[AusNOG] [AUSNog] : Re Data Centre Fire Suppression Safety
Mark Newton
newton at atdot.dotat.org
Fri Dec 14 11:41:53 EST 2018
Halon was banned at the same time as CFCs in aerosols and refrigerants
because it's an Ozone depleting gas. There should not be any Halon
datacentres anywhere in Australia. Probably not anywhere in the world, tbqh.
Aviation is an exempt use, which is why you saw it on your C-17. You can
buy fixed or portable halon systems intended for deployment in aircraft
even today (for example:
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/h3rhalon.php?clickkey=11303
-- one of the few few ways you can acquire ozone depleting gasses as a
retail customer in 2018!)
CO2 is a hazardous gas, and should be pretty rare for fire suppression.
Possible that there are still some small and/or ancient systems out
there, but risk assessment under OHS&W legislation ought to have seen
them all replaced by now.
Datacentres in Australia will be using FM-200 or Inergen. FM-200 can be
stored in compressed gas or liquid; obviously liquid means the storage
takes up significantly less volume. FM-200 has fallen out of favor
during the last five years because it's a greenhouse gas, which makes me
regret not having a crystal ball when I was putting it in datacentres
ten years ago :-)
Both of them are engineered solutions which take the room volume into
account. The goal is to add enough gas to the room to drop the oxygen
content from 19% to something in the 15%-17% range, which is low enough
to extinguish most fire but high enough to sustain human life. If you're
in the room when it goes off you'll end up uncomfortably short of breath
(and probably very cold!), but you shouldn't suffocate if the system has
been designed properly.
A complete system will generally also include a pre-action dry pipe
deluge sprinkler system which can trigger if the gas fails to extinguish
the fire.
... and a good insurance policy. If any of these systems go off, might
end up with system loss and/or data loss. Hard disks don't like rapid
pressure changes or large quantities of water, so all bets are off once
the VESDA trips out.
- mark
On 12/13/2018 01:13 PM, Nathan Sullivan wrote:
> I remember walking onboard a C-17 Globemaster a year or two ago at
> Amberley, still had Halon installed with proper masks sitting next to
> the buttons. Probably one of those "exempt" / "critical" use cases I'm
> sure being military...
>
> On Thu, Dec 13, 2018 at 12:10 PM Adam Gibson
> <a.gibson at springfieldcitygroup.com
> <mailto:a.gibson at springfieldcitygroup.com>> wrote:
>
> FM200 is still used in a few DC’s in Sydney and Brisbane to my
> knowledge. But is costly to replace due to environmental charges.
>
> In Polaris we check all our bottles in accordance to the fire
> program (which was approved upon completion with the fire code of
> that time) which is every year, bottles are check and every month,
> fire tech comes out to inspect gauges release valves and all
> control boards. All bottles are to be replaced every 10 years of
> less and Co2 bottles to replaced every 3 years.
>
> In my opinion, fire is something that is neglected a lot in DC’s.
>
> AG
>
> Adam Gibson
>
> *Head of Data Centres*
>
> Springfield City Group
>
> t: +61 7 3819 9999
>
> f: +61 7 3819 9900
>
> m: +61 4 00 807 822
>
> e:mailto:a.gibson at springfieldcitygroup.com
>
> *From:*AusNOG <ausnog-bounces at lists.ausnog.net
> <mailto:ausnog-bounces at lists.ausnog.net>> *On Behalf Of *Bruce Forster
> *Sent:* Thursday, 13 December 2018 10:36 AM
> *To:* chris.ford at inaboxgroup.com.au
> <mailto:chris.ford at inaboxgroup.com.au>
> *Cc:* ausnog at lists.ausnog.net <mailto:ausnog at lists.ausnog.net>
> *Subject:* Re: [AusNOG] [AUSNog] : Re Data Centre Fire Suppression
> Safety
>
> Pretty sure halon is banned, but fm200 is the gas used these days?
>
> https://www.safelife.az/en/index.php/services/firefighting-by-gas.html
>
> Firstly, the most important advantage of the use of chemical gas -
> it is safe for people and electronic equipment. During fire
> fighting gas is used in a concentration not to be harmful to human
> health and life. When using the FM200 gas concentration of oxygen
> in the room is reduced by 3%. Along with the fact that such a
> composition of the air is not sufficient to continue the fire, it
> allows people who are there to breathe.
>
> On Thu, Dec 13, 2018 at 10:01 AM Chris Ford
> <chris.ford at inaboxgroup.com.au
> <mailto:chris.ford at inaboxgroup.com.au>> wrote:
>
> As a university cadet working for IBM in the late 80s I
> remember getting inducted into the Westpac data centres and
> getting a long explanation of what to do when the halon system
> went off – where the breathing gear was, where the exits were,
> to basically just drop everything and run.
>
> Have been inducted into a few DCs in the last 3 years and
> can’t remember that being part of the induction at all –
> although given I already knew it I may have just glossed over
> that part.
>
> --
>
> Chris Ford
>
> Chief Technology Officer
>
> *INABOX GROUP*
>
> *m***0401 988 844 *e***chris.ford at inaboxgroup.com.au
> <mailto:chris.ford at inaboxgroup.com.au>
>
> *t***02 8275 6871 *w***www.inaboxgroup.com.au
> <http://www.inaboxgroup.com.au>
>
> *From:*AusNOG <ausnog-bounces at lists.ausnog.net
> <mailto:ausnog-bounces at lists.ausnog.net>> *On Behalf Of *Paul
> Wilkins
> *Sent:* Thursday, 13 December 2018 10:53 AM
> *To:* AusNOG at lists.ausnog.net <mailto:AusNOG at lists.ausnog.net>
> *Subject:* [AusNOG] [AUSNog] : Re Data Centre Fire Suppression
> Safety
>
> Every data centre has a fire suppression system. We're not
> used to thinking of this as a hazardous environment, but
> consequent to two techs being found dead working on a fire
> suppression system in Antarctica
> <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/12/antarctica-two-technicians-dead-mcmurdo-station-ross-island>,
> I find myself wondering yet again, why there aren't more
> stringent controls around the fire suppression systems in data
> centres: viz - when you enter a data centre, how confident can
> you be you're not going to be quietly asphyxiated?
>
> Kind regards
>
> Paul Wilkins
>
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>
> --
>
> Regards,
>
> Bruce
>
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