5/22/2018 Velocity in pipe

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Velocity in pipe
 Category: Hydraulic calculation for re protection engineers (/Table/Support/Hydraulic-calculation-for- re-protection-engineers/)

Some re sprinkler design authorities such as EN 12845 limit the velocity through pipes and valves in re sprinkler systems; this is the case with EN
12845 however NFPA and FM do not have any restriction. The case for limiting velocity is that the Hazen-Williams formula is less accurate outside its
normal range and equivalent pipe lengths for ttings, which are generally used, start to lose their validity. Some authorities believe that velocity is self-
limiting as pressure losses increase exponentially as velocities increase, so pipe sizes must be increased to make use of available water supply
pressure.

EN 12845 limits velocity to 6 m/s through valves and ow switches and 10 m/s at any other point in the system.
Velocity in pipe can be calculated using the following formula:-

The following table lists the maximum ows in litres per minute which can be obtained through steel pipework to EN 10255 speci cations for both 6
m/s and 10 m/s.

Maximum ows through pipes for EN 12845 re sprinkler systems

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