Insights from Graeme Leonard, EMEA Division Manager
Posted on September 2nd, 2024
One of the fastest growing markets for fire protection systems is the data centre industry, where ease of installation, consistency of design, reliability and flexibility are all highly prized, says Graeme Leonard, EMEA Division Manager – Fire Protection at Victaulic.
The data centre industry is growing at an exponential rate, tripling every decade. In 2020 the global market was worth $187 billion, and by 2030 it is expected to be worth $517 billion1. Today there are more than 8,000 data centres worldwide, each with an average floorspace of 100,000 m22. It’s a colossal business that continues to grow aggressively year-on-year – a multi-billion-dollar industry where the stakes are high.
Data centres are critical for the global economy and, understandably, fire protection is a vital part of their design. Evidenced by the use of Victaulic solutions in the segment already, our systems are now protecting over 1,300 exabytes of data. If you’re asking yourself what an ‘exabyte’ is, then you’re probably not alone – the term has only existed for a couple of years (again, another reflection of the rapid growth in the data market). For the record, one exabyte is equivalent to one billion gigabytes (GB) or 500 trillion sheets of printed paper!
Standardised design, future-proofed fire protection
Fires in data centres are rare, yet the consequences are huge. Any functional down time or loss of data costs businesses and organisations is met significantly, both monetarily and operationally. Because of this, fire protection within data centres demands a unique set of design requirements as the facilities are packed with technology. Technology such as densely populated rows and racks of temperature-controlled equipment alternating between hot and cold aisles alongside complex cooling systems that maintain temperatures.
Designing a fire protection system for a data centre should meet a number of protection imperatives. It should provide effective defence against property loss and, most importantly, it must provide life safety to those on site. Limiting down time, caused by potential water damage, is also essential. This is why leaks from the system and pipework, caused by accidents or system wear, also have to be minimised.
In addition to first-class protection, data centre owners are looking for standardisation. Owners are often global technology giants who operate across multiple markets and look for consistency everywhere. This affords them economies of scale and ultimate quality control. They are also looking for adaptability so that the architecture within a data centre can change as demand grows. And, finally, customers want to know they’re getting value for money, and that means the lowest possible total cost of ownership (TCO).
Reliable fire protection for mission critical data centres
When beginning a data centre’s fire protection design there are best practice solutions to consider. Firstly, ensuring there is a preaction system in place. From Victaulic, this will typically be a double interlock set-up, with cross-zoned detection, with an option for auto convert to back up power in case the central power supply is unavailable. Dry pendent drops are another sensible inclusion.
In data centres there can also be the option to use a hybrid fire suppression system, such as the Victaulic VortexTM system, to protect the mission-critical infrastructure. The FM-approved, hybrid nitrogen and water fire suppression system, Victaulic Vortex, rapidly extinguishes fires without using toxic chemicals and no need for room integrity. The nitrogen dilutes oxygen and is used to atomize the water into small (10 micron) droplets. The atomized water droplets provide a large available surface area for heat absorption and are easily converted to steam to provide cooling and oxygen dilution. The small water droplet size allows them to stay in suspension longer, minimizing the amount of water that settles on equipment and surfaces, while still providing sufficient cooling to prevent re-ignition.
Flexible solutions to meet evolving needs
As mentioned earlier, flexibility is another key consideration but it’s harder to deliver. Data centres are typically designed for a lifespan of 30 years, but usage levels are usually planned for five-year periods due to unpredictable growth. This makes it difficult to design a complete system at the outset. We know air flow containment and racks will change over time; we just don’t know what the future requirements will be. Given this, how do you design a system that can keep up with the change?
One solution from Victaulic is the VicFlexTM Series VS1 UL Listed and FM Approved Flexible Dry Pendent sprinkler. Its design enables easier relocation of the sprinkler as technology and building configurations change. The system offers lengths of 38”, 50” or 58”, each able to accommodate four 90˚ bends for maximum versatility.
Traditionally, fire protection systems use dry pendants and threaded pipe drops to protect data centre hazards to minimize potential accidental exposure to water. As usual, the threaded pipe drops require custom lengths based on precise measurements to perfectly fit the dimensions of a space. Multiple trips to a job site are then required for measurements, ordering, and installation. The architecture of a data centre changes regularly – server racks or row may be reconfigured or added.
Our VicFlex Series VS1 Flexible Dry Sprinkler offers the flexibility and scalability that is needed within a data centre. The unique braided hose of the VicFlex Series VS1 Sprinkler is up to 10 times faster to install than alternative threaded black pipe arm overs. The objective of keeping water as far away from the servers is met and the flexible nature of the solution ensures that, as the architecture of the room changes, the fire protection system can be easily adapted and with its choice of standard lengths there’s no messy cutting required on site.
What’s to come in data centre fire protection?
Having standardised and easy-to-install systems is a real advantage for data centres and helps owners establish the consistency they seek in their global operations. And with ‘plug and play’ solutions there’s not only design consistency but also reliability in installation to make it easier to accommodate preferred designs at multiple locations.
Flexibility is key with data centres and in the future it will become even more so. The industry continues to grow rapidly and advances such as edge data centres and localized IoT (internet of things) networks, as well as the increased popularity of AI solutions, will only require greater flexibility. In tomorrow’s world, our data will be one of our most precious commodities and it’s exciting to think that Victaulic solutions have a critical role to play in protecting it.
