Datacenter continuously supports and stores your business data, as well as all business activities. Any outage in a datacenter could cause a massive loss for your business. A data center contains an increasing number of diverse electronic components, server racks, and excessive power sources, assuring protection for these sensitive assets is a challenge for the data center owners.

The risk of fire occurrence in the datacenter is less, but if it occurs, significant damage can lead to a business destructive. That's why all the fire protection systems should be installed from the beginning of datacenter establishment. 

High-Risk Areas of Datacenter 

Data Centers facilitate business 24 hours, power supplies are always on, a significant amount of power continually transfers and generates heat, and each time it increases the chance of fire.

The risk of fire in the data center can be categorized into three sections: building level, room level, and rack level. Datacenter server rack as well as the entire room is the most sensitive part of the datacenter, that equipped with redundant power supplies, servers, routers, switches, wires, cables or other IT equipment, cable management system (raised floors/suspended ceilings), HVAC equipment/other environmental control equipment, and much more digital, electronic or network equipment.

Besides, in the overall building, there is diverse combustible material (paper, plastic or rubber), also electrical equipment from where fire can occur. Along with wrong aisle containment (cooling strategies for server equipment) may increase the risk of fire and inhibit fire detection and suppression at the time of fire incident.

Most of the recent data center fire outages have occurred in the computer server or electrical control panel from short circuits/power infrastructure overheating incidents. So, proper reduction of heat along with the appropriate design of the data center aisle is vital for reducing the risk of fire.

EMACO Fire Protection Solutions

The Datacenter Fire protection system should be electrically non-conductive with rapid detection and discharge facilities. Also, have a neat extinguishment feature with the ability to extinguish fires in complex geometries.

We are specifying fire protection as per the risk level of the datacenter that results in an efficient solution for the datacenter.

Fire Protection for the Entire Room

 NFPA 75 Standard for the Fire Protection of Information Technology Equipment suggests a Fire sprinkler system (wet pipe or preaction system) for fire protection in the data center room. A fire sprinkler is a cost-effective solution, but water can construct damage to the server components, that’s why clean agent (gas) systems are preferable for the datacenters' server and control rooms. The sprinkler system can be installed in other areas of the data center that have no sensitive assets to preserve but have other combustible commodities.

Clean Agent Protection System

The clean agent system is a waterless environment-friendly clean extinguishment system. And, deployed immediately within 10 seconds without leaving residue or water.

It is a piping network system, where the pipes connect the gas cylinders with the discharge nozzles, actuated through smoke or heat detection, and discharge gas from the nozzles. Then gas disperses proportionality throughout the room with required concentration to extinguish the fire.

EMACO provides NFPA standard Novec 1230, FM-200, and Inergen gas as clean agent system chemicals that have minimal ozone depletion potential as well as environmentally friendly. FM 200 extinguishes fire by absorbing heat in addition to Novec 1230, and Inergen mitigates fire by displacing oxygen concentration levels. Among these three, Inergen gas discharge time is around 60 seconds that is comparatively long. As per client requirements and priorities, these agents are selected for applications.

Water Mist System

Presently, fire expertise recommends water mist system for data center fire protection. The water mist system is also nonconductive; that means no chance of water damage, non-toxic as no usage of chemical agents, 10x times more effective than a conventional fire sprinkler system, no chance of smoke-related damage.

Fire Protection For Rack Equipment

Rack equipment fire protection is precise fire safety for sensitive equipment. Most valuable digital, electronic, and network equipment equipped in the rack are 24 hours active, and continually generating heat, they should be protected first. By preserving this portion at an early stage, you can save your entire investment from any devastating fire accident.

Direct release pre-engineered systems are the best solution for electrical panels and server rack components. In this automatically detecting and protecting system, a pneumatic detection tube is installed throughout the hazard area, when smoke or heat of the hazard area rises and comes to contact with the detection tube.

The tube will burst at that contact point. This bursting incident changes the entire system pressure and notify the system to discharge fire suppression agents. Dry chemical and clean agents are used in the detection tubing system that is harmless for electrical components.

What is the Best Solution?

However, a clean agent system requires ample space for its cylinders and is comparatively costly compared to sprinkler systems. Still, it is safer for the server rooms because of its fast actuating response along with a waterless clean extinguishment feature.

If we compare the clean agent and water mist system, both are very fast in response and water damage free system, clean extinguishing processes. Nevertheless, the installation cost of the water mist system is high compared to the clean agent system, but no gas refilling hassle and no further installment after the first installment. For large application space, the water mist system is cost-friendly. Besides for medium application areas, gas suppression is more budget-friendly.