2016, Maastricht - The Netherlands
On the A2 motorway near Maastricht (the Netherlands) - also known as A2 Avenue - a tunnel has been built measuring 2.3 kilometers in lenght. The 4 lanes going through the King Willem-Alexander tunnel have been fitted with a ventilation system that is operated by 4 intelligent Motor Control Centers produced by Elektro Internationaal.
In the main and parallel lane to the North and to the South the entrance ventilators are controlled by the iMCCs to initiate the airflow. Further down other ventilators move the air through the rest of the tunnel. The fans can rotate clockwise as well as counter clockwise in order to move the airflow along with the direction of travel or against it. This particular option has been installed to ensure smoke to be ventilated out of the tunnel via de shortest route in case of an emergency. The drawers in the iMCCs have been fitted with Tesys units that make for an advanced motor management system that provides safety as well as operation of the ventilation system. All panels were installed and linked with the proper software in December 2015.
The tunnel houses a total of 62 fans. 24 large entrance ventilators that each move 110.000 m3 air per hour and another 38 fans in the tunnel itself each responsible for moving 55.000 m3 air per hour.
