A Wisconsin company offers a way to measure the performance of fire pumps as an alternative to the typical hose valve header and hose method.
Preso Meters, headquartered in Racine, describes its system as simple, precise and economical. Flow monitoring, according to the company, is easily achieved by allowing the operator to read the water flow directly in gallons per minute or liters per second. The system’s primary elements are designed to produce a differential pressure to attain accurate flow measurements.
Preso offers three types of fire pump systems available for pipe sizes from 2 to 16 inches – the PFA Ellipse, PFV Venturi and the PFB Annular pitot tube.
Preso’s fire pump systems offer low permanent pressure loss and require little to no maintenance, according to the maker. The PFA Ellipse model is third-party certified by FM Approvals of Norwood, Mass. The elliptical shape is designed with a series of ports facing the upstream velocity pressures. Flow sensing ports are located ahead of the trailing edge flow separation.
The Model PFV, which is also FM approved, features the Preso Venturi – a successful design with over 35 years of field performance in a wide variety of applications, according to the manufacturer. It can be installed in any position with minimal straight pipe requirements.
The PFB Annular is made up of a round pitot tube. It has an accuracy of +/- 3 percent and is capable of bi-directional flow measurement.
Each fire pump system includes a direct-readout gauge with a dial featuring a 270-degree arc for fast, accurate reading and a dust-tight case. Preso gauges are made of rugged brass construction and are protected against overload by a unique diaphragm housing design, the company said.
When the pressure difference exceeds the range, the company said the gauge will accept the accidental application of up to 60 psi without damage. Under normal conditions, according to the company, the differential pressure should not exceed the range of the gauge.
For information call 262-639-6770 or go to www.preso.com
Preso Meters has created a flow meter system for precisely measuring fire pump performance simply and accurately. (Preso Meter Photo)
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