What Is the Digital World in The Real World?

AI and digital platforms in the real world take the form of vast warehouses, surrounded by cooling systems such as refrigeration and air conditioning fans. Inside are hundreds of server cabinets housing powerful computers that process and store vast amounts of data. These buildings are known as data centres.

Data centres are essential for AI, providing the immense computing power required to train and deploy machine learning models. AI algorithms process vast datasets using high-performance hardware like GPUs, which data centres house within powerful server infrastructures.

Beyond AI, data centres are also the backbone of cloud computing, enabling users to access storage and processing power remotely. Major providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud depend on these facilities to deliver scalable, on-demand services. This infrastructure allows businesses to develop and deploy AI and cloud applications without investing in costly in-house hardware.

Preventative Methods for Data Centres

Now we understand the critical role data centres play in keeping industries operational it highlights the importance of their safety. To ensure continuous functionality, they require the highest level of protection. Not just against cyber threats, but also physical risks. This includes advanced fire detection and suppression systems, as well as safeguarding against other potential disruptions that could impact operations. Implementing robust protective measures in fire detection and protection is essential to maintaining the reliability and operations of these vital facilities.

Detect Fires at The Earliest Possible Stage – Data centres house critical information and equipment, with data servers composed of hundreds of thousands of computer components of which could be susceptible to overheating. Without proper monitoring, this can lead to fires, posing a severe risk not only to the data centre itself but also to the industries it supports.

For this reason, early fire detection is crucial to preventing damage and downtime. One solution to provide this is the Protec Cirrus CCD Aspirating ‘Fire’ Detector, which excels in this environment with its exceptional sensitivity, making it a prime example of Very Early Warning Fire Detection (VEWFD).

Unlike traditional detectors, the Cirrus CCD can identify invisible combustion particles before visible smoke appears (a stage known as the true incipient stage), ensuring the very earliest warning of fire. It does this by using Cloud Chamber technology. This method can detect combustion particles that are far smaller than smoke particles and undetectable by any optical point detector, or optical aspirating detection methods. Further, the ability to set the detector to very high sensitivity does not mean unwanted alarms become an issue, as they often do with optical aspirating systems.

Detecting fires at this very early stage is vital for data centres, where smoldering fires in electronic equipment can go unnoticed for hours, if only relying on traditional optical aspirating smoke detection systems. If left unattended these slow burning fires can accelerate to become a more serious fire event, potentially threatening equipment, and stored information.

Detect True Fires in High Air Flow Environment – A second, and further enhanced solution for data centre detection, is the Protec Cirrus HYBRID Aspirating ‘Fire & Smoke’ Detector.

The vast amount of heat generated by the data centre servers requires large amounts of cooling. The cooling creates a high-airflow environment which, because of dilution, becomes more challenging for optical aspirating detection systems to detect visible smoke.

The Cirrus HYBRID detectors also contain a Cloud Chamber sensor (as its primary detection technology), and this is much less challenged in high-airflow environments due to the millions of invisible particles generated when components or materials overheat. The result of this very early fire detection is to reduce the amount of damage and disruption within the data centre environment.

A data centre suppression system (typically Water Mist) would be unlikely to be required at the point of very early warning detection. However, these are required for fire events significantly bigger than this, or perhaps on unmanned sites. This is where the additional sensor in the Cirrus HYBRID (secondary optical detection technology) becomes relevant, detecting pre-programmed amounts of visible smoke. The ‘dual sensor detection’ uses Algorithms to provide signals from two different fire phenomenon from a single device. These intelligent signals can be used as a single, but very robust input on to a suppression system control panel.

Combat Costly False alarms – False alarms in a data centre can create unwanted downtime for more than just that one industry. The downtime of a bank of servers could have could affect the various industries and hundreds or thousands of businesses they are supporting. One of most significant building shutdowns in data centres after power outages is that of a suspected fire. These can be avoided by many measures; one of these is by putting adequate cause & effects and fire alarm technologies in place.

Simple cause & effects in a fire alarm system (such as the Protec 6500) can prevent false alarms by implementing what is known as a double knock scenario. A double knock is a two-stage fire alarm activation where the first activation of a fire device puts the fire alarm system into a pre-alarm state. Upon the second activation of the fire alarm system, it then initiates a full alarm state.

Using a double knock method reduces the chance of a false alarm drastically as it requires at least two detectors to register a fire. A false alarm can be costly to a company; for example, a wrongly activated fire alarm system could initiate fire suppression systems linked to the fire alarm system releasing expensive fire suppressant agents.

Protection Measures for Data Centres

With the increase in data centre production. More so, with the UK government giving the green for a global investment of 6.3bn into the data centre industry it will see more and more data centres being created and this is where modular builds may take the lead. Modular builds could be favoured due to their quick implementation once planning permission has been granted.

With all this in mind, it stands to reason that the fire suppression system to protect the data centre should be equally as agile and provide the same flexibility in scaling and building as the data centre itself. While each fire protection system has its own pros and cons, it is important to choose the most suitable fire protection solution for each specific application.

For today’s data centres, both high and low-pressure water mist systems are the most superior firefighting technology, protecting both the building and its valuable contents, whilst also minimising environmental impact through toxic water run off

Low Pressure Water Mist – Low pressure water mist systems provide effective fire suppression while minimising damage to sensitive data centre equipment. Their gentle mist application ensures fire control without excessive water exposure, reducing the risk of electrical short circuits and hardware damage.

Unlike traditional sprinkler systems, which can flood a data centre, low-pressure mist systems use a controlled amount of water, making them ideal for environments where moisture sensitivity is a concern. These systems also offer cost-effective installation and maintenance, as they operate at lower pressures, requiring less complex piping and pump systems. Additionally, they integrate seamlessly with pre-action fire suppression setups, allowing for targeted activation only in affected areas, ensuring minimal disruption to operations.

High Pressure Water Mist – High-pressure water mist systems provide rapid cooling and flame suppression, making them particularly effective against fast-spreading fires in data centres. Their ultra-fine mist droplets evaporate almost instantly upon contact with heat, absorbing energy efficiently and lowering temperatures before a fire can escalate.

This quick response reduces the risk of fire re-ignition, providing superior protection in environments with high-density servers and electrical components. High-pressure systems also offer space-saving benefits, as they require smaller pipes and lower water storage capacity, making them easier to install in compact or multi-level data centres. Additionally, their ability to control smoke and airborne contaminants improves safety for personnel by enhancing visibility and air quality during a fire event.

Want to Know More?

If you would like to know about fire detection and protection within the data centre industry then reach out to our specialist data centre team and they will be able to assist in how we can apply the different technologies discussed in this article or any other solution you may have in mind for fire and security systems within the data centre industry.