Introduction to fluid technology

This article deals with the control and distribution of fluids in housing and other complementary establishments such as schools, hospitals, shops and administrations. It does not cover all industries or related sectors, which have constraints specific to their activities.

For many years now, plumbing has no longer been the art of working with lead. New techniques and evolving health regulations have imposed different practices. It now refers to the technology of fluids applied to the home, and extended to heating and even sanitary equipment. Scientific knowledge of the materials used, of the regulatory environment, and of computerized calculation tools has become indispensable in the practice of plumbing. In the space of just a few decades, the trade has evolved considerably, and the proportion of manual work has diminished significantly.

Fluid technology services are usually divided into three sectors, each with its own speciality: production (extraction, capture, storage), treatment (fluid quality improvement, water potability, degreasing, sand removal) and piping (water or gas supply, discharge, distribution equipment). Head losses, networks, conveyance, kinematic viscosity, connections, reduction or collectors are just some of the terms and concepts required for this approach, and are listed in a comprehensive glossary at the end of the article. The latter also presents the physical quantities and calculations associated with them.

We would like to point out that the management, distribution and use of fluids are highly regulated and therefore relatively complex, so the regulations will be more fully specified and detailed in the following articles on domestic hot water.