Fire classifications and Regulations

Cooling plants within data centers must always comply with the relevant local building regulations. Within which there are requirements relating to fire protection and fire classification.

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National and Local Building Regulations

Generally speaking the construction of Data Centers must comply with the local and/or national building regulations. For most countries use of combustible plastic pipe systems is allowed however ,dependent on location of the pipe system in the building, there may well be a specific requirement for a construction material fire rating. Often there are no fire specifically for the pipe system. The regulations often use the general fire classifications and testing and fire rating requirements for walls and ceilings.
Please consult your GF Data Center contact for specific information for your local geographical region.

In Europe the SBI (Single Burning Item Test) within EN 13501-1 (Fire classification of construction products and building elements) is harmonizing all local national regulations. It has been developed to specifically evaluate the burning properties of construction materials, including combustible pipes in a simulated realistic test procedure. In this test a fire classification rating is established, as well as also the systems dripping and smoke generating properties of the product.

Europe: Local national standards, for example DIN 4102 (Germany) or BS 476 (UK) have not, as yet, been completely withdrawn. However the ISO /EN 13501-1 is always specified in parallel to local national regulations within the local building regulations, allowing testing to either / or national or European standards.

In the USA ASTM E-84 defines a test procedure for evaluation of a products burning properties. Using red wood oak as a benchmark flame spread and smoke generation properties are measured. The international mechanical codes (IMC) and also local codes then define the criteria for approval of a construction material in a given type of building. Usually in a plenum (pipe tunnel) a rating of 25/50 is required (25 flame spread : 50 smoke generation).

Fire Wall Penetrations

Fire-wall penetrations are an essential part of fire prevention. They prevent fire, smoke and heat from propagating between designated encapsulated areas of the building. Cables and pipes need to be laid through walls in buildings and the designated fire-walls in the building must retain their properties completely during a fire. The time for which they must retain the properties of the fire-wall can vary, from building to building and also country to country. Time period to withhold fire-wall integrity, usually starts at 30 min, then 60mmin and sometimes up to 120 min.

Various manufacturers offer solutions approved for use with plastic pipes.
GF works in close collaboration with HILTI, ROXTEC, WALRAVEN and Armacell, dependent on your geographical location , GF can guide you in the direction of a local pragmatic, approved solution.

Fire Wall Penetration Testing

Burning Properties

GF Piping Systems offers a range of systems in various materials. These materials all have different burning or fire ratings.
Please consult the GF Industrial Engineering Handbook for details.

PE-100 (Polyethylene) ecoFIT

PE is a commonly used raw material for pressure bearing plastic pipe systems. It is commonly used in the utilities market for the distribution of natural gas and water globally. In industrial applications, PE-100 is a key system, often used for process cooling waters, in water treatment plants and many other varied industrial applications.

PE belongs to the flammable plastics. The oxygen index for PE is 17%. Materials with an oxygen index <21% are classified as flammable. PE continues to brun when the pilot flame is removed.
The speed at which the flames then propogate can be measured using various standard tests.
ASTM D-635-18 is one such test, according to this test procedure PE has a flame spread rating of about 25 mm/minute (for d63/2" pipe).

PVC-U (PVC)

Polyvinylchloride is a raw material used globally for pressure bearing pipe systems since 1957. Its Chlorine content gives the material, and hence also the pipe system, an excellent chemical resistance. It offers generally excellent physical properties which have led to PVC-U pipe systems now being used in a multitude of applications, from water treatment plants to chemical process industry.

PVC-Us oxygen index is 42%. Thus PVC-U is classified as self-extinguishing. When a pilot flame is removed PVC-U will extinguish. UL-94 "Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances" – describes test procedures for horizontal and vertical flammability testing of plastics. PVC-U has a V0 (for vertical burning) and B1 (for horizontal burning – self extinguishing).

PVC-U Schedule 80: Fire Performance

ChlorFIT™ CPVC - Commercial Potable Water

Chemical dosing in Data Centers is a demanding application. Specifying the correct system that is corrosive resistant, cost effective, and will last for years is a challenge. The ChlorFIT™ Schedule 80 Piping System from GF Piping Systems is an ideal choice for chemical applications. The system is made of Corzan high-performance CPVC (chlorinated polyvinyl chloride) and has over a 30-year track record in the chemical industry.
The system reliably handles aggressive chemicals such as nitric acid, sodium chloride, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid and hydrochloric acid. Please always check our chemical compatibility guide or contact your GF representative to ensure your parameters such as concentration, pressure and temperature are appropriate for ChlorFIT™ before specifying or installing the system. The system can operate at higher temperatures than most plastic piping systems and is much lighter and easier to handle than metal solutions.

GF CPVC raw material used in Schedule 80 pipe is FM4910 approved and has according to UL-94 a rating V-0 (it is listed by FM-Global).