Press: Safe from fire damage

Wiring and batteries are the main causes of fires in data centres. Admittedly, flames seldom break out, but the exhaust gases of smouldering do reach the IT equipment via the ventilation, leading to long-term damage to the sensitive electronics. Prolonged smouldering can interrupt the power supply and lead to IT breakdowns. The risks have long been underestimated, so that many data centre facilities - as before - still have no permanently installed fire prevention system. The DET-AC XL from Rittal can be retrofitted while the system is operational. The product combines fire detection and extinguishing system in a 300-mm-wide rack. This way the system can be easily joined on (bayed) to existing server racks.

Installation made easy
The DET-AC XL detects the smallest of smoke particles even before a fire gets started (the pyrolysis phase) and deals with them securely. NOVEC 1230 is used as the extinguisher. This gas, which is environmentally friendly and harmless to humans, does not conduct electricity, which makes it harmless to the IT electronics. The lifetime of the gas in the atmosphere - just five days - makes it an environmentally friendly solution. The use of prefabricated components within the rack system also allows easy project planning and installation.

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Rittal

Rittal GmbH & Co. KG, which has its headquarters in Herborn, Germany, is one of the world's leading system suppliers for housing and enclosure technologies, power distribution systems, system climate control and IT infrastructure. Customers from all sectors of industry, from mechanical and plant engineering, as well as from the IT and telecoms market, are making use of system solutions from Rittal.

Its broad product range also includes complete solutions for modular and energy-efficient data centres: from innovative security concepts for data systems (formerly known as Litcos) through to physical data and system security for IT infrastructures (formerly known as Lampertz). The leading software providers Eplan and Mind8 - Rittal subsidiaries - are supplementing the Rittal product portfolio with interdisciplinary engineering solutions.

Founded in 1961, Rittal is now active worldwide with 12 production sites, 63 subsidiaries and 40 agencies. With 9,000 employees worldwide, Rittal is the largest company of the proprietor-run Friedhelm Loh Group of Haiger, Germany. The entire group employs more than 10,500 people and generated revenues of more than € 2.2 billion in 2008. Further information at www.rittal.com and www.friedhelm-loh-group.com.