Every Pump Operator's Basic Equation
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Continuing Education Course Every Pump Operator’s Basic Equation BY PAUL SPURGEON TRAINING THE FIRE SERVICE FOR 135 YEARS To earn continuing education credits, you must successfully complete the course examination. The cost for this CE exam is $25.00. For group rates, call (973) 251-5055. Every Pump Operator’s Basic Equation Educational Objectives On completion of this course, students will 1. Learn how to develop a proper fire stream 3. Describe two friction loss formulas used by fire departments 2. Define friction loss and explain two ways water flows 4. Learn how elevation must be calculated into fire stream through hoses calculations BY PAUL SPURGEON water after it leaves the nozzle until it reaches its final destina- tion, which is usually the seat of the fire.A s the streams are HE EQUATION EP = NP + FL + APP + ELEV IS THE being produced, they are affected by the discharge pressure, basic equation every pump operator needs to calculate nozzle design, and nozzle setting. A discharge pressure that is T when operating the fire pump.T oday, many pump pan- too strong not only will be very hard to handle but will also els have flow meters that allow the pump operator to match break up into smaller droplets, which aren’t as effective in the readout on the pump panel with the gallon-per-minute extinguishing the fire.A discharge that is too weak may not be (gpm) flow of the selected nozzle.T his is a disservice to the delivering enough gpm to overcome the British thermal units integrity of the pump operator. A knowledgeable operator (Btus) being produced by the fire.A n adequate stream also needs to understand how a proper fire stream is developed needs to have the reach to be able to hit the seat of the fire. and how each part is applied. Only with this knowledge can After the water leaves the nozzle, the stream is also affected the pump operator go from being a knob puller who sets by nature in the forms of gravity and wind. The stream needs predetermined figures on a gauge to an efficient engineer ca- to be strong enough to overcome these factors. There has to pable of filling the hoselines with the proper amount of water be enough reach so the firefighters don’t have to be in the not only to extinguish fires but also to keep crews safe on the absolute hottest environment. If the stream falls short of the fireground. fire, it cannot extinguish the fire. If the stream isn’t capable Each figure can be calculated using simple math. How the of overcoming the wind, it may not be possible to place the concepts are developed is explained below. The engine pres- water on the seat of the fire, where it is needed. sure is calculated by plugging numbers into each figure and adding or subtracting them. StanDARD PRESSURES • EP = Engine Pressure The fire service uses three standard nozzle pressures.T hese • NP = Nozzle Pressure standards are derived from years of trial and error and experi- • FL = Friction Loss ence. The nozzle pressure can be adjusted upward to deliver • Elev = Elevation Loss or Gain more gpm flow or downward to make the line more maneuver- • App = Appliance Friction Loss able. Unfortunately, we can’t have both. If the nozzle pressure Some figures may be used more than once; others may not is increased, a few more gpm can be delivered, but the hoseline be used at all. If more than one size of hose is used, you will will become stiffer and harder to handle. There is even a point have to figure friction loss for each size.T his also applies if where the pressure becomes so great that the turbulence in multiple appliances are used or if hoselines are laid both up the stream prevents the producing of a working fire stream. If and down a hill. The pump operator needs to account for the nozzle pressure is decreased, the hoseline will be easier to each of these figures each time a hoseline is pulled from the handle but at the expense of lower gpm. The standards give apparatus. a good compromise for delivering the best of both worlds. To extinguish the fire while being able to maneuver the hoseline, NOZZLE PRESSURE the following nozzle pressures have been adopted: To be called a fire stream, a hoseline needs to have a nozzle • Smooth bore handline: 50 pounds per square inch (psi). attached to its end. This nozzle gives the stream its shape, • Fog nozzle handline: 100 psi. reach, and velocity. By definition, a fire stream is a stream of • Smooth bore master stream: 80 psi. www.FireEngineeringUniversity.com PUMP OP EQuatION ● These standards give us a good basic starting point in figur- ing the overall engine pressure. Table 1. Expansion and Temperature Temperature (ºF) Expansion Ratio SMOOTH BORE NOZZLES 212º 1,700 to 1 A smooth bore nozzle is simply a tube that narrows down 500º 2,400 to 1 to an opening with a specific inside diameter.A s the water gets narrowed through the nozzle, it develops its smooth solid 1,200º 4,200 to 1 stream. In the late 1890s, John R. Freeman1 conducted experi- ments designed to define what a good solid stream is. He came up with four requirements that are still used today: Figure 1. Laminar Flow A stream that has not lost its continuity by breaking into 1showers or a spray. A stream that shoots nine-tenths of the whole volume of 2 water inside a 15-inch-diameter circle and three-fourths of its volume into a 10-inch-diameter circle at its break-over point. A stream stiff enough to attain, under fair conditions, the 3named height or distance, even through a breeze. A stream that, with no wind blowing, will enter a room Figure 2. Turbulent Flow 4 through a window and strike the ceiling with enough force to splatter well. These standards give a good foundation for building a good quality fire stream.2 DISCHARGE As we know, it is not the pressure of a stream that extin- guishes a fire but the amount of water in gpm that cools a fire. Note that I did not say solid stream when referring to The officer in charge of a fire needs to determine the amount the pattern setting. At the narrowest pattern, a fog nozzle of water needed to extinguish the fire and choose the appropri- still produces a fog stream. It consists of tiny water droplets ate hoseline and nozzle that will deliver the correct gpm. Large discharged in a uniform direction toward the fire.T he small fires make for good news coverage, but in reality they happen water droplets, if applied properly, will absorb the heat faster because the firefighters were unable to place enough water at than a solid stream. This is because there is more surface the seat of the fire to overcome the Btus being produced.T he area with all of the droplets compared with a solid stream. officer as well as the pump operator need to know the gpm Another advantage of having tiny water droplets is that they flow from different nozzle tips to know how much fire each quickly turn into steam. When a fire is in an enclosed space, a can extinguish. As a general rule, the maximum nozzle diameter relatively small amount of fog stream can be shot into the area should not exceed one-half of the size of the hose to which it (the area is sealed tight), and the water will turn into steam is attached—for example, a 2½-inch handline should not have a smothering the fire.T his is called the indirect attack method. smooth bore nozzle any larger than 1¼ inches. A 1¾-inch hand- Its advantage is that it uses relatively small amounts of water. 7 line should have a nozzle tip no larger than ⁄8 inch. This helps in preventing water damage to the structure. This The amount of water discharging from a smooth bore is method of attacking fire was first developed by Chief Lloyd determined by the nozzle pressure and the inside diameter of Layman while he was in the U.S. Coast Guard. When water the opening. The formula for determining the gpm flow from turns to steam, it expands. The amount of expansion is deter- a smooth bore nozzle is as follows: mined by the amount of heat in the room. Note: The indirect attack is used only in enclosed spaces 29.72D2√P (D = nozzle diameter; √P = square root of pressure) where there is no possibility of life in the room. The steam will burn and kill anyone inside the environment. If there is a pos- For example, a one-inch smooth bore tip will have a dis- sibility that someone is in the room, including firefighters, use a charge of 210 gpm: 29.72 × 12 × 7.07 = 210 gpm. fog pattern in conjunction with proper ventilation. As the water is turned into steam, it will cool the burning material, but the FOG NOZZLES steam has to be allowed to escape to the outside. A close-up Many fire departments have chosen to place combination fire attack must be coordinated with proper ventilation. Table 1 fog nozzles on their apparatus. They feel that it is important shows the amount of expansion at various temperatures. to have the option of delivering a stream that can be adjusted from a straight stream to a wide fog pattern.