Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Firefighter Nozzle Reaction

  • Published:
Fire Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Nozzle reaction and hose tension are analyzed using conservation of fluid momentum and assuming steady, inviscid flow and a flexible hose in frictionless contact with the ground. An expression that is independent of the bend angle is derived for the hose tension. If this tension is exceeded owing to anchor forces, the hose becomes straight. The nozzle reaction is found to equal the jet momentum flow rate, and it does not change when an elbow connects the hose to the nozzle. A forward force must be exerted by a firefighter or another anchor that matches the forward force that the jet would exert on a perpendicular wall. Three reaction expressions are derived, allowing it to be determined in terms of hose diameter, jet diameter, flow rate, and static pressure upstream of the nozzle. The nozzle reaction predictions used by the fire service are 56% to 90% of those obtained here for typical firefighting hand lines. Sharing these findings with the fire protection community can improve the safety of firefighters.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. [1] Purington RG (1974) Fire fighting hydraulics. McGraw-Hill, New York, p 368

    Google Scholar 

  2. [2] Fornell DP (1991) Fire stream management handbook. PenWell, Saddle Brook, p 223

    Google Scholar 

  3. [3] Wieder MA (2005) Fire service hydraulics and water supply. Fire Protection Publications, Stillwater, p 248

    Google Scholar 

  4. Wieder MA (2008) Fire streams. In: Cote AE, Fire protection handbook. NFPA, Quincy, pp 13–23

    Google Scholar 

  5. [5] Karter MJ (2013) Patterns of firefighter fireground injuries. NFPA, Quincy

    Google Scholar 

  6. Rulseh TJ (2011) A fatality involving a waterjet nozzle provides a lesson in safety diligence when cleaning sewers. Cleaner Magazine, Nov, p 22

  7. [7] Mach E (1919) The science of mechanics: a critical and historical account of its development. Open Court, Chicago, p 299

    Google Scholar 

  8. [8] Oertel H (2010) Prandtl—essentials of fluid mechanics. Springer, New York, p 93

    Google Scholar 

  9. Feynman RP (1985) Surely you’re joking. Norton, New York, pp 63–65

    Google Scholar 

  10. [10] Fay JM (1994) Introduction to fluid mechanics. MIT Press, Cambridge, p 194

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  11. [11] Lautrup B (2011) Physics of continuous matter. CRC, Boca Raton, pp 357–358

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  12. [12] Theobald JJ (1946) Hydraulics for firemen, with problems and solutions. Barnes, New York, p 31

    Google Scholar 

  13. [13] Crapo WF (2017) Fire protection hydraulics and water supply. Jones and Bartlett, Burlington, p 151

    Google Scholar 

  14. [14] Nazarenko S (2015) Fluid dynamics via examples and solutions. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 20–35

    Google Scholar 

  15. [15] Vera F, Rivera R, Núñez C (2015) Letter to editor: backward reaction force on a fire hose, myth or reality? Fire Technol 51:1023–1027

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Krishnakumar CK, Atallah S, Borows KA (1991) Development of a flow modifier for reducing the reaction force of firefighting nozzles. US Air Force Report ESL-TR-91-301

  17. Alexandrou AN (2001) Principles of fluid mechanics. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, p 126

    Google Scholar 

  18. [18] Shames IH (2003) Mechanics of fluids. McGraw-Hill, New York, p 195

    Google Scholar 

  19. [19] Crowe CT, Elger DF, Roberson JA (2005) Engineering Fluid Mechanics. Wiley, Hoboken, p 194

    Google Scholar 

  20. [20] Graebel WP (2001) Engineering fluid mechanics. Taylor and Francis, New York, p 155

    Google Scholar 

  21. [21] White FM (2016) Fluid mechanics. McGraw-Hill, New York, p 171

    Google Scholar 

  22. [22] Warren JW (1975) Forces on a hose. Phys Educ 10:327–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. [23] Albertson ML, Barton JR, Simons DB (1960) Fluid mechanics for engineers. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, p 114

    Google Scholar 

  24. AWG Fittings GmbH (2016) Fire and rescue catalog. http://www.awg-fittings.com/fileadmin/catalogue/AWG/#12. Accessed 24 Jan 2017

  25. POK (2016) Firefighting equipment catalog. http://www.pok.fr/en/catalogues. Accessed 24 Jan 2017

  26. Fang J (2011) Effect of nozzle design on reaction thrust and spray dynamics. M.S. Thesis, University of California, Davis

  27. [27] NFPA 1410 (2015) Standard on training for initial emergency scene operations. NFPA, Quincy

    Google Scholar 

  28. Sicking L (2002) How to calculate nozzle reaction. United States Forest Service. http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/pubs/html/02511318/02511318.htm. Accessed 24 Jan 2017

  29. Nelson ME (2003) Vindicator nozzle and hose evaluation report. Montgomery County Maryland Fire and Rescue Service. http://www.1ststriketech.com/Testimonies/MontgomeryCountyReport.pdf. Accessed 24 Jan 2017

  30. [30] Vestal JN, Bridge EA (2010) A quantitative approach to selecting nozzle flow rate and stream, part 1. Fire Eng 163:10

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Helpful discussions with W. Fletcher, H. Fowler, K. Isman, and E. Sluder, of UMD, are appreciated. S.K. Chin acknowledges support from the UMD RISE program.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fire Protection Engineering, University of Maryland, 3104 J.M. Patterson Building, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Selena K. Chin & Peter B. Sunderland

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark

    Grunde Jomaas

  3. BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Grunde Jomaas

Authors
  1. Selena K. Chin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Grunde Jomaas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Peter B. Sunderland
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter B. Sunderland.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chin, S.K., Jomaas, G. & Sunderland, P.B. Firefighter Nozzle Reaction. Fire Technol 53, 1907–1917 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-017-0661-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-017-0661-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation