Case Study: Ensure Local Fire Code Compliance With Aisle Containment Tilt-Away Roof Panels

Aisle containment is proven to improve cooling efficiency, control energy costs, and reduce the risk of hotspots in the data center. However, aisle containment can cause problems with fire suppression systems that drop water or clean agent gas from above. The roof of the aisle containment structure creates a barrier that prevents the suppression material from reaching a fire.

One option is to install sprinkler heads inside the aisle containment systems, but that can be costly and impractical in existing facilities. Another is to use roof panels made of material that shrinks at high temperatures so that they drop to the floor in the event of a fire. However, drop-away panels don’t meet all local fire regulations. Depending on the heat generated by the fire, the fire suppression system might be activated before the panels drop away.

How the Automatic Tilt Panel System Works

That was the challenge facing an Enconnex customer. Enconnex integration partner Rahi had helped build out a 900-cabinet data center for the customer, who had chosen to use drop-away panels. The data center failed to pass the local fire inspection, so the customer came to Enconnex for help.

Using our expertise in aisle containment fire suppression systems, we recommended our automatic tilt panel system. The roof panels are held in place by electromagnetic suction cups that are connected to the fire alarm system. If the fire alarm is activated, power to the suction cups is cut. This causes the panels to tilt downward, allowing the fire suppression material to reach the aisle.

Unlike drop-away panels, the automatic tilt panels do not have to reach a particular temperature to be activated. And while drop-away panels must be replaced if they shrink, the automatic tilt panels can be set up again after deployment.

Saving Space with a Dual Panel System

The Enconnex customer had another constraint: The cable basket tray and cabinets had already been installed, leaving very limited space between the two for the automatic tilt panels. Enconnex designed the solution using dual tilt panels, which consist of two roof panels connected to a rotatable inner-frame.

While the single tilt panels have an open height of 512mm, the dual tilt panels require less than 250mm of space. When deployed, the dual tilt solution did not hit the cable basket overhead or the top of the cabinet below.

Single Tilt Roof Panel:

Dual Tilt Roof Panel:

Most importantly, the dual tilt roof panels allowed the customer to pass the fire inspection. Thanks to an innovative solution from Enconnex, the customer was saved the time and expense of reconfiguring the aisle containment system and could proceed with the data center project without delay. Explore our aisle containment solutions today.