Iran Occupational Health

Background and aims: Providing the adequate flow and water pressure in the firefighting network of the power plants requires the proper design and analysis of the firefighting system. This study aimed to model and hydraulic analysis the fire network in a combined cycle power plant to determine the network efficiency in the extinguishing of the possible fire.
Methods: In the present study, the amount of water needed for firefighting network was estimated for different sections of the power plant according to NFPA standard. Then, based on general piping maps, isometric, and technical specifications of the site, network modeling was done using WaterGEMS software. Finally, the network efficiency was analyzed to provide flow and water pressure in three possible scenarios.
Results: The results of this study showed that the network and pumping station could provide pressure and water flow for cooling and foam production to extinguish the small and medium-sized fire. In special circumstances and with the occurrence of extensive fire, such as the advent of fire in all fuel tanks, the pressure in the network is reduced to 3.6 bar and the pressure to extinguish, spray water, and the foam is not supplied. In other words, the system will not have acceptable performance in large fire extinguishing.
Conclusion: Hydraulic modeling of the fire network using WaterGEMS software, in addition to identifying the defects of the fire extinguishing system, it can provide the ability to analyze and design the network to deal with the consequences of fire in industrial environments during crisis situations properly.