Which device is used to measure velocity pressure in fire protection hydraulics?

• A. Anemometer
• B. Barometer
• C. Pitot tube
• D. Manometer

Answer: (C)

Velocity pressure is the dynamic part of the pressure produced by flowing fluid, and a Pitot tube is designed to measure it directly. It does this with a forward-facing stagnation port that collects total pressure and a separate port that reads the static pressure. The difference between those two readings is the velocity pressure, which can then be used to determine flow in the fire protection system.

Anemometers are for measuring air speed, not liquid flow in pipes. Barometers measure atmospheric pressure, not pressures inside a moving water stream. Manometers measure pressure differences, typically static or differential, but they don’t directly capture the dynamic (velocity) pressure of flow in hydraulics.