What is a Fire Pump? - Definition, Principle, Types, Comparison

In many high-rise buildings and commercial complexes, you must have seen big red color pipelines and pumps. Many imagine why it is colored red and why they are so huge in size. It is to be understood that these are fire pump systems.

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In such establishments, it is usually not approved to live or work in them without these installations. This is because they quickly help in extinguishing fire in such high-rise towers before a fire fighter arrives. So, it is important that engineers and architects understand the working of this pump. In this post, we will see the working of a fire pump.

Fire Pump

A fire pump is a device that provides high-pressure water flow to fire sprinkler systems and fire hose standpipes in buildings or industries. A fire pump is used to ensure adequate water pressure and flow for firefighting systems.

Why is a fire pump required?

First of all, let us understand the importance of this pump. Generally, some buildings install pumps that are capable of throwing water up to the tallest floor and also handling fire systems like water sprinklers. These sprinklers get enough water pressure from these pumps and can extinguish the fire.

But, in many cases, the water pressure from the municipality (city water supply pipes) is not enough to boost the pressure required for sprinkler systems. It can supply normal water to taps and flush, but not create such a high jet pressure for extinguishing fire.

In that case, some boosting system must be required to boost the water pressure to a very high level and support firefighting. This purpose is thus achieved by fire pumps.

Fire Pump Principle

Now that we have understood its purpose, let us see how it works. As we have discussed, fire pumps work on the principle of generating very high pressure. There are two types of working methods for generating high pressure – centrifugal and positive displacement.

Centrifugal pumps operate on the principle of spinning water. Water enters the impeller and when the pump operates, a very high centrifugal force is applied to the water by rotating it. This creates a very high pressure and it is discharged to the load.

As the speed of the impeller increases to full, the rotation too increases and more water is thrown at the load required. Positive displacement pumps are similar to air compressors. They intake a small amount of water like compressors take a small amount of air at a time in their vessels.

Once the water is received, it is rotated at a high speed and pushed out of the pump at high pressure. Out of the two, the most used is a centrifugal pump, due to efficient flow rates maintained at high pressure.

These pumps work by sensing the pressure of the sprinkler system. When a fire occurs, the system is activated, and as much water as possible is thrown by it to extinguish. This water is taken from the municipality’s basic line.

So, when the pressure decreases due to demand, the fire pump senses this and comes into action by immediately pumping high-pressure water into the system.

Types of Fire Pumps

Electric Fire Pump
Diesel Fire Pump
Vertical Turbine Fire Pump
Jockey Pump
Horizontal Split Case Fire Pump
End Suction Fire Pump
In-Line Fire Pump

Fire Pump Drivers

Any pump requires some source of power for operation. Fire pump also requires an energy source for operation and there are generally three types used – electrical, diesel engine, and steam turbine.

The most used is the electrical one. It is simple in operation as it just takes an electrical power supply and operates. Diesel engine fire pumps use diesel for combustion. When combustion occurs, the fuel is powered up and it operates.

Then, the least used one is the steaming turbine one. A separate mechanism like a boiler or steam generator is required to first generate steam and then the pumps use them to operate as the turbine is moved through steam.

Comparison of Fire Pumps

Type of Fire Pump	Power Source	Operation	Installation	Use Case	Flow Rate
Electric Fire Pump	Electric motor	Automatic start on pressure drop or manual start	Indoors, typically in a pump room	High-rise buildings, commercial complexes	Varies, can handle high flow rates
Diesel Fire Pump	Diesel engine	Automatic start on power failure or pressure drop	Indoors or outdoors with weather protection	Areas with unreliable electric power, industrial facilities	Similar to electric, suitable for high flow rates
Vertical Turbine Pump	Electric or diesel	Manual or automatic operation	Installed in wells, lakes, or reservoirs	Areas without a reliable water supply at ground level	Depends on water source depth and motor capacity
Jockey Pump	Electric motor	Maintains system pressure to prevent unnecessary main pump operation	Installed alongside main fire pump	All types of fire pump installations	Low flow rate, not for firefighting but for pressure maintenance
Horizontal Split Case Pump	Electric or diesel	Automatic or manual operation	Indoors, requires more space	Large commercial or industrial facilities	High flow rates, efficient for high-pressure applications
End Suction Pump	Electric or diesel	Automatic or manual operation	Indoors, more compact design	Smaller facilities, less demanding applications	Moderate flow rates, less efficient than split case for high pressure