Awesome reply Mark! On Sat, 15 Dec 2018 at 11:59, Mark Newton <[email protected]> wrote:
> 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 < > [email protected]> 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:[email protected] >> <[email protected]> >> >> >> >> *From:* AusNOG <[email protected]> *On Behalf Of *Bruce >> Forster >> *Sent:* Thursday, 13 December 2018 10:36 AM >> *To:* [email protected] >> *Cc:* [email protected] >> *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 < >> [email protected]> 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* [email protected] >> >> *t* 02 8275 6871 *w* www.inaboxgroup.com.au >> >> >> >> *From:* AusNOG <[email protected]> *On Behalf Of *Paul >> Wilkins >> *Sent:* Thursday, 13 December 2018 10:53 AM >> *To:* [email protected] >> *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 >> >> _______________________________________________ >> AusNOG mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://lists.ausnog.net/mailman/listinfo/ausnog >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Regards, >> >> Bruce >> _______________________________________________ >> AusNOG mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://lists.ausnog.net/mailman/listinfo/ausnog >> > > > _______________________________________________ > AusNOG mailing > [email protected]http://lists.ausnog.net/mailman/listinfo/ausnog > > > _______________________________________________ > AusNOG mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.ausnog.net/mailman/listinfo/ausnog >
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