Rotarex has released the INEREX inert gas system to help stop fires in data centres, environments that can sometimes be hotbeds for fires due to the amount of electrically charged equipment housed within.

A fire in a data centre facility can also have dire consequences for businesses with data centres hosting highly sensitive information that is essential to their customers’ operation.

Additionally, fire protection is a crucial requirement for meeting federal and state government regulations. Businesses need to ensure their data centres are protected to safeguard information and keep regular business functions operational if an unexpected fire occurs.

Inert gas fire suppression technology from Rotarex is ideal for data centres as using gas instead of water to put out fires stops the potential further damage after the fire has been extinguished.

The gas, IG-541, is a blend of gases (nitrogen, argon and carbon dioxide) that occur naturally in the air we breathe and is used at concentrations that are safe for human exposure. The INEREX inert gas system manufactured by Rotarex Firetec and distributed locally by Wormald Australia is non-reactive and leaves no chemical or toxic by-products.

INEREX systems use constant-flow pressure regulators that modulate the discharge pressure to a constant 40-60 bar which still delivers the design concentration within 120 seconds, but with significant performance and cost benefits. It uses naturally occurring inert gases to suppress fire rather than water or man-made chemicals.

However, inert gas fire suppression has two limitations; overpressure and high noise levels generated during an inert gas discharge. To solve this problem, Rotarex has introduced an INEREX fire suppression system with sound reduction nozzle. The extinguishing nozzle features a unique compact design that is easy to install and is surrounded by two external filters.

This prevents potential data corruption to sensitive hard drives that may result from high sound pressure levels as a result of standard discharge nozzles. When used together, the INEREX pressure-regulated technology and the special silent nozzle provides a state-of-the-art fire suppression solution for protecting data centres.