消防需求会对配水系统的规模产生重大影响。这些需求会在水系统上产生额外的局部应力，并可能导致不需要的低压区域。良好的工程设计实践表明，配电系统能够在所需的最小压力下输送所有消防流量。计算机网络模型的应用为计算这些流量并确定其对系统性能的影响提供了一种高效可靠的方法。当前的火流模型需要改变网络结构和相关的水力平衡方程，或者基于重复的试错过程。使用当前模型的结果是效率低下，成本更高。 本文描述了一个明确而严格的模型，该模型能够在广泛的网络负载和运行条件下直接进行精确的火灾流量计算。该方法由压力-流量平衡关系解析而成，以精确满足目标节点的最小压力要求。该方法以实际的配水系统为例进行了说明。结果表明，该方法鲁棒、高效，收敛速度快。此外，该方法简单易懂，可以在任何现有的水力网络分析模型中有效地实现。这些能力将极大地提高水工程师有效利用水力网络建模的能力，以确定水系统是否足以提供所需流量，并以最低成本确定必要的设施改进。 加强配电系统设计、规划和管理是该方法的主要优点。

Fire demands can have a significant impact on the size of a water distribution system. These demands create additional localized stress on the water system and may induce undesireable areas of low pressures. Sound engineering design practice dictates that the distribution system be capable of delivering all fire flows at the required minimum pressure. The application of computer network models provides an efficient and reliable approach for computing these flows and determining their impacts on system performance. Current fire flow models require changes in the network structure and associated hydraulic equilibrium equations or are based on a repetitive trial and error process. The result of using current models is inefficient performance at a greater cost. This paper describes an explicit and rigorous model that is able to directly perform accurate fire flow calculations under a wide range of network loading and operating conditions. The method is formulated analytically from pressure flow equilibrium relationship to exactly meet targeted minimum pressure requirements at the subject nodes. The proposed approach is illustrated using an actual water distribution system. The method is shown to be robust and efficient and converges in an expeditious manner. Also, the method is simple to understand and can be effectively implemented in any existing hydraulic network analysis model. Such capabilities will greatly enhance the ability of water engineers to effectively utilize hydraulic network modeling to determine the adequacy of the water system to deliver the required flows and to define necessary facility improvements at minimum cost. Enhancement of distribution system design, planning, and management is a principal benefit of the methodology.