AI improves air quality in Barcelona’s metro
AI improves air quality in Barcelona's underground: the intelligent Respira® system monitors climate and pollutants, lowers temperatures, saves energy and improves comfort for millions of passengers.
Artificial intelligence for ventilation in the Barcelona underground railway system / Photo: Sener
Underground railways are complex ecosystems with tunnels and carriages full of passengers, as well as an invisible world of particles, gases and microorganisms. Trains come and go, doors open and close, passengers rush to their daily routines. But what about the air being breathed in this underground labyrinth? Sener’s Respira® intelligent ventilation system monitors and optimises the climate in metro systems.
One of the key elements in ensuring adequate air quality is ventilation. Unlike conventional buildings, where HVAC systems regulate temperature and air quality, the underground railway relies on mechanical ventilation to renew the air below ground. This prevents excessive concentrations of contamination which may affect human health, while maintaining appropriate temperature and humidity conditions for passengers and employees. Ventilation in underground infrastructures such as metros is a complex science. The interaction of numerous factors – from outside air quality and wear and tear of trains to weather conditions – creates a dynamic environment. In this context, data analysis and the use of AI are considered essential tools for an optimised control of the infrastructure in terms of air quality, thermal comfort and energy efficiency.
Intelligent ventilation control
Sener’s Respira® intelligent ventilation control system is capable of monitoring and optimising temperature, air quality and energy efficiency in underground stations and tunnels. Based on dynamic algorithms, it seeks to balance complex variables such as temperature, air quality, comfort and energy consumption of the systems. This improves the air quality while at the same time reducing energy consumption. Respira® controls the entire conventional underground railway network in Barcelona, which consists of more than 130 stations and over 170 kilometres of track. The system controls a total of 324 axial fans throughout the network. During the summer months, this resulted in a temperature reduction of more than 1.3 °C in the stations and annual savings of 7.2 GWh or the equivalent to 1.7 million euros. During this period, air quality conditions were continuously monitored and ventilation was controlled to ensure that the values specified by World Health Organisation regulations and recommendations were complied with at all times.