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Use case

Fire flow analyses are essential for assessing the network capacity for firefighting operations. Generally, regulatory guidelines establish the minimum fire flow rate, duration, and pressure requirements to guarantee enough water pressure for customers while ensuring ample supply for firefighters’ needs.

To perform a fire flow analysis in a water distribution network, operators must determine whether the system can handle the required fire flow rates while maintaining regulatory pressure thresholds. 

This may involve two key analyses:

1. Determining the minimum pressure for a required fire flow rate –This helps assess whether the system can support the required fire flow rate while maintaining regulatory pressure thresholds. If the pressure drops too low or becomes negative, the system may fail to provide sufficient water for firefighting.
2. Determining the maximum fire flow capacity at a pre-established pressure level – This helps determine the maximum fire flow rate the system can sustain while ensuring that the fire hydrant’s pressure does not fall below a certain pre-established value.

Both methods provide valuable insights, and you can use them together to fully understand your network’s fire flow capacity. But if you are in doubt, you can use the information in the table below to decide on the method to use depending on your use case.

Data requirements

Depending on the data you have available for your network, you will be able to test different scenarios and/or get better insights. Double-check below if your network meets the data requirements to assess the fire flow capacity with Qatium. 

The more information you have available, the better!

Tools

To perform a fire flow analysis in Qatium you can use the following tools:

• Demand spike
• Pressures
• Tank autonomy (optional)

If the Tank autonomy plugin is not available on your subscription, you can buy it from the Marketplace or upgrade your plan.

How to perform a fire flow analysis in Qatium

With Qatium, you can perform this analysis through the Demand spike panel by: 

• Specifying a target fire-flow rate – Applies a predefined fire flow rate to assess the system’s response and verify if it meets minimum pressure requirements.
• Setting a target residual pressure – Determines the maximum flow the system can provide while maintaining a predefined pressure threshold.

Step-by-step guide

Go to your network in Qatium and follow these steps:

1. Select the time in the timeline at which you’d like your fire flow capacity analysis to start.
2. Select a hydrant (use the search to locate it faster)
3. Open the Demand spike panel
4. Enter a fixed flow rate (i.e., the expected firefighting demand at that hydrant) in the Demand tab.

⚠️ Important: The analysis will run from the selected time until the end of the day. If you want to determine an end time, apply a demand 0 to the time in the timeline you want the analysis to end.

 

 

 

Insights & results

The Demand spike panel will display the residual pressure for the fixed demand applied and for the selected time in the timeline. Verify whether the hydrant maintains an acceptable pressure during the event.

Use the Pressures panel to check the lowest pressure on the network, and to identify potential pressure drops and impacts on nearby areas.

1. Open the Pressures panel
2. Select the pressure ranges below your target pressure to quickly visualize customers with critically low pressure.
3. Click on the hexagon of the minimum pressure to locate it on the map.

You can switch from My scenario to My network in the Network versions panel to quickly assess the impact of the fire flow against the original network settings.

 

 

Setting a target residual pressure

Step-by-step guide

This approach helps determine the maximum flow the system can provide while ensuring a predefined minimum pressure level at the hydrant.

Go to your network in Qatium and follow these steps:

1. Select the time in the timeline at which you’d like your fire flow capacity analysis to start. 
2. Click on a hydrant (use the search to locate it faster)
3. Open the Demand spike panel
4. Go to the Pressure tab and type the minimum regulatory pressure value (or use the slider).

 

 

Insights & results

The Demand spike panel will display the maximum achievable flow at the hydrant while maintaining the target pressure.

Use the Pressures panel to check the lowest pressure on the network, and to identify potential pressure drops and impacts on nearby areas.

1. Open the Pressures panel
2. Select the pressure ranges below your target pressure to quickly visualize customers with critically low pressure.
3. Click on the hexagon of the minimum pressure to locate it on the map.

You can switch from My scenario to My network in the Network versions panel to quickly assess the impact of the fire flow against the original network settings.

 

 

(Optional) Assessing tank autonomy

Tank autonomy is crucial for fire flow events, especially when large volumes of water are required to sustain firefighting efforts over time.

If your network relies on tanks for fire protection, consider using the Tank autonomy panel to:

1. Check the outflow of each tank: assess how much flow is being withdrawn from each tank.
2. Check the autonomy at this rate: determine how long each tank can sustain the current outflow.
3. Analyze whether other areas in the network may experience pressure drops due to low tank levels or are even unsupplied due to empty tanks. If tank levels fall too quickly, consider alternative water sources.

You can also check your tank's details for more information. Hover over or click the asset to assess:

1. Water levels before and after the fire flow: ensure tanks have enough storage to meet firefighting demands.
2. Whether the tank’s refill rate is enough to sustain prolonged firefighting. If not, verify if pumps or other supply sources can support the increased demand.

FAQs & Troubleshooting