In the field of engineering design, hydraulic calculations play a critical role in ensuring the success and safety of projects. From plumbing systems to power plants and water-based fire protection systems, these calculations are essential for determining the flow and pressure of fluids in various applications. By accurately assessing factors like pipe diameter, fluid properties, and friction losses, engineers can optimize the performance of hydraulic systems and prevent potential problems.

After two years of travel restrictions and post-Covid, we can finally meet up for a two-day fire sprinkler conference in London on the 31st of May 2002 at the Park Plaza - Riverbank. Already they have 50 presentations planned and over 260 participants from over 23 countries.

Two years on from the tragedy of Grenfell where 72 people died, the law still states that in England only new residential properties above 30 m in height must be fitted with sprinklers. In commercial buildings such as warehouses, only those over 20,000 sqm must have sprinklers. Last year 334 people died as a result of fires and over 80% of these are from single occupancy dwellings such as houses, flats and maisonettes. Is it not time to change the law and fit all new residential properties with sprinklers?

On the 8^th of June 2019, a fire in Eunice Kelly’s flat in Greater Manchester was contained before it could spread to the other 57 homes in her block. The building is run by For­Housing group, which spent £ 5 million on sprinklers in its 17 tower blocks after Grenfell. Assets director Mark Lowe said: “This single situation has made the investment worthwhile.” This is another example of countless lives saved by the simple sprinkler system installation.

A car park at Kings Dock, close to the Echo Arena in Liverpool, went up in flames on New Year’s Eve. The final event of the Liverpool International Horse Show had to be cancelled as fire crews tackled the inferno and people were evacuated from the area. Witnesses described abandoning their vehicles and running for their lives as the fire broke out.

It was devastating watching the news coverage of the Grenfell fire disaster on 14^th June 2017 and to hear that so many have lost their lives in this devastating fire our deepest sympathies go to the victims and families of this tragedy. 

Before the scientific calculators and computers, we still produced hydraulic calculations for High Hazard sprinkler systems, but this was a long-winded and time-consuming process and prone to error.

We have just received our first full version of Microsoft Windows 10 which unlike some other Microsoft upgrades went seamlessly although you do have to allow over an hour for the full install.  We are pleased to say that our FHC (hydraulic calculation software) and Hcalc (hydraulic calculator) performs seamlessly on this new operating system.  We had previously tested our software on the Windows 10 technical preview before the launch date so we were confident that this would be the case but it's reassuring to have it successfully working on the production release.

Water mist systems are becoming increasingly more popular as an alternative to traditional fire sprinkler systems but like any new technology we need to carefully understand its benefits and limitations and this is also true when we look at hydraulic calculations for such systems.