Chennai Metro Rail Wins Award for Cost-Cutting Solution in Phase-2 Project.

A tunnel ventilation solution developed by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) that helped reduce the cost of the Phase-2 project has won an award at the 20th International Symposium on Aerodynamics, Ventilation, and Fire in Tunnels (ISAVFT 2024).

The award, to be presented during the symposium in Copenhagen, Denmark, from October 28 to 30, falls under the ‘Sustainability in Underground Design and Construction’ category.

In a paper titled ‘Chennai Metro, India - A Case Study,’ the authors examined the challenges of designing underground stations in densely populated cities. Space constraints force designers to minimize the footprint of essential service areas (electrical and mechanical rooms) without sacrificing functionality, passenger experience, comfort, and safety.

The authors, Hari Prasad, AGM (Mechanical System) at CMRL, and R Singh S Vassoudevane from Systra Infrastructure, aimed to optimize ventilation system layouts in the Chennai Metro Rail to save space and reduce costs. They proposed placing a tunnel ventilation fan (TVF) at one end of the station and using it only when tunnel ventilation and trackway exhaust are not needed. This approach reduces the number of fans from eight to two, resulting in significant space and cost savings.

"The study also demonstrates that even with a single TVF, the system meets all fire safety requirements. The savings achieved in the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-2 project are attributed to optimizing civil space, reducing the number of fans, and lowering connected electrical load and cabling needs," the release said.

ET