Bend Radius Analysis for Water Monitor in Capstone Design Project

Published in: Engineering Innovations for Global Sustainability: Proceedings of the 14th Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology
Date of Conference: July 20-22, 2016
Location of Conference: San Jose, Costa Rica
Authors: Alamgir Choudhury
Jorge Rodríguez
Refereed Paper: #365

Abstract:

To be effective, a fire fighting water monitor needs to be able to pump water onto the fire at a very high rate. Most of the commercially available water monitors pump up to 2 500 gallons per minute (GPM) of water. Developing cost effective solutions of high capacity flow systems translates into directly into saving of property and life. Currently, the largest commercial monitors have a four-inch outlet diameter. The goal for this project is to design a monitor with a six-inch diameter outlet that can pump at least 3 000 GPM. This would allow fire fighters to pump considerably more water in a shorter period of time, in turn, save money, time, and prevent distresses in already affected families and businesses. Based on research on current commercially available monitors and other similar systems, it was decided to investigate the effect of bend radius on performance of an existing monitor. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools were used to predict how geometry designs and materials can be optimized in order to minimize pressure loss and withstand the effect of higher water pressure. These analyses led to the design of an improved water monitor, which was recommended for prototype production and for testing. Initial test results have been successful, and commercial production has been approved, thus confirming the validity of the design proposed in this capstone project.