SOLIT² virtual fire test
Your nozzle system in the SOLIT² test gallery: Class A (a 150 MW HGV mock-up, covered) and Class B (diesel pools), at both airflow speeds of the protocol, with the activation time, ambient and fire growth the PMC sets.
For tunnel fire-safety and MEP teams, and the PMC who review them
Predict the SOLIT² fire test before you build it.
SOLIT Simulator runs the SOLIT² virtual fire test for your water-mist system, checks the design against 86 clause rules, and gives your PMC a report they can read, with the evidence behind every number stated.
- AWater-mist nozzle rows at the crown
- BSpray cones, dashed, aimed at the carriageway
- CHGV mock-up: fuel load on a platform, tarpaulin down the sides
- DFire at the base of the mock-up
Fig. 1
Illustrative schematic · not to scale · not a result
- 86clause rules checked, with failing, evidenced and needs-evidence kept apart
- A + BSOLIT² test classes: A, an HGV mock-up; B, diesel pools
- secondsfor a Tier 1 prediction of a whole test; CFD, Tier 2, is in beta
- E0–E4evidence level stated on every result
01 The problem
A full-scale tunnel fire test is slow and expensive, and the design is chosen before it runs.
Whatever surprises a test holds, they arrive after the nozzles are chosen, the pipework is drawn and the PMC has asked for evidence. SOLIT Simulator moves the first look earlier: you see how your system is likely to behave in the SOLIT² test, which criteria it leans on, and which clauses still lack evidence, while the design can still change.
02 How it works
From a design to a report in four steps
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STEP 01
Design
Enter the tunnel, the pipe network and pump, the test conditions the PMC sets, and the nozzle as the tester measured it. The tunnel is drawn as you enter it, in section, plan and isometric, with its measurements. Nothing about the nozzle is assumed: a field left empty is reported as not set.
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STEP 02
Predict
Tier 1, the reduced-order engine, runs the SOLIT² virtual test in seconds over the worst cases of its envelope: heat release, temperatures, visibility and dose against the limits your authority set.
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STEP 03
Verify Beta
Run FDS CFD on rented cloud machines and read it beside the prediction. Where the two disagree, the disagreement is reported, not hidden. In beta: not yet generally available.
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STEP 04
Report
A clause-by-clause compliance check and a virtual fire test report for the PMC / Authority's Engineer, with what is evidenced, planned or only predicted kept apart.
03 What it does today
Built for the questions a reviewer asks
Acceptance criteria that do not flatter you
Limits come from the project's own authority, each entered with the document and clause it comes from. Each is explained in plain words: what it protects (people escaping, the structure or the ventilation design) and how it is judged. A criterion with no limit reads "not judged", never "passed", and a score appears only when every limit is set.
One project, every alternative
A project holds the tunnel, the fire, the ventilation and the authority's limits once. Each alternative design is run against that same base, so a reviewer compares like with like.
Four system types, honest about each
High, intermediate and low-pressure water mist, and deluge, each with its pressure band from NFPA 750. The engine is calibrated on high-pressure water mist only; the other three say on screen that they are not validated.
Clause-by-clause compliance
86 clause rules across the SOLIT² test protocol and a project rules file. Failing, evidenced and "needs evidence" are counted separately, and needs evidence is never counted as compliant.
A report the PMC can read
A virtual fire test report with the issuer, the organisation and the issue time on every page. View it, or download it as a PDF.
Evidence level on every number
E0 (illustrative) to E4 (full-scale test), with the track record of the quantity behind each figure, so a reviewer sees how far to trust a number before relying on it.
Your tunnel, pipe and pump
Enter your own tunnel (bored or cut and cover, circular or box, one to four bores), hydraulic components and installed pump. Saved tunnels can be edited and reused. The result shows pump pressure, losses, plant size and the pipe and valve take-off, not only the fire.
CFD on demand Beta
Where a reduced-order prediction is not enough, run FDS CFD on rented cloud machines and read the result beside the prediction. In beta: not yet generally available.
Accounts you can put in front of a client
Every account is approved by hand and works in its own workspace. Team and admin accounts sign in with a second factor.
04 The output
What the PMC receives
A report that states its footing on the first page. The sample alongside uses invented values, to show the layout only.
- Every criterion with its limit, and a limit nobody set reads "not judged".
- Each requirement as failing, evidenced or needs evidence, counted apart.
- The evidence level of the result, and which nozzle inputs hold it there.
- The issuer, the organisation and the issue time on every page.
Virtual fire test report
Example · not a result
Evidence E1, a prediction on estimated nozzle data. Held at E1 by: Dv50 (estimated).
