For people who are in the profession of dealing with electric units or those who have the knack of testing and evaluating them, need to opt for professional services. These service providers go a long way in providing assistance to these professionals and individuals.
One of the best ways in which these professionals provide assistance is by hiring out load banks, which help people gauge the performance various types of electrical units or systems. These load banks are specifically designed to test electrical power outputs on diesel generators and gas turbines, UPS systems, and a wide range of utilities. Besides, they also help in maintenance and commissioning. These testing sessions are regular part and parcel of every generator maintenance procedure. It’s main objective is to keep at bay mechanical failures. In most cases these failures are results of engine failure and snag developed in various other components as and when the generators are used during power outage.
The procedure also acts as a deterrent to wet stacking and build up of carbon monoxide.
The fundamentals
Let us get into the basics of the load banks. A typical loadbank ensures the supply of a sable, uninterrupted and controllable electrical load to the generators. They can be permanent or portable. They can accommodate AC as well as DC, which can range from just a few KW to quite a handful of MW. Most of these load banks come up with an internal fan. Its function is to cool the resistance elements and to discharge the extremely heated air out of the system.
Thus, it is imperative to accurately place them away from combustible materials to avoid any mishap. It is also important to set them up in an open and spacious place so that the generator does not get overheated.
Testing and its types
The generators need to have the capacity of going from a cold start to a full load within a few seconds. During the testing, the parts are lubricated, and thus it prevents any chance of oxidation from the electrical contracts. This also makes sure that the engine starts in the way it should and has the necessary thrust. The test is conducted by gradually increasing the load at particular intervals.
Certain types of load banks come up with some additional switches, which help in quick and seamless replacement of the unit from one place to another for testing. The additional switches help the machines to ramp up with the generators so that they can be tested at ease.
Then again, if load testing is needed on a component-by-component basis, at times graver system weaknesses are overlooked. This is where a reactive loadbank will come in handy. This will help the users to conduct a holistic or comprehensive testing. In fact, this is the only way to know if the individual components are working in perfect sync with each other.
So these are some elementary issues the users have to be familiar with, if they are to use the load banks.
The author is an electrical engineer who is associated with a company that hires out conventional loadbank and reactive loadbank to its clients. The author also writes a wide range of blogs on various issues, which are followed by people.