# FK-5-1-12 Fire Suppression FK-5-1-12 (marketed as Novec 1230 by 3M) is a clean agent fire suppression chemical used in data centers. It's the standard choice for enclosed spaces full of expensive electronics. **Why clean agent:** Water sprinklers destroy the equipment they're protecting. CO2 can kill the people inside. Halon is banned (ozone depletion). FK-5-1-12 extinguishes fires without damaging electronics, leaving residue, or displacing enough oxygen to harm humans. **Properties:** - Zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) - Very low global warming potential (GWP of 1) - Evaporates cleanly — no residue on circuit boards or connectors - Safe for occupied spaces at design concentrations - Electrically non-conductive **How it works in an MDC:** The fire suppression system floods the modular enclosure with FK-5-1-12 gas. Because the MDC is a sealed container (not an open server room), the gas concentration is easy to maintain and the volume to flood is small — typically under 100 cubic metres. **Design consideration:** The sealed nature of a modular data center actually makes clean agent suppression more effective and cheaper than in a traditional raised-floor data hall. Less volume to fill, fewer leakage paths, faster concentration achievement. --- See also: [[Modular Data Centers MoC]]