Vendors of data center fire suppression products are taking steps to reassure customers of their long-term
environmental safety. The moves reflect the growing importance of the environmental profile of data center
products, as well as past problems with a popular data center fire prevention technology.
DuPont Fire Extinguishants and Fike announced Monday that they would offer a warranty for buyers of
Fike fire suppression systems using DuPont's FE-227 or FE-25 products. The warranty guarantees that
if the products are restricted from use for fire suppression within 20 years due to changing environmental
regulatory measures, DuPont and Fike will either replace the agent or refund the purchase price. The
companies emphasized that FE-227 and FE-25 are safe and do not deplete the ozone layer, but said they
wanted to allay any concerns about future regulation.
"DuPont and Fike developed this sustainability warranty to give our customers peace of mind," said Greg
Rubin, global business manager, DuPont FluorochemicalsSpecialties. "Keeping track of continually
changing environmental regulations can be a source of concern and confusion for customers. But our
stewardship process requires that we closely evaluate products from the development phase through end
of product life to ensure they are responsibly managed throughout their life cycle."
Concerns about the environmental impact of data center fire protection products date to the historic use of
Halon gas, which was effective in fire suppression but depleted the ozone layer. Halon production was ended
by the Montreal Protocol of 1987, and it hasn't been produced in the U.S. since 1994, according to Bill
Howerton, Director of System Sales at Fike.
"Theres still a lot of Halon out there (in legacy systems)," Howerton said during a presentation last month at
Data Center World. "Theres no phase-out for Halon 1301; theres just no new product."
Many data center operators prefer gas-based fire prevention systems to sprinkler systems using water, which
could damage equipment in the event of a leak. Others use water in a "pre-action" system in which water fills
the sprinkler pipes only upon an alarm.
In 2001 the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) developed a standard for clean agents
electrically non-conductive gases that dont leave a residue - for use in data center fire suppression.
Most are hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), which lack the ozone-depleting characteristics of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
The most popular of these is FE-227, also known as HFC 227 or FM200, which Howerton called
"the most widely used clean agent in the world. When Halon 1301 was identified as an ozone depleter,
HFC227ea emerged as the replacement." FE-25, also known as HFC-125 or Ecaro-25, is among the
other NFPA-approved clean agents, along with HFC-236fa (FE-36) and inert gases such as Argonite,
Inergen and Novec 1230.
Howerton said all the NFPA-approved clean agents meet standards for The Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program administered by the U.S. Green Buildings
Council, and that there are no international standards than ban HFCs, including the Kyoto
Protocol.
"This announcement demonstrates our confidence that HFCs will continue to be used in fire suppression
for many years because they are environmentally acceptable," said Jim Morgan, director of marketing
for Fike.