Hydraulic Calculations Flashcards
Fire Stream Definition
A stream of water or other extinguishing agent after it leaves a fire hose and nozzle until it reaches the desire point.
Fire Stream Condition:
During the time a fire stream passes through space, it is influenced by four things:
- Velocity
- Gravity
- Wind
- Friction with air
Fire Stream Condition:
The condition of the stream when it leaves the nozzle is influenced by four things:
- Operating pressure
- Nozzle design
- Nozzle adjustment
- Condition of the nozzle orifice
Handline Nozzle Specs
-Solid, fog, or broken stream
3/4” to 3”
-Flows up to 350 GPM
Master Stream Nozzle Specs
- Solid or Fog
- Used when handlines are undesirable
- Flows greater than 350 GPM
GPM formula
29.7 (D²) (√NP)
Akron Piercing Nozzle PSI/GPM
100 PSI
125 GPM
Max pressure 200 PSI
Max Operating Pressure of 1 3/4” & 2 1/2” Hose
275 PSI
Max Operating Pressure of 5” Hose (yellow/green)
Yellow: 185 PSI
Green: 275 PSI
Friction Loss 5” hose at 1,000 GPM
8 PSI/100’
Friction Loss 5” hose at 2,000 GPM
32 PSI/100’
Appliance Pressure (Hoseline Appliances)
≥ 350 GPM = 10 PSI
Appliance Pressure (Master Stream Appliances)
15 PSI for all
- deck guns
- portable monitors
- aerial master stream
Elevation Pressure
0.434 PSI per foot
5 PSI per floor
PDP (definition/equation)
Pump Discharge Pressure
NP + FL + AP +(-) EL
Solid Tip Discharge (GPM) Equation
(29.7) (D²) (√NP)
Handline Tip Sizes NP/GPM
50 PSI
7/8" - 160 GPM 15/16" - 180 1" - 200 1 1/8" - 250 1 1/4" - 325
Master Stream Tip Sizes NP/GPM
80 PSI
1 1/4" - 400 GPM 1 3/8" - 500 1 1/2" - 600 X 1 5/8" - 700 1 3/4" - 800 X 1 7/8" - 900 2" - 1000
SM20 NP/GPM
100 PSI
60 - 200 GPM
SM30 NP/GPM
100 PSI
75 - 325 GPM
Akromatic NP/GPM
100 PSI
500 - 2000 GPM
TFT Metro NP/GPM
1 3/4” lines
50 PSI
150 GPM
TFT Metro 2
2 1/2” Lines only
50 PSI
250 GPM
Broken Stream Nozzles NP
100 - 150 PSI
Akron Piercing Nozzle GPM/PSI/Max Operating Pressure
125 GPM @ 100 PSI
Max Operating Pressure: 200
Vindicator (Handline) Tip Sizes NP/GPM 1 3/4” & 2 1/2”
1 3/4”
250 GPM @ 50 PSI
425 GPM @ 100 PSI
2 1/2”
325 GPM @ 50 PSI
500 GPM @ 100 PSI
Vindicator (Masterstream) NP/GPM
1000 GPM @ 85 PSI
675-1000 GPM for monitors
Nozzle Operating Pressures (for calculations)
- Solid Tip/Vindicator
- Solid Tip Master Streams
- Vindicator Master Stream
- ALL Fog Streams
- All TFT Fog Stream Handlines
-Broken Stream
-Solid Tip/Vindicator:
50 PSI
-Solid Tip Master Streams:
80 PSI
- Vindicator Master Stream:
85 PSI
-ALL Fog Streams:
100 PSI
-All TFT Fog Stream Handlines:
50 PSI
-Broken Stream:
100-150 PSI
Nozzle Pressure/Reaction Formulas
- Solid Tip
- Fog Tip
- Solid Tip
(1. 57) (D²) (NP) - Fog Tip
(0. 0505) (GPM) (√NP)
Friction Loss Equation
C (Q/100)² (L/100)
Friction Loss Coefficients by Hose Size
1 3/4” - 15.5
2 1/2” - 2
5” - 0.08
Friction Loss GPM/PSI per Hundred Feet 1 3/4” Hose
100 GPM: 15 PSI 125 GPM: 25 PSI 150 GPM: 35 PSI 175 GPM: 45 PSI 200 GPM: 65 PSI
Appliance Pressure
- Hoseline Appliance - Master Stream Appliances
-Hoseline Appliance:
≥ 350 GPM = 10 PSI
-Master Stream Appliances
15 PSI for all deck guns, portable monitors, aerial master streams
Elevation Pressure
0.434 PSI per foot
5 PSI per floor (remember first floor doesn’t count)
PDP/Max Pressure for Deck Gun
PDP = NP + AP
Max Flow = 1,250 GPM
15 PSI friction loss for appliance
PDP Formula for Portable Monitor
15 PSI friction loss for appliance
Add friction loss for supply hose and nozzle pressure
Max Pressure 200 PSI
2 1/2” Portable Monitor Max GPM/Footage for Single Line vs. Double
-Single Line
500 GPM max, 400’ max
-Double LIne
800 GPM max, 600’ max
5” Portable Inlet Monitor Max GPM/Footage of hose
1,000 GPM max, 1,100’ max
Akron Mercury 500 Specs
1 3/8” Tip, 1 1/2” Tip
80 PSI NP for 1 3/8” Tip
500 GPM Max
One 2 1/2” line laid straight, at least 10’ to monitor
Aerial Master Stream Specs/Considerations
- Usually fog nozzle (100 PSI), Solid Tip (80 PSI), Ladder 5 fog = 85 PSI
- Do not exceed max pressure for 5” hose (185 PSI) unless high pressure green (275 PSI)
- Add 15 PSI for aerial device, if siamese is being utilized on aerial inlet add another 10 PSI
- Add 5 PSI for every 10’ of elevation above ground
AFD Standpipe Operations
- Establish adequate water supply w/ 5” hose
- At minimum two 2 1/2” handlines should be connected to the FDC, driver should keep hoselines as short as possible (100’ Max)
- Charge system to 100 PSI plus 5 PSI per floor above the first floor
- Coordinate with officer on the fire floor to determine pressure changes, coordinate with firefighter on floor below fire to set pressure at 65 PSI
Sprinkler Systems
2 1/2” hoselines in 50’ sections to reduce FL
-Maintain PDP of 150 PSI
NFPA Percentages/Rated Standards of pumps/capacity
100% capacity @ 150 PSI
70% capacity @ 200 PSI
50% capacity @ 250 PSI
Hydrant Capacity Formula
Static pressure - residual pressure
Divide static by 10, multiply by 1, 2, and 3
Find number that is ≥ difference between static and residual pressure
Fire Flow Formula
GPM’s needed (NFF) = (area/3) (% of structure involved)
Area (length times width) divided by three, then multiply by percent of structure involved
