Applications

Control Cabinets & Computer Racks

Many electronic and electrical systems presently used are specially designed and manufactured following the customers requirements or for a specific application at a customer’s facility. This applies to special computer and measuring systems in the same manner as to control cabinets. If such a system has been damaged or even destroyed by a fire, a repair or the procurement of a new unit is not in all instances possible on short term. This is particularly the case when the damaged equipment has not been provided with redundancy. Different from a standard PC or standard server, the supply of a substitute cannot be effected within hours, but will require several months in the worst case. Therefore it is more than reasonable to protect such equipment by a fireprotection systems.

In the past, gas extinguishing systems were often used to protect the interior of such equipment. But owing to the intensity of forced ventilation and the many openings provided in the cabinets accommodating such systems, the use of gas involves certain problems. Besides, an extinguishing gas offers neither a smoke washing effect nor a cooling effect that would be identical to that of high-pressure water mist.

FOGTEC has therefore conducted fire tests in cooperation with Allianz insurance company and with the research institute of CERN (www.cern.ch ) in order to optimise FOGTEC systems for this area of application. The tests were completed with great success. Investigations at CERN have shown that the electronic components of the computer racks which were used in the fire tests were less damaged than with all other fire fighting systems so far tested by CERN.

FOGTEC systems for computer racks and control cabinets make use of special nozzles which are optimised to the requirements of smallest geometries. The mist generated is extremely fine and the amounts of water consumed are still considerably smaller than in other applications. The FOGTEC system will, in each specific case, be designed to discharge water mist in the entire control after the system has been automatically activated via a conventional detection system or a pneumatic release hose.