Few pump rooms are ever lauded. It rests peacefully at the corner of the building, performing non-glamorous but important tasks such as maintaining a fire suppression system or pumping wastewater or providing water where gravity can’t reach it. The UAE has adopted precast concrete for the construction of these structures, and there’s a very good engineering reason for it. Let’s take a look at the actual manufacturing and installation of precast concrete pump rooms.
The Choices That a Precast Concrete Pump Rooms UAE Can Make
Whether the pumping systems are fire pumps, sewage pumps or water transfer systems, the pump room contains the pumping equipment, control panels, piping and switch gear which provide the power to keep the systems running. Seems easy, but there are a lot of requirements.
For fire pump rooms, NFPA 20 calls for a specific room designed for the specific purpose of the fire protection system, to be able to support static and dynamic loads of the pump, driver, controller and piping. It’s not a random storage shed, it’s a structure designed with a real engineering challenge behind each wall and slab!
Why Precast Concrete is the Perfect Solution for this Application
Precast concrete meets the requirements of the pump room: it is not only strong and watertight, it is also fire resistant and ready in record time. The mass and strength of precast panels create a robust enclosure that will last for the life of a building, an important consideration for pumps and control equipment that are required to perform reliably for many years.
Time is as important. A precast pump room structure is pre-made in a controlled factory environment, and arrives on site ready to be installed – saving a lot of construction time compared to block or in-situ construction. This is particularly beneficial in the UAE projects. Additionally, the UAE’s harsh summer climate does not affect precast quality; as the actual concrete pouring takes place in a factory, the heat is contained indoors. Construction timelines can be reduced up to 50 percent, compared to cast in place methods.
Start with the Design to Local and International Codes.Begin with Design to Local and International Codes
The design of the pump room must meet the requirements that are in effect for that kind of equipment before production. Fire pump rooms are designed to meet NFPA 20 criteria for location, fire rating, ventilation, drainage, electrical systems and maintenance access. In the UAE, manufacturers typically refer to the specifications and requirements of ADNOC AGES and requirements of the Abu Dhabi Municipality, as well as ISO 9001 quality management standards, for general precast structural production.
In addition, when located in a building, NFPA 20 mandates that the fire pump room be separated from the building by fire-rated construction so that the pump can continue to operate in the event of a fire elsewhere in the building. This fire rating requirement affects the specification of the concrete as well as the thickness of the wall in the initial design stages.
The Concrete Mix Design Procedure Is Outlined in the Following Steps:
Concrete for pump rooms that pump water, wastewater, or firefighting fluid requires more than just compressive strength. Most precast manufacturers in UAE are operating in the range of C30 to C60 grade, which are known for their uniform strength and dimensional tolerances, and also for their predictable performance in the long run.
Where sulphate-resistant cement was relatively new, and where it was not always possible to achieve the 20mm cover required, the industry followed its own practice for many pump structures, by specifying sulphate-resistant cement and higher cover, particularly to resist chemical attack over the life of the structure when they are exposed to corrosive liquids, sewage, effluent or aggressive groundwater. This mix design can be done first to prevent a problem years later that will be slow and costly to fix.
The Third Step Is Reinforcement and Structural Detailing
Pump rooms must withstand real static and dynamic loads, the weight of pumps and drivers, the weight of piping and the vibration generated by the system during operation. Reinforcement is not designed based on general structural requirements, but specifically based on these loads because if the foundations are improperly designed, the shafts may misalign, excessive vibration can occur, the bearings can wear out prematurely and the equipment itself can fail.
This is usually also detailed on the concrete housekeeping pads, which are usually cast as small raised concrete plinths, which isolate and stabilise pump equipment and give exact alignment for the pump equipment that will be placed on top of the pad.
Step 4: Mold Preparation and Casting
The pump room components, wall panels, base slabs and roof sections are cast in pre-cast forms that are specific to the dimensions of the project. At this stage, the coordination between the structural design and the mold setting is a big factor, as the structures generally require cast-in items such as pipe penetrations, drainage points and lifting inserts.
Precast concrete buildings can be designed to allow for easy removal and replacement of pumps, even with internal cranes, which helps minimize downtime and makes for better long-term serviceability. It’s much easier and structurally sound to include these aspects of maintenance within the casting, rather than add them on later.
Step 5: Curing
The units are cast and cured in a controlled factory environment to achieve the desired strength before they are sent from the factory. The amount of time and conditions needed to ensure the durability of the concrete that the mix design has guaranteed is directly dependent on the grades that are specified for pump room structures, especially those that carry corrosive liquids.
How to Ensure Quality and Certification (Step 6):
Genuine manufacturers test for strength, dimensional accuracy and watertightness before shipping. This generally applies to certification in accordance with ADNOC AGES requirements for industrial and civil projects, as well as ISO 9001:2015 quality management systems throughout manufacturing.
Specifically in fire pump rooms, this quality verification should not only consider the eventual fire-rating requirements the completed building will be subjected to, otherwise it may necessitate expensive rework even if the concrete itself is very good.
Prepare for and Deliver the Project to the Site
Step 7: Transport and Site Installation for Precast Concrete Pump Rooms UAE
Approved precast pump room parts are then transported to the site to be assembled. Units are delivered ready cured to design strength, and installation teams position and connect panels using cranes, cutting down construction time significantly from the time it would take to construct the structure with on site block work and cast-in-place concrete.
Fire pump rooms must be directly and safely accessible per NFPA 20 and each fire pump room should have a minimum of two accesses, one for personnel and a second to accommodate heavy equipment or engines being lowered into the room for installation or other reasons. The access needs must be designed from the beginning into the precast panel design as it is not easy to add a second access to an existing cast structure.
Ventilation, Drainage and Environmental Control
Completed pump rooms must have operational ventilation to ensure air flow around the fire pump equipment and the NFPA 20 prescribes that fire pump rooms be kept at a minimum temperature of 4°C, which influences the design of the mechanical ventilation system within the room, as well as the insulation of the structure.
Additionally, drainage within the room is important as pump rooms often have drainage point(s) at ground level that collect any leakage from the pump and then pump it out of the room automatically, usually to a small collection sump or to the surrounding drainage network, which is particularly important when the pump room floor elevation is lower than the surrounding drainage network.
Precast Pump Rooms are Used in These Locations:
Precast concrete pump rooms can be found in commercial and residential towers, wastewater and sewage pumping stations, water transfer facilities, and industrial plants which demand specific, code compliant pump room housing. In most developments in the UAE, precast has become the enclosure of choice for pumping equipment, wherever a durable and quickly and correctly rated enclosure is required.
A Precast Pump Room Manufacturer Will Be Able to Provide the Manufacturer with the Answers to the Following Questions:
Ensure they are applying to the codes that they have designed for, such as NFPA 20 for fire pump applications or the code from ADNOC AGES and Abu Dhabi Municipality for general industrial applications. If you’re interested in the concrete grade, reinforcement cover, and if sulphate resistant cement was used on the chambers for corrosive liquids. And ensure that they have designed for access, ventilation and drainage to accommodate the specific type of equipment you are installing, rather than adding it on later after the structure has been cast.
Bringing It Together Precast Concrete Pump Rooms UAE
Precast concrete pump room is one of the more significant tasks performed by the concrete pump on any construction site, and it’s done quietly, without making a lot of noise. Each stage from code-compliant design, corrosion resistant mix engineering, controlled casting, curing and fast site installation are there to provide a structure that will perform reliably for decades. That’s because, in a fast-paced market such as the UAE, speed and compliance are as important as anything else, making precast the preferred approach.
