'Ultra-Powerful' Pump for Rapid Suppression of Ship Flooding and Fire Accidents

Coast Guard-Korea Institute of Industrial Technology Develop High-Performance Drainage Pump with Triple Discharge and 50% Increased Range

The coast guard is extinguishing a fire from a distance of 30 meters using a high-performance pump they developed. Photo by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] An ultra-powerful pump has been developed that can respond faster and more effectively when a ship is flooded or catches fire. It can pump out water more than three times faster and extinguish fires from 50% farther away.

On the 29th, the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology announced that it has jointly developed a "high-performance drainage pump" with the Korea Coast Guard that can respond quickly and effectively to ship flooding and fire accidents at sea. The drainage capacity and fire extinguishing water discharge distance have been dramatically improved, making it specialized for maritime rescue. Made of aluminum, this pump connects the rotational power of an engine on land or on a ship to the seawater suction device via a flexible cable, allowing seawater inside the ship to be discharged more quickly and with stronger pressure than before.

Although similar in size to existing products, the drainage capacity has improved about threefold from approximately 500 liters per minute to 1,500 liters per minute. The discharge distance has also increased by about 12 meters (50%), from approximately 25 meters to 37 meters, demonstrating excellent performance in both drainage and fire extinguishing water supply. Once commercialized, it is expected to be used not only for maritime rescue but also in various flood disaster sites caused by heavy rain and floods. The Coast Guard is reportedly planning to make this pump lighter for easier deployment on site.

The drainage pump is the most essential maritime rescue equipment used to quickly discharge seawater flooding into a ship or to connect to fire hoses to extinguish fires on vessels. It is mainly operated on government vessels such as those of the Coast Guard and Navy, as well as on private rescue ships, playing a crucial role in securing time for life-saving and preventing secondary accidents such as sinking or capsizing.

However, small Coast Guard vessels under 100 tons, which are responsible for initial response missions, currently use lightweight land pumps available on the market to secure mobility. These pumps have low drainage capacity and short fire extinguishing water discharge distances, resulting in significantly reduced efficiency.

To address these issues, the Coast Guard and the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology began joint development of a high-performance pump in October last year. In particular, Dr. Jin-hyuk Kim’s team at the institute provided customized design and optimization support for the seawater suction device and rotating components, which are core parts of the drainage pump, to meet the performance standards desired by the Coast Guard. Based on this, the Coast Guard produced prototypes using its own 3D printer and conducted multiple field tests, verifying the performance over about one year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.