When a major European data centre contractor needed to test a fleet of generators spread across a vast site, Crestchic met the brief by supplying a trailer-mounted 3,000 kW containerised resistive load bank that could be moved easily around the data centre campus.
Modern data centres are often home to row upon row of generators, uninterruptible power supplies, and cooling infrastructure. For operators and contractors responsible for bringing these sites online, proving that every generator is fit for purpose is a critical step in achieving the industry standard of 99.999% uptime. With sites routinely running 20, 30, or even more generators, traditional testing methods can struggle to keep up with that demand.
Housed within a purpose-built containerised enclosure and mounted on a twin-axle special purpose trailer, the 3,000 kW, 415V resistive load bank was specified from the ground up for one of Europe’s most active data centre contractors. Every design decision was driven by the realities of the site: tight access routes between generator enclosures, strict health and safety requirements, and pressurised commissioning timelines. The trailer also comes with a motorised power cable reel for easier and safer cable deployment and retraction, with 30-metre lengths of 240 mm² cable pre-installed, a 5,000-amp air circuit breaker for maximum protection, and Powersafe cable connectors for fast set-up.
Paul Brickman, Commercial Director at Crestchic Loadbanks, explains: “We’re seeing more and more customers looking for a solution which will allow them to use their load testing equipment in multiple locations. Sites that once ran on two or three generators now operate fleets of twenty or more, sometimes distributed across multiple buildings or courtyards. Moving a load bank between generator sets was becoming a logistical exercise in its own right, consuming crew time and extending commissioning windows. This solution makes testing multiple gensets faster and more efficient.”
- Twin-axle special purpose trailer: tow-vehicle compatible, no HGV or low-loader required, dramatically reducing mobilisation cost and lead time between tests.
- Low floor height: designed to sit at generator cable-connection level, removing the need for elevated working platforms and the associated risk assessments and time overhead.
- Motorised power cable reel: 30-metre lengths of 240 mm² cable are pre-installed and deploy or retract at the touch of a button, cutting the manual handling that contributes to musculoskeletal injuries and slows down turnaround.
- 5,000 A air circuit breaker: provides robust overcurrent protection rated to the full prospective short-circuit current of the installation, giving engineers confidence during live testing.
- Powersafe cable connectors: industry-standard shrouded connectors that can be mated quickly and safely, reducing set-up time and eliminating risk.
For the European data centre contractor who specified this unit, the trailer-mounted load bank will compress the time between generator tests, eliminating the logistics overhead that previously made multi-generator commissioning a drawn-out process. The solution was developed through close collaboration between Crestchic’s R&D team and clients from across the data centre sector. The result is a complete, self-contained load testing solution, with everything needed to test multiple genset in one easy-to-move package.
