Testing deluge systems is one of the key maintenance activities Ventia undertakes during quarterly tunnel shutdowns across the road network for our client, Transurban. 

At a recent shutdown in Sydney's M2 tunnel, our Fire and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) teams tested the tunnel's fire system with a deluge drop.

Deluge systems are an important safety feature in tunnels which allow water to be dropped at points along the tunnels. They're just one of the safety features in place to help manage fire scenarios. 

Deluge systems are used where high velocity suppression is necessary to prevent the spread of fire, and in places that are considered high hazard areas such as power plants, aircraft hangars and motorway tunnels.

Ventia provides mechanical and electrical (M&E) services across the five tunnel assets in Sydney, including the M5, Cross City Tunnel, Eastern Distributor, Lane Cove Tunnel and M2 motorway, maintaining tunnel ventilation axial fans, jet fans, equipment room air conditioning, environmental monitoring equipment, water treatment plant, dry fire systems, wet fire systems, transformers, switchboards, lighting and uninterruptible power supplies.

Ventia Operations Maintenance Manager Luke White says that each of these road assets require tunnel testing to be performed annually. During a tunnel maintenance closure, a quarter of the deluge is dropped in a 2-5~minute window with full system checking and compliance taking around 2.5 hours. 

"Regular testing of equipment and systems like these is crucial when you are responsible for the maintenance of an asset like the Lane Cove Tunnel," Luke says. "Our client needs to be assured that in the case of an emergency, everything will work exactly as it should."

Our Fire and HVAC teams work across our Transport network and also provide services to local government, resources, power and gas and health clients. 

Our experience in optimising maintenance delivery has helped our customer reduce the number of maintenance closure nights required each year, which in turn reduces cost and maximises commuter availability.

Over the last four years, we have completed more than 30,000 work orders with better than 95% on-time completion rate, demonstrating the experience and reliability of Ventia and our transport team.