Fire suppression

systems.
The total cost
of ownership.

A best practice guide 3M Science. Applied to Life.™

Focus on the bigger picture.

Selecting the right fire suppression What, where and how

system requires careful consideration. Think about your project’s needs – they may differ from job
No single solution exists and unit cost to job. How many rooms need protection? What reach is
required? Is a single system enough? Will you store the system
is only one factor among many. While in the protected area or in a dedicated space? Once you start
each project should be assessed on its considering the associated costs of site and application you may
start thinking differently about your solution.
own merits there are some common
factors worth considering to ensure
effectiveness and value. Don’t waste space
Consider how much space you’ll require and whether the flooring
A realistic checklist would include may need reinforcement. An inert system will require ‘over
system reach, storage, safety, pressure’ exhaust systems and vents, and potentially a reserve
system to cover delays in recharging the system. All these extras
compliance with regulations and how require more space and add to costs. 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire
best to protect your assets. Unless you Protection Fluid is stored as a liquid rather than a gas, and fire
consider all of these elements, you suppression systems using Novec 1230 fluid typically require
80% less space compared to an inert gas system. This can lead
won’t see the real cost of your solution. to valuable real estate savings over the lifetime of the system.

Required cylinders for a typical Higher Hazard

Class A extinguishing system (200 m3)

Novec
Inert gas CO₂ 1230 Fluid
Less downtime Safety
Business outage in a data centre has been estimated to cost Fire extinguishing agents are not equal in the safety they provide
$11k a minute.1 Consider water damage, long clean-up times, for occupants. Reviewing the permitted limit for humans and the
the potential loss of revenue, assets or both and what they would design concentration gives the best guide to an agent’s safety
mean for your business. 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid margin. The NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) is the
is designed to extinguish a fire even before it reaches ‘flame’ stage, internationally established limit for the various extinguishing
minimising clean-up and downtime. agents. The design concentration is the amount of extinguishing
agent required to extinguish the fire safely. The margin of safety
for humans arises from the relative difference between the design
Maintenance concentration and the specific NOAEL.

As the chart shows, Novec 1230 fluid offers, by far, the highest
Periodic maintenance and pressure checks are essential for
human safety margin.
any fire extinguishing system to ensure it remains ‘fit for
purpose’. The greater the number of cylinders and the larger
the system footprint, the more time and costs rise. Proposed
maintenance contracts of a system should be evaluated as part Novec 1230 fluid provides widest safety margin
of the upfront system cost. A system incorporating Novec 1230 for use in occupied spaces
fluid can be refilled in-situ in emergency situations, and offers a Based in EN 15004 Higher Hazard Class A, and NFPA 12 for CO₂
clear advantage for ensuring continuity of service and keeping
maintenance costs down.

Peace of mind
Sustainability and regulations are a high priority, but not all clean
agent systems are equal. 3M developed Novec 1230 fluid with
sustainability in mind. As hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) with high
Global Warming Potentials are being phased down on a global
basis, and on an even faster pace in Europe, 3M offers a global
environmental warranty. The 3M™ Blue Sky Warranty is the
SM

industry’s first-of-its-kind global environmental warranty. If 3M™

Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid is banned from or restricted
in use as a fire protection agent within 20 years after installation
due to its Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) or Global Warming
Potential (GWP), we’ll refund the purchase price of the fluid
(backed by a system warranty offered by specific OEM partners).
Weighing up the alternatives.
Whether you’re looking to replace a halon fire protection system, find a HFC
replacement, install an environmentally sustainable system or increase the margin
of safety for your workers, consider the following:

HFCs Water and water mist

The high global warming potential (GWP) and long atmospheric Water in any form can cause significant damage and data loss
lifetime of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) can cause significant especially for electronics, electrical systems, control rooms and
environmental impact. As a result, HFCs are being phased out, archives. Extensive clean-up and recovery make it challenging to
leading many to a search for an alternative. 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire maintain critical operations. Help reduce these extra costs with
Protection Fluid offers high performance combined with low GWP, Novec 1230 fluid – a fast and dry extinguishing method, designed
and is globally recognised as a sustainable alternative to HFCs. to reduce clean up and down-time.

Inert gas Carbon dioxide

Inert gas fire suppression systems can be expensive to install and Fire protection should address the safety of both people and
maintain, take up more space, have a very limited safety margin for property. Using carbon dioxide (CO2) based systems can
people, and require more high pressure canisters (300 bar) which compromise worker safety and incur extra costs for testing,
need to be shipped, handled and installed. Novec 1230 fluid can training, inspection, maintenance, and space requirements.
be air shipped and provides a higher margin of worker safety. Novec 1230 fluid is CO2 free.

Summary
Purchasing and running a fire suppression system isn’t just about the initial investment cost. Safety, effectiveness, space, storage
and maintenance all combine to represent the true cost of ownership. A long term investment deserves a considered, long term
solution – weigh up the true costs before choosing your solution.

1 Cost of Data Centre Outages’ (2016), Ponemon Institute, quoted by www.itracs.com

The 3M™ Novec™ Brand Family The Novec brand is the hallmark for a variety of proprietary 3M products. Although each has
its own unique formula and performance properties, all Novec products are designed in common
to address the need for safe, effective, sustainable solutions in industry-specific applications.
These include precision and electronics cleaning, heat transfer, fire protection, protective
coatings, immersion cooling, advanced insulation media replacement solutions and several
speciality chemical applications.

3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids | 3M™ Novec™ Aerosol Cleaners | 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid | 3M™ Novec™ Electronic Grade Coatings | 3M™ Novec™ | 3M™ Novec™ Insulating Gases

Safety data sheet: Consult safety data sheet (SDS) before use.
Regulatory: For regulatory information about this product, contact your 3M representative.
Technical information: The technical information, recommendations and other statements contained in this document are based upon tests
or experience that 3M believes are reliable, but the accuracy or completeness of such information is not guaranteed.
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