Canberra Data Centres (CDC) in the Australian Capital Territory is renowned for its highly secure and connected large-scale data centers across Australia and New Zealand. When selecting a fire-suppression system to install across multiple zones, the company wanted a sustainable, cost-effective safety solution that would cause minimal disruption during installation.

Facility managers determined the Victaulic Vortex 1500 Hybrid Fire Suppression System would minimize potential damage to vital electronic equipment. “This system demonstrated the qualities needed for fire suppression in an information and communications technologies (ICT) environment,” said Peter Henson, Chief Technology Officer at CDC. “It meets the ‘value for money’ criterion we were looking for. The time from an incident to business as usual is significantly reduced compared to traditional fire suppression.”

Traditional single-agent water mist systems face challenges in equipment enclosures, often requiring electronics to be powered down before a discharge occurs to prevent injury to personnel and asset damage. The Victaulic Vortex utilizes proprietary supersonic atomization technology to create a dense homogeneous suspension of nitrogen and water with an average droplet size of 10 microns. The high-velocity delivery extinguishes fires quickly with little water residue, keeping electronics undamaged and avoiding toxic agents or chemicals. The technology also significantly reduces water usage — 97% less than high-pressure water mist systems. The Victaulic system is effective for both local application and total flooding scenarios.

The Victaulic Vortex facilitated installation and minimized disruption to ongoing data center operations thanks to its compatibility with open, naturally ventilated areas. Wormald Fire and Security did not need to seal spaces to maintain room integrity upon deployment and eliminated the need for annual fan testing at CDC. The data center keeps spare nitrogen bottles on site for quick system reactivation that can be recharged at a local industrial gas supplier, further promoting efficiency and sustainability.

The Victaulic Vortex also met CDC’s sustainability requirements. The system has a zero-greenhouse-gas footprint upon deployment and uses no toxic agents or chemicals.

CDC provides the Victaulic Vortex 1500 Hybrid Fire Suppression System as a base service to all its clients. The company’s partnership with Victaulic underscores its commitment to innovation, sustainability and uninterrupted data services.

Publications: Fire Australia Magazine