Acceptance criteria (example values)
| Criterion | Value | Limit set by the authority | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target ignited | No | Must not ignite | pass |
| Peak heat release | 38 MW | at most 45 MW | pass |
| Visibility, flooded zone | 9 m | at least 10 m | FAIL |
| Heat flux | 4.1 kW/m² | not set | not judged |
Compliance by requirement (example)
| Requirement | Found | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Activation time set by the PMC | Entered | Evidenced |
| Nozzle data stated by the tester | Estimated | Needs evidence |
| Fuel load matches the specified mock-up | Differs from the specification | Fails |
Example page with invented values. Not a result, and not a prediction for any project.
05 In the product
What your engineers and your PMC will see
Screens show an illustrative example design at evidence level E0, not a real project, with example test conditions typed in so the simulation can run. No figure on them is a result.
06 Evidence
Every number says how far to trust it
Each result carries an evidence level from E0 to E4. The tool computes E0 to E2 today. E3 and E4 are drawn on every ladder and never awarded yet.
- E0Illustrative
A nozzle input is a placeholder or unstated.
Computed today - E1Estimated nozzle data
A prediction on estimated nozzle data.
Computed today - E2Measured nozzle data
A prediction on measured nozzle data (Tier 1).
Computed today - E3CFD-corroborated
Tier 2 CFD agrees within the stated tolerances.
Not yet awarded - E4Test-confirmed
A full-scale test compared with this prediction.
Not yet awarded
A result is held at the level its least-evidenced nozzle input allows, and says which inputs hold it there.
07 Read this before you rely on it
What this is, and what it is not
It is
- A prediction of the SOLIT² test, from a reduced-order engine that runs a whole test in seconds.
- Honest about its footing: each result carries an evidence level, and says on screen that it is a prediction, not a measurement.
- A way to arrive at the full-scale test with a design that has already been checked, and to show a PMC what is still open.
It is not
- Test evidence. The prediction is not a measurement and does not replace a full-scale test. The SOLIT² test protocol (§3.4) says CFD shall not replace full-scale testing, and a reduced-order prediction is a smaller step still.
- Not validated. The engine is calibrated against published reference tests, and its calibration currently rests on a placeholder reference nozzle, so every figure is an extrapolation until a full-scale test of your system exists.
- Certified, accredited or approved by any authority: it is none of these, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SOLIT² project.
08 Who it is for
Teams that have to show a design is ready for the test
EPC engineering teams
Test a system choice and a layout against the SOLIT² test before the design is frozen, and see which criteria it leans on.
MEP designers
Size the plant to the tunnel you have: pump pressure, ring main and zone losses, tank, pumps, and the pipe and valve take-off.
PMC and Authority's Engineer
Read one report that says what is evidenced, what is only planned or predicted, and what no limit has been set for. Every limit shows the document and clause that set it.
09 CFD pricing
CFD on demand is in beta
CFD runs on rented cloud machines: you pay for the machine time a run uses, from prepaid credit, with no subscription, and the price is fixed when a run starts.
Pricing for CFD runs is shown to registered users inside the app.
Taxes, where applicable, are shown on the invoice.
10 Beta programme
Try it on a real design
- Join the waitlist with your work email. Early access is by invitation, and personal addresses such as Gmail are not accepted.
- We invite people in turn. When a place opens we email you a one-time code; you check your details and choose your own password.
- Use it, and tell us what is missing. We ask for feedback on the results, the wording and what your PMC asks for.
11 Questions
Frequently asked
Is it validated?
No. The engine is calibrated against published reference tests, not validated, and every result says so on screen. Treat each figure as a prediction until a full-scale test of your system exists.
Does it replace the full-scale test?
No. It does not replace a full-scale test; it helps you reach one with a design that has been checked. The SOLIT² test protocol (§3.4) says CFD shall not replace full-scale testing.
What does "Tier 1" mean?
Tier 1 is the reduced-order engine that runs a whole SOLIT² test in seconds. Tier 2 is CFD with FDS, run on demand and in beta. Where the two disagree, the disagreement is reported, not hidden.
Whose nozzle data does it use?
Yours. The nozzle is entered by the tester and nothing about it is assumed. Where a value is an estimate rather than measured, the result says so and holds its evidence level down. To see a whole design run first, you can start from an illustrative placeholder head: it is marked placeholder and the result stays at the lowest evidence level.
Which kinds of system can it model?
High, intermediate and low-pressure water mist, and deluge. The pressure bands follow NFPA 750. The engine was calibrated and checked on high-pressure water mist; for the other three the result says it is not validated for that type.
Which standard does it follow?
The SOLIT² virtual fire test, with clause checks against the protocol's requirements and a project rules file you supply.
How is CFD priced?
By the machine time a run uses, paid from prepaid credit, with the price fixed when the run starts. Pricing for CFD runs is shown to registered users inside the app.
Is this the SOLIT² project's own tool?
No. SOLIT Simulator is a product of Darvish Consultants and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SOLIT² project.