F-1031, Section 2119
Page 8 of 24
Compressed Air Foam Operations
The Eclipse
ES CAFS design provides a minimum air
flow of 80-90 SCFM @ 125 PSI whether the pump oper-
ates from draft, tank or hydrant. At a typical engine idle
speed (600-700 RPM) and a pump transmission ratio of
2.27, the air compressor is capable of delivering 80-90
SCFM of 125 PSI air.
CAUTION
Operating Speed Limit.
May cause damage to the pump and/or air compressor.
The Eclipse ES compressor has a maximum operat-
ing speed of 8950 RPM. Do not allow the compressor
to run beyond 8950 RPM.
Compressor speed can be calculated by
(Engine
Speed) x (Pump Transmission Ratio) x 2.5 .
CAUTION
Compressor Starting Hazard.
Starting compressor under pressure may cause
damage to the clutch and/or kill the engine.
Allow ample time for the compressor to bleed down
before engaging the compressor.
“Slug Flow” Hazard.
May cause personally injury to the hose operator.
Foam concentrate must be present before the pres-
ence of compressed air to prevent the condition
known as “slug flow.” If foam concentrate is not pre-
sent, unmixed water and air will be discharged
through the nozzle in an erratic matter.
To begin compressed air foam operations, follow the in-
structions above for Foam Solution Operations.
NOTE: Discharge pressure for compressed air foam
operations typically range between 80 and 120 PSI in
a flow state. Set the water discharge pressure at the
desired level.
NOTE: Compressed air foam does not have the hy-
draulic characteristics of plain water or foam solution;
therefore, standard pump hydraulics practices do not
apply to CAFS operations.
Nozzle Reaction Force Hazard.
May cause personally injury to the hose operator.
Nozzle reaction force is significantly increased at the
time the nozzle is opened in compressed air foam op-
eration. Open CAFS nozzles slowly.
After the pump and foam proportioner are operating, per-
form the following:
1.
Place the Auto Sync control in the “UNLOAD” po-
sition and check master air pressure gauge reads
“0” PSI.
2. Engage the air compressor by moving the com-
pressor
switch to the “ON” position.
3.
Move the Auto Sync control to the “AUTO” posi-
tion. The air pressure should rise to within plus or
minus 5% of the water discharge pressure. The
Auto Sync system will balance the air and water
pressures plus or minus 5% throughout a range
of 40 PSI and up to 150 PSI .
4. Set proportioner at 0.2% - 0.4% for normal Class
A combustibles. Proportioning rates are dictated
by the type and brand of foam concentrate used
and the tactical objective.
5. Open desired discharge valve(s) to a half-open
position. The foam expansion ratio is set by con-
trolling the amount of foam solution entering the
discharge stream. High solution flows (discharge
valve fully open) restrict the amount of air admit-
ted and result in lower expansion or “wet” foam.
To pr
oduce higher expansion or “drier” foam,
simply reduce the amount of solution admitted by
gating back the discharge valve.
6. Open the air valve(s) to the desired discharge(s).
Adjust the solution flow (discharge valve setting)
to produce the desired foam consistency.
Compressed Air Only
For compressed air only operation, the fire pump must be
equipped with a discharge bypass system designed to re-
circulate booster tank water through the fire pump for
cooling. The bypass system must be in operation before
running compressed air only.
Air compressor cooling is via water from the booster tank
that is circulated by the fire pump through the compressor
cooler and returned back to the pump inlet. Compressed
air only operation time is limited by the amount of availa-
ble cooling water. The water in the booster tank will even-
tually become heat saturated and ineffective at cooling the
air compressor.
CAUTION
Overheating Hazard.
May cause damage to the pump and/or compressor.
Pump water may overheat when using the Eclipse
as an air compressor for an extended period of time.
Limit the amount of time the Eclipse
ES is used as
an air compressor to prevent damage to the pump or
air compressor. Monitor the compressor temperature
gauge closely. Compressor system overheat is also
indicated by the panel mounted warning light system.
NOTE: Extended compressed air only operations ne-
cessitate connection of an external water source to
the pump inlet and closing of the tank to pump valve
for proper compressor cooling.
WARNING
!
WARNING
!
