OPTIMAL FIRE PUMP DESIGN - CFD-AIDED REDESIGN OF A FIRE PUMP

摘要

The design criteria of rotodynamic pumps with optimal efficiency have been covered widely in the literature for many years, however little attention has been given to hydraulic design of centrifugal fire pumps. Fire pumps have different design objectives than commercial pumps. Cost effective design solutions for fire pumps require a more comprehensive analysis of pump performance characteristics in order to achieve the desired curve shape while minimizing the driver size.Computer-aided design (CAD) and Computational-Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses of pump hydraulic components have been performed for several decades, and today they are highly sophisticated tools that can not only aid in designing better products but also allow for the optimization of designs. A significant reduction of the input power of a rotodynamic fire pump, while retaining its primary point of operation, is demonstrated in multi-variant CFD-aided redesign.