Fires often result in massive losses; once a fire breaks out, extinguishing it is essential to safeguard the lives and property of the public. Fire pumps are among the most common and widely used firefighting facilities; they are manufactured by numerous companies and utilized by professionals across various industries. How can one save costs while complying with fire safety regulations and ensuring safety? Today, pump our engineering team explain how to select the right fire pump to help you avoid being misled during the purchasing process.
Fire pumps with power sources. Typically composed of a fire pump unit, a power source, a control cabinet, and auxiliary devices.
Fire pump units can be classified according to the following rules:
1 By power source type:
a Diesel engine fire pump units; b Electric motor fire pump units; c Gas turbine fire pump units; d Gasoline engine fire pump units;
2 By application:
a Water supply fire pump units; b Pressure-stabilizing fire pump units; c Portable (hand-carried) fire pump units;
3 By auxiliary characteristics:
a Standard fire pump units; b Deep-well fire pump units; c Submersible fire pump units.
The above represents basic classifications, but categories can be combined—such as medium-low pressure fire pumps, high-low pressure vehicle-mounted fire pumps, standard fire pump units, electric submersible fire pump units, etc.
Selection criteria
1) Fire pump performance parameter requirements (1) Standard fire pump operating condition 1: At a suction lift of 1m, the unit must meet rated flow (Qn) and rated pressure (Pn) requirements, while the operating pressure must not exceed 1.05 times the rated pressure;
Operating condition 2: At a suction lift of 1m, with a flow rate of 1.5 Qn, the operating pressure must not be less than 0.65 Pn. The maximum operating pressure must not exceed 1.4 Pn.
(2) Deep-well and submersible fire pump operating condition 1: At a suction lift of 0m, the unit must meet rated flow (Qn) and rated pressure (Pn) requirements, while the operating pressure must not exceed 1.05 times the rated pressure. Operating Condition 2: At a suction lift of 0 m and a flow rate of 1.5 Qn, the operating pressure shall be no less than 0.65 Pn. The maximum operating pressure shall not exceed 1.4 Pn.
2) Testing of structural requirements, corrosion resistance, mechanical properties, continuous operation, and other performance characteristics shall comply with the requirements of the GB6245-2006 standard.
3) The pumps used in the pump set shall have undergone final design appraisal and type testing, and shall comply with relevant standards.
The selected prime movers shall have undergone final design appraisal and comply with relevant standards. Engines shall exhibit good cold-start performance, ensuring a successful start within 5 seconds. The fire pump shall be capable of reaching rated operating conditions within 20 seconds after priming.
4) The pump impeller shall rotate freely without binding or obstruction.
5) Designers shall select and determine the type of fire pump based on the location and area of the fire pump room within the project, as well as the specific conditions of the fire water supply system.
6) The flow rate and pressure of the fire pump shall be determined through calculation based on the fire water volume and pressure requirements of the serviced buildings (or industrial complexes, residential communities), storage yards, storage tanks, etc.
Fire pumps shall meet the requirements for fire water pressure and flow rate. The pump's flow rate and head shall be no lower than the design values and no lower than the values specified in the performance curves.
7) For temporary high-pressure fire water supply systems, the fire pump configuration should consist of one standby pump for every duty pump, or one standby pump for multiple duty pumps.
The capacity of the standby fire pump must be no less than that of the largest duty fire pump. When using a configuration with one standby pump for multiple duty pumps, the impact of parallel operation on system flow rate and pressure must be taken into account.
8) When selecting fire pumps, the flow-pressure (Q-P) characteristic curve should be flat and free of "humps" (instability points). Where conditions permit, tangential pumps or integrated pump-valve units (incorporating pressure-reducing and stabilizing valves) may be selected.
The use of stainless steel sheet materials combined with stamping and welding processes significantly improves efficiency and reduces energy consumption. The impellers are formed from stainless steel sheet via stamping and laser welding, resulting in high precision and efficiency; they also feature a broad high-efficiency operating range and consume less power than cast pumps for the same performance parameters., Ltd.