Successful Fire Suppression Strategies For Computer Rooms, Server Racks, Computer Cabinets, Ups’S And Other Business-Critical Systems & Equipment

Computer rooms and data centers – large or small – have unique fire suppression needs and requirements. A variety of fire suppression strategies are available to the IT professional.

As businesses of all descriptions increase their dependence on computing equipment, it is expedient for IT managers to understand the various fire suppression technologies in the marketplace.

Here is a list of computing environments that may require auxiliary fire suppression systems:

Data Centers Computer Rooms Computer Closets Data Racks / Server Racks Computer Enclosures PLC Cabinets SCADA Cabinets DGP Panels UPS Enclosures Battery Storage Compartments Switchgear Motor Controllers and MCC’s Telecom Racks and Systems Telecom Rooms and Closets Air Conditioning Control Equipment Tape Storage Data Carousels Records Vaults / Data Vaults

Understand the Types of Fires that are Encountered

The National Fire Protection Association publishes a list of several different fire classifications. The three types of fires to be potentially found inside the modern data or computing center are:

Type A: Fires with combustible materials as its source, such as wood, cloth, paper, rubber, and many plastics

Type B: Fires in flammable liquids, oils, greases, tars, oil-base paints, lacquers, and flammable gases

Type C: Fires that involve electrical equipment

Choosing the Correct Fire Suppressant

Choose the correct type of fire suppressant for your computing or data room application. A fire suppressant that is capable of suppressing A class, B class and C class fires is preferable.

Many years ago, the use of a water-based fire sprinkler system was considered state-of-the-art for fire suppression design. A generation ago, with the advent of halon, the use of fire sprinkler systems began to be supplemented with fire fighting gaseous systems. Halon systems were controlled by electronic systems using smoke sensing technologies.

The use of halon was phased out by the United States EPA as the EPA began to look for fire fighting chemicals that were friendlier to the environment. Halon is in a class of chemicals that, among other things, depletes the ozone layer.

Many different halon replacements are available on the market, today. Some are more efficient than others. Some are friendlier to the environment than others. Some are friendlier for your high-tech computer equipment than others:

HFC’s and HCFC’s are efficient fire fighting chemicals and are available under a variety of different trade names. They do, however, have some environmental atmospheric consequences. Examples of trade names for these chemicals are HFC-227ea, FM-200™, Ecaro™ and FE-36. Inert Gases and blended gases require the use of high-pressure storage bottles and valves. These technologies require expensive hardware that requires a lot of computer environment space. Examples of trade names of equipment using these gases are Inergen™ and Argonite™. Fire protection fluids that do not harm the environment or sensitive electronic equipment are manufactured by 3M Worldwide. Novec™ 1230 has an extremely small environmental footprint and is a very efficient fire killer. It is known chemically as a fluorinated ketone. It is people-safe and environmentally friendly. Aerosol Generators are promoted for use by some vendors. They require very special handling and design. Further, most makers of this technology place a very specific length of service on this device. When activated, the generators spew an aerosolized cloud of potassium-based fire suppressant into the area being protected. Water Mist systems are good halon alternatives for certain types of A-class, B-class and C-class hazards. The mist does not deluge the protected compartment with water, and is therefore safe for equipment and people. Special Blends of fire suppressing agents are sometime preferable. Envirogel™  uses a specific blend of fire extinguishants, and is more efficient than halon on a pound-for-pound basis.





A note about halon

Removal of old halon systems is essential for the modern data environment. By phasing out its use, the U.S. EPA as codified the demise of this dirty fire suppressant. As well, all CFC’s should be removed from the business environment and disposed of appropriately. Replacement of your existing halon systems can be accomplished with minimal trouble and expense.

Choosing Your Hardware Design

The last thing that you want inside a computer room, data center or any computing environment is dirty sprinkler water.  (Water that has laid in those iron pipes for perhaps years). But, will the local fire chief allow for the removal of the sprinkler heads inside your computer closet or room? Never! Why not? There appear to be two reasons: 1) Authorities Having Jurisdiction (the local fire chief) look only into NFPA documents to determine the fire protection needs of various types of buildings, and rooms within buildings. If the NFPA does not allow for a specific action or a specific methodology, it is highly unlikely that an enforcement agent will allow deviations. 2) Most fire chiefs came up through the ranks of the local fire department … how many times did water save his or her life on the way up? Water is the primary choice for saving buildings and saving lives. Let's face it, protection of your computer gear is not nearly as important.

