A
fire pump is a part of a
fire sprinklerA fire sprinkler system is an active fire protection measure, consisting of a water supply system, providing adequate pressure and flowrate to a water distribution piping system, onto which fire sprinklers are connected...
system's water supply and can be powered by electric, diesel or steam. The pump intake is either connected to the public underground water supply piping, or a static water source (e.g., tank, reservoir, lake). The pump provides water flow at a higher pressure to the sprinkler system
riserRiser may refer to:* Riser , a reservoir in a manufacturing mold* Stair riser, the vertical elements in a set of stairs* Drilling riser, a device used on a ship or offshore drilling rig...
s and hose standpipes. A fire pump is tested and
listedProduct certification or product qualification is the process of verifying that a certain product has passed performance tests and quality assurance tests or qualification requirements stipulated in contracts, regulations, or specifications...
for its use specifically for fire service by a third-party testing and listing agency, such as
ULUnderwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent product safety certification organization. Established in 1894, the company has its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. UL develops standards and test procedures for products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and equipment, chiefly dealing...
or
FM GlobalFM Global is a U.S.-based insurance company, with offices worldwide, that specializes in loss prevention services primarily to large corporations throughout the world in the Highly Protected Risk property insurance market sector. "FM Global" is the communicative name of the company, whereas the...
. The main code that governs fire pump installations in North America is the
National Fire Protection AssociationThe National Fire Protection Association is a United States trade association that creates and maintains private, copywrited, standards and codes for usage and adoption by local governments...
's
NFPA 20 Standard for the Installation of Stationary Fire Pumps for Fire Protection.
Operation
Fire pumps may be powered either by an
electric motorAn electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
or a
diesel engineA diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
, or, occasionally a
steam turbineA steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
. If the local building code requires power independent of the local electric power grid, a pump using an electric motor may utilize, when connected via a listed
transfer switchA transfer switch is an electrical switch that reconnects electric power source from its primary source to a standby source. Switches may be manually or automatically operated...
, the installation of an
emergency generatorIn electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
.
The fire pump starts when the pressure in the fire sprinkler system drops below a threshold. The sprinkler system pressure drops significantly when one or more
fire sprinklerA fire sprinkler system is an active fire protection measure, consisting of a water supply system, providing adequate pressure and flowrate to a water distribution piping system, onto which fire sprinklers are connected...
s are exposed to heat above their design temperature, and opens, releasing water. Alternately, other
fire hoseA fire hose is a high-pressure hose used to carry water or other fire retardant to a fire to extinguish it. Outdoors, it is attached either to a fire engine or a fire hydrant. Indoors, it can be permanently attached to a building's standpipe or plumbing system...
s reels or other firefighting connections are opened, causing a pressure drop in the fire fighting main.
Fire pumps are needed when the local municipal water system cannot provide sufficient pressure to meet the hydraulic design requirements of the fire sprinkler system. This usually occurs if the building is very tall, such as in high-rise buildings, or in systems that require a relatively high terminal pressure at the fire sprinkler in order to provide a large volume of water, such as in storage warehouses. Fire pumps are also needed if fire protection water supply is provided from a ground level water storage tank.
Types of pumps used for fire service include: horizontal split case, vertical split case, vertical inline, vertical turbine, and end suction.
Jockey Pump
A
jockey pump is a small pump connected to a
fire sprinklerA fire sprinkler system is an active fire protection measure, consisting of a water supply system, providing adequate pressure and flowrate to a water distribution piping system, onto which fire sprinklers are connected...
system and is intended to maintain pressure in a fire protection piping system to an artificially high level so that the operation of a single fire sprinkler will cause a pressure drop which will be sensed by the fire pump automatic controller, causing the fire pump to start. The jockey pump is essentially a portion of the fire pump's control system.
In the U.S.
The application of a jockey pump in a fire protection system is provided by NFPA 20. They are inspected per NFPA 25 "Inspection and Testing of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems".
According to NFPA 20 - 1999 Clause A-2-19 Pressure maintenance (jockey or make-up) pumps
should be used where it is desirable to maintain a uniform
or relatively high pressure on the fire protection system. A
jockey pump should be sized to make up the allowable
leakage rate within 10 minutes or 1 gpm (3.8 L/min),
whichever is larger.
jockey pump is small pump which maintain small amount of pressure in fire hydrant line.
In India
In India, the pump manufacturers generally adhere to the TAC guidelines (Tariff Advisory Committee guidelines), although pump manufacturers may also obtain listings with
ULUnderwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent product safety certification organization. Established in 1894, the company has its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. UL develops standards and test procedures for products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and equipment, chiefly dealing...
or
FM GlobalFM Global is a U.S.-based insurance company, with offices worldwide, that specializes in loss prevention services primarily to large corporations throughout the world in the Highly Protected Risk property insurance market sector. "FM Global" is the communicative name of the company, whereas the...
Additional References
1. http://www.pmengineer.com/Articles/Feature_Article/176e568d84298010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0____