Research on safety and security in enclosed underground spaces is of the utmost importance for sustainable socio-economic growth in the EU, as recent incidents (tunnel fires, terror attacks, etc.) have shown. However, current competence in relation to safety and security is largely unstructured and mostly nationally oriented. Particularly lacking is a large-scale EU research facility and co-ordination and synergy of existing facilities. The necessity for a European initiative to address these issues was clearly expressed during the 1st International Symposium on Safe and Reliable Tunnels, held in Prague in February 2004.

The joint efforts of experienced institutes in this field has led to a possible answer, the establishment of an ambitious European research body, entitled L-Surf (an abbreviation of “Large Scale Underground Research Facility”). The EU Commission has granted the project as a subsidised feasibility and “Design Study”. In March 2005 a contract was signed with the support of the EU Commission, and the L-Surf project commenced.

Aims of the project

At least two scenarios are possible to extend the EU research capacities and efficiency. First the networking of existing facilities and/or second the building of a new European shared facility have to be considered.

Within the Design Study for L-Surf all the relevant aspects for such a facility will be developed to a level where the facility could be established, at least as a legal entity with the necessary structures and activities, and that preliminary concepts and plans for the physical construction laid out. In order to optimise the design of the facility the study will be carried out in close co-operation with future potential clients of the facility.

The L-Surf design study includes:

  • Development of an integration process for existing facilities, thus restructuring and improving current capacities and illustrating ways of using R&D funds more economically.

  • Description of the lay-out of the facility, based – if feasible – on an new concept of easily creating countless contours, profiles and sizes of enclosed spaces; but also all other aspects like installations, environmental impacts, etc. The concept will allow novel approaches to R&D.

  • Description of innovative measuring sensors, based on the latest technologies available.

  • Evaluation of research needs and outlines of R&D activities.

  • Evaluation of ways and means to raise the necessary funds for the different stages in the set-up of the facility and networking of existing facilities.

  • Development of a business plan (e.g. referring to models like CERN) for a new legal entity dedicated to the establishment of L-Surf.

    The L-Surf partners have agreed to set-up this legal entity based on the business plans developed during the Design Study. During the project, time will also be dedicated to studies of how to integrate further partners into the L-Surf entity.

    L-Surf partners

    The L-Surf partners have all been active in the field of safety and security research in tunnels for some time. Their activities will be coordinated by the VSH Hagerbach Test Gallery, in Switzerland (F Amberg/V Wetzig). Further partners are INERIS from France (E Ruffin), SINTEF/NBL from Norway (C Opstad), SP from Sweden (H Ingason/P v Hees and A Lönnermark), STUVA from Germany (A Haack) and TNO from Netherlands (K Both, G Meijer and V Meeussen). In the first phase of the project it will be defined how further interested parties can be integrated in the actual project and also in the upcoming legal entity of L-Surf, which will follow this European funded project. There is an idea to have associated/corresponding members during the actual project phase.

    Activities of L-Surf

    The L-Surf project is divided into six work-packages (WP) that cover different topics relevant to defining the demands of a European, or possibly worldwide, research facility for tunnel safety and security:

    WP 1 – Integration: Survey of existing or project development facilities, in order to assess integration of existing and under development European research facilities and organisations; development of potential L-Surf scenarios for integration within the ERA (European Research Area).

    WP 2 – Research Needs: Identifying and prioritising scientific and technological research necessities, finding future users of L-Surf and addressing environmental aspects

    WP 3 – Lay-out: Definition of civil-works, auxiliaries, installations of L-Surf, evaluation of measures to minimise environmental impact, development of technical specs for converting the geometry and the lay-out of the L-Surf research facility.

    WP 4 – Equipment/Measuring: Definition of ultra-modern test methods and the corresponding use of measuring installations, development of technical specs for innovative 2-D and 3-D data acquisition, as well as good practice for measurement techniques.

    WP 5 – Activities: Defining the activities of L-Surf (R&D, training and education, external services, maintenance and operation) in accordance with the existing national organisations and thus re-shaping the European R&D environment.

    WP6 – Funding/Business plan: Fund raising for the realisation of L-Surf, establishing a business plan for L-Surf based on public private partnership and evaluation of legal forms

    The future

    The L-Surf-partners will endeavour to cooperate with those companies that are interested in such a large scale research facility. An enquiry for partnership will be opened in 2005, in the meantime interested parties can identify themselves on the L-Surf web site www.l-surf.org.

    Collecting demands from many sites for such a facility, the EU-project L-Surf will propose and initiate a legal entity, which will act as L-Surf starting in 2008.