Parameters To Meet Before Hiring Loadbank For Testing Load Capacity

By Author: James Spencer
Total Articles: 97
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A lot of aspects are considered when it comes to installation or operation related aspects concerning loadbanks. Few major aspects which are focussed upon are location, portable connectivity, over-current protection, effects on the total connected load, predictive maintenance and spare load bank. 
 
Location
Irrespective of whether permanent or temporary, one of the primary aspects considered during installation of a load bank is the location which has been chosen. As for permanent installations manufacturers will recommend that the loadbank be closely located for bare minimum separation so that proper cooling can be achieved with an aim to eliminate certain risks pertaining to damage brought upon to the load bank, the surroundings, building and the landscape. Did you know even snow can pose threat to the functionality of a loadbank? Snow build-up around a load bank or other problems like snow drift from any adjacent roof onto the ventilation grill of the system can lead to major problems. Also considerations are applicable for locating the site for placing the tap box used for portable ...
... connectivity. 
 
Meanwhile, temporary load banks are seen being mostly connected to indoors for which the parameters associated for setting it up are entirely different. 
 
Portable Connectivity 
When there is a periodic load test done using the portable reactive loadbank it is vital that you create provisions for facilitating loadbank connection. The process is really simple; it’s the same as the spare breaker with its temporary wiring connected to the load bank. For big scale installations this kind of portable connectivity is highly appreciable. 
 
Over-current Protection 
It is vital to have adequate over-current protection which should be offered to feeders, irrespective of whether they are permanent or temporary. However, the scenario may turn out complicated when it is a temporary load bank engineered for partial loading. A common misconception concerning temporary load banks prevails everywhere.   There are assumptions that temporary load banks are not subject to any kind of over-current. Over-current protection is pretty much needful for temporary installations. Meanwhile, permanent installations should already accommodate these requirements.  
 
Effects on the Total Connected Load
A lot of standby systems are designed and engineered with different types of pathways, to check redundancy and also to facilitate such maintenance operations. These bypasses are again examined during the loadbank testing. In addition, it is vital for people to understand the fact that a loadbank may offer additional load which might go beyond the expected standard building load. However it is important that any kind of strategized manual bypass or unexpected and automatic bypass operation during the testing should not go overloaded as it can lead to critical power outage.
 
Spare Loadbank
If a set up requires multiple hire of tempeorary loadbanks, what becomes most important is getting testing done at larger volumes. This will entail commissioning of a data centre and ordering of several spare load banks so that if a single system fails, there will be another to cater to the requirement. These tests imply resource intensive processes with different people taking charge of the scenario. 
 
With demand for electrical systems increasing at a huge level requirements for load bank testing is gaining importance.