Data centers are the places where important information is stored and protected, and they must operate uninterruptedly. Fire danger poses a serious threat for the data centers having a great number of cables. A fire in a data center would result in serious loss of data and significant financial damage due to the interruption of business. For this reason, it is required to make as sensitive and early detection as possible against possible fires in these areas. The most suitable solution that can be used for this purpose is high sensitivity aspirating smoke detection. Active aspirating smoke detectors operate in integration with the addressable fire alarm system and automatic extinguishing systems, ensuring the most efficient protection of the data center against fire.
It would be appropriate to perform detection in the highest sensitivity Class A among the sensitivity Class A, B and C defined in the EN 54-20 standard related to the high sensitivity aspirating smoke detection systems in data centers. Class-A detection effectively protects the data center against fire by detecting invisible smoke at the earliest stage.
In the system room, where the server cabinets are located inside the data center; the points where smoke should be detected first according to the air movement in the normal operating condition should be identified, and the primary detection should be done there. For example, primary detection should be done with active aspirating smoke detectors in the air intake vents of air conditioners. According to the relevant standard article, there should be sampling points on the air inlet surface of the intake vent, each of which should not exceed 0.4 m² of the area being protected. In the cases where the ventilation system does not even operate partly, secondary detection should be done on the ceiling level where smoke is likely to go. Similarly, secondary detection should be done below the raised floor and suspended ceiling where smoke is likely to be present. As the air circulation speeds in data centers are very high, high sensitivity aspirating smoke detection systems to be placed inside the cabinets additionally will ensure that the smoke is detected much earlier.
Different alarm levels such as pre-alarm, 1st alarm, 2nd alarm etc. and relevant warning scenarios can be defined depending upon the smoke density in the sampled air. For example, in case of a pre-alarm, audible warning devices in the area are activated, and information is displayed on the operator screen of the fire alarm system. The purpose here is to extinguish the fire at an early stage with local intervention and to prevent unnecessary discharge of the automatic extinguishing system.