So, it is up to you, your engineering team, and your insurance company to select the proper technology for your computer room:

Full-room - Total Flooding - Engineered (watch-words of the industry) Clean Agent total flooding systems will include smoke sensing systems, large tanks of fire suppressants (either in gaseous or in fluid state) and large amounts of infrastructure like agent delivery pipes and electrical conduits for wires and circuits. The tanks of agent will need space inside the room, or near the room in an adjacent area. These systems will require days or weeks for installation and will cost many thousands of dollars. Novec™ 1230, HFC-227ea, FM-200™, Ecaro™ and FE-36 are the agents used in this design. Door-fan tests, in which the room integrity is checked prior to the completion of the project, will be required. Advantages: insurance regulations may require a full-room system, despite their costs. Receipt of competitive bids is essential. Systems using inerting agents, like Inergen or Argonite will require large footprints of space for their agent storage containers and bottles. Smoke sensing systems will be installed. Once more, door-fan tests to check the integrity of the room will be required. Advantages: cost of refills of the gaseous agents  should you ever have a discharge, is normally fairly low. Disadvantages, hardware and installation costs are extremely high.

In-Cabinet – Local Application – Pre-engineered (watch-words of the industry) Some makers of hardware will allow for system designs that simply flood the interior of the server racks and cabinets. This terminology is referred to as in-cabinet or in-rack fire suppression. The small footprint of space required for these down-sized systems is normally a big consideration for the IT director. The design of these systems allows for a plastic detection tube to be routed through the hazard. When the tube senses a sufficient amount of heat, it pops, allowing the fire suppressing agent to discharge in the area of greatest heat. Advantages: flexible tubing is easily routed alongside cables and near power sources where the possibility of fire is greatest. Protected areas are smaller than the entire room. Costs reflect the smaller footprint of the hardware. No consumption of floor space is required of this design. Local Application – some makers of hardware declare their systems to be capable of "streaming" the fire suppressing agent into the hazard area. This is sometimes referred to as local application. Advantages: a decreased footprint of coverage leads toward vastly decreased costs. No floor space is required of this design. Thermatic Dome Systems – in small telecom closets or computer rooms, a ceiling mounted thermatically operated tank of fire suppressant is a good design. Systems using a thermatic dome approach can allow for the interconnection of multiple tanks for the simultaneous release of all tanks. Advantages: due to the fact that there is little electrical work, and no agent delivery piping, costs are decreased. The thermatic domes do not take up floor space. UPS’s, Electrical Supply, Battery Storage - Pre-engineered Spot Protection Cartridge-style pre-engineered systems are becoming more accepted for a variety of hazards. These pre-engineered units are renowned for their simplicity and low cost. They feature snap-in technology that allows for user / owner installations. A pressure switch installed in the end of the cartridge (or tube) allows for connection of the unit to a shutdown sequence or alarm monitoring system. Slim design and elegant architecture allow for insertion of the tube inside very small spaces. Back-up Power Generators and Gensets Water mist systems are used for the protection of power sources for the computer lab or data center. Water mist is the ultimate environmentally friendly technology and offers superior fire kill for gensets and auxiliary power sources. Designs are either engineered high-pressure or low-pressure. The technology has been around for more than 20 years.

Summary

Correctly choosing a specific fire suppressing technology for data environments is made easier if you are well-educated as to your options.

Choose the correct hardware and fire suppressing agent based on your needs and your budget.

Relatively inexpensive alternatives to wet pipe sprinkler systems, halon systems or systems requiring large amounts of hard-fought space are available in today’s business environment.

More information is available at www.tilley-associates.com.  Clickable links are available there for the various manufacturers.  Brochures can be requested.  Budget quotes can be requested.

Jeff Tilley

850-508-9465

jefftilley@tilley-associates.com

© 2009 Tilley and Associates



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