Computer-aided system for layout of fire hydrants on boards designed vessel using the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm

The functional layout of fire safety equipment in technical spaces of ships is a time-consuming process. When designing a ship fire protection system, the designer must manually position each system component in such a way as to meet the requirements of regulations arising from the technical specification, various legal regulations of maritime conventions and classification societies of the vessel to be designed. Layout of fire hydrants assisted by a computer that is based on pre-defined criteria and various constraints could significantly support the designer in working easier and faster. This paper presents a prototype computer-aided design system that enables optimal placement of fire hydrants using the metaheuristic Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. This algorithm was used in Rhinoceros 3D software with its Grasshopper plugin for visualizing the arrangement of fire safety equipment. Various solution arrangements compared with the fire hydrant placement in real ships are illustrated by a case study. Demonstrating how design work can be facilitated and what potential benefits can be achieved are presented as well.