined as “brush distribution” and a zone classification are proposed for road tunnels with higher risk in case of fire.