Singapore Thomson Line

Singapore Thomson Line

The Thompson Line is composed of 23 stations along a length of approximately 30 kilometres.? The current code complying requirement mandates that two (2) fire pumps be provided for each station (one main and one redundant).? One could realize that the design and installation of train stations along the network of metro lines is essentially similar to buildings placed relatively close together.? Whether these structures are aboveground or underground is hydraulically irrelevant.? The relative proximity and the nature contiguous co-location offer a unique opportunity to network the fire suppression systems in such a way strategically placed fire sprinkler system can protect a number of other train stations.

 

Similarly, it is proposed to use the two adjacent parallel tunnels used primarily for the movement of trains to also place a piping network connecting a number train stations.? This network system is fed by one fire sprinkler system and is able to protect other stations.

On a practical sense, the analysis of water distribution system includes determining quantities of flow and head losses in the various pipe lines, and resulting residual pressures. In any pipe network, the following two simultaneous conditions must be satisfied:

  1. The algebraic sum of pressure drops around a closed loop must be zero, and
  2. The flow entering a node must be equal to the flow leaving that node.

Based on these two basic principles, the pipe networks are generally solved by the methods of successive approximation. The widely used method of pipe network analysis is the Hardy-Cross method.

When considering looping of water supplies, there are generally two main objectives to be considered.? The first one is to minimize the cost of the network; and the second is to maximize the reliability of the network of loops.

Unlike most fire sprinkler system pumping systems, the mandated (Code required) fire sprinkler system is designed in such a way that two (2) fire pumps are required.? Hence this Code mandated system seemingly improves the reliability of the of the overall fire sprinkler systems water supply.

Customer : Land Transport Authority
Category : Transportation
Date : July 2011
Status : In Process
Live demo :
Tags : transportation

Challenge

The apparent challenge with the proposed scheme is the long run of piping from one station to the next station.? That average length is approximately 1,200 meters.? That length would be expected to require a slightly larger fire pump to overcome the expected pressure loss due to friction of water in the piping system.? Also, it would be expected that a slightly larger pipe diameter would be used to, again, overcome the pressure loss in the piping.

This challenge is neither unique nor new.? Indeed, this challenge has been first dealt with when urbanization became a necessity of modern cities.? The challenge was overcome with the concept gridding or creating loop network of underground mains.? The result was not only higher reliability of the water supply but also an engineering success of reducing pressure losses in pipes.

Solution

The solution of the investigation relies on hydraulic calculations.

Reasonable friction loss

To overcome unreasonable friction losses through long distances, looping the 6 inches supply pipe to all 23 underground train station via the two parallel train tunnels.

Reasonable size of the two fire pumps at Station 14

at the same time of performing hydraulic calculation, various sizes of fire pumps are considered and industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.The

Results

 

Alternate and efficient design approved by the Owner and the AHJ

The centralized fire suppression system was proven as an acceptable alternative solution.? The proposed alternative solution was proven to be very efficient and was approved the the Civil Defense Force of Singapore as well as Land Transport Authority.