For a globally renowned manufacturer of canopy generators, headquartered in Spain, the calibration and servicing of its load banks is critical to the quality output of its production. For this reason, they call on the external expertise of Crestchic to get the job done. 

Steven Jewell, Service Engineer for Crestchic comments: 

“When load bank testing is used to ensure the performance of new generators entering the market, it is critical that those load banks work without fault. To achieve that, regular planned servicing, maintenance, and re-calibration is essential. 

“This Spanish generator manufacturer understands that no stone can be left unturned when it comes to the performance of its new products, which is why they partner with Crestchic for their annual load bank maintenance and inspection.”

A thorough investigation of performance

The Crestchic team arrived at the Spanish factory for a two-day visit, with a view to servicing two 3.3MVA 690/400V Star-Delta load banks. Even though the factory engineers were not experiencing any performance issues with their load banks, the Crestchic team identified abnormal electrical noise which was thoroughly investigated to ensure the equipment was safe and performance would not be affected. 

Steven added: “The real benefit of using a load bank expert for annual servicing is that they can often identify potential issues that the onsite engineers are not attuned to. When load bank testing is so critical to business operations, this level of detail is essential.” 

Upon investigation, the Crestchic team confirmed that the electrical noise was caused by a poorly routed control cable, which was re-routed to resolve the issue.

Additionally, two tests were carried out to improve voltage dip and the customer requested updated drawings so that a selectable internal/external voltage switch could be installed along with fuse protection. 

Demonstrating the latest software technologies 

Annual servicing provides an ideal opportunity for Crestchic to educate customers on any potential upgrades that may be required to their equipment. In this instance, the customer was introduced to the LC80 Controller that could improve user experience and reporting of tests conducted in the Spanish factory. 

Steven concludes: “Technological advancements happen all the time, and we strive to ensure customers are always well-informed about whether the equipment they are using may become obsolete, or if there are new technologies available that could improve their load bank performance.

“This puts our customers in the best position to make informed choices about future load bank investments.”

For more information on annual servicing visit services and spares on the Crestchic website.

The post CRESTCHIC MAINTAINS ANNUAL QUALITY CONTROL FOR CANOPY GENERATOR MANUFACTURER appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

Findings from Uptime Institute’s 2022 Global Datacentre Survey highlight the fact that downtime in the data centre industry is becoming increasingly expensive, with the main cause identified as power failures. 

The report focuses on responses from more than 800 owners and operators of data centres, including those responsible for managing infrastructure at the world’s largest IT organisations. While sustainability, efficiency gains, staff shortages and supply chain issues also dominate the report, the issue of power resiliency remains dominant. 

$1m+ failures increasingly common

Data indicates that the costs of outages are on the increase. 

A quarter of respondents reported that their most recent outage cost more than $1 million in both direct and indirect costs. This is a significant increase from 2021, reflecting a continuing upward trend over the last five years. 

The report states, “Uptime’s 2022 annual survey findings are remarkably consistent with previous years. They show that on-site power problems remain the single biggest cause of significant site outages by a large margin.”

Backup power failure identified as the number one issue 

Further analysis in related research from the Uptime Institute identifies the biggest causes of power-related outages to be uninterruptible power supply failures, followed by transfer switch (generator / grid) and generator failures. 

Paul Brickman, Commercial Director at Crestchic Loadbanks, commented: “Although the data shows a trend towards improved outage rates, the frequency is still much too high and, with costs also on the rise, the consequences are getting worse. Data centre operators are well aware of the impact of a power outage and have measures in place to mitigate these risks. However, with backup power failures identified as the primary cause of power outages, as well as external issues around grid reliability, energy shortfalls, and the transition to more sustainable power sources, it has never been more important that operators test their backup power systems.”

Using a load bank to commission or regularly test the back-up power system not only tests the prime movers and the batteries (UPS), but ensures all other components such as the alternator and crucially the transfer switches are tested too. A load bank test not only proves that the UPS / generators will start, operate and run efficiently in the case of a power outage, but also that the sets can be safely turned off with no interruptions when mains power is restored. 

Paul concludes, “In a data centre environment, the business case for using a load bank is clear cut – not testing is an extremely costly risk to take.”

For more information on how load banks can offer increased power reliability in a data centre environment, please get in touch via our contact page.

The post Power failure is number one culprit in spiralling datacentre costs appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

The event was attended by more than 100 customers, suppliers, and senior staff, who were invited to the opening ceremony, a tour of the Crestchic site, and lunch. A ceremonial ribbon-cutting and speech were carried out by former BBC journalist and Times Radio Presenter John Pienaar, and a plaque unveiled by Councillor Philip Hudson, the Mayor of East Staffordshire.

Despite the economic pressures of the pandemic and global political events, Crestchic has seen strong growth in demand for its products. Data centre and energy transition markets are growing rapidly, and demand continues from well-established, traditional sectors, such as critical infrastructure, marine engineering, and extractive industries. The new factory will allow the company to increase manufacturing capacity to respond to the growing demand for sales and rental of load testing equipment in the UK and beyond.

Peter Harris, Executive Chairman at Crestchic, commented, “As well as responding to customer demand, the investment in both our new and existing factories is part of our commitment to continuous improvement. Our vision is to be world-class manufacturers in every sense of the word – in our commitment to innovation, design excellence, product build quality, meeting delivery times and exceeding customer expectations. We’re continuing to invest in our people and technology – bringing on board new expertise and investing in R&D to ensure that Crestchic continues to lead the market.”

Paul Brickman, Commercial Director added, “Power resilience is becoming increasingly important across all industries. Load testing is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s an absolute necessity for any modern business that needs power to operate effectively. We’re undoubtedly seeing this reflected in our order books. The factory will allow us to fulfil demand across all of our existing locations, as well as our new depots in Antwerp and Texas. As we ramp up our production, we hope to open more depots to serve our rapidly growing global market.”

The senior team also thanked everyone who had been involved in the delivery of the new building, including architects and structural engineers AJS Structural Design; project manager/quantity surveyor Amsons-Barlow; main contractors BFG; electrical contractors SCI; planning advisor JMI Planning and everyone at Crestchic who had played a part. Everyone who works across the three Crestchic manufacturing and office sites was also invited to enjoy a celebratory lunch.

Please click the relevant country If you need a solution local to you: France   Germany   Middle East    USA

If you require a quote for a load bank package, please contact us here: Contact Form

The post Crestchic Loadbanks officially opens new factory, expanding manufacturing capacity by 60% appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

Dexter travelled to our facility where we provided hands-on training on Startup, operation and maintenance to ensure a long trouble-free life.

Our solution was a 600kW Resistive only KCS100HM Toggle switch, multi-voltage load bank. This is capable of testing at 480/240/208V 3 phase and single phase. A truly versatile machine.

Just like Generator Power Services did, to buy or hire a load bank for your facility, contact our team here.

Please click the relevant country If you need a solution local to you: France   Germany   Middle East    USA

The post GENERATOR POWER SERVICE COMPANY HELPED BY CRESTCHIC WITH A NEW 600KW MULTI-VOLTAGE LOAD BANK appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

Here, Paul Brickman, Commercial Director for Crestchic Loadbanks, a leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art load bank technologies asks ‘Is load bank testing necessary for containerised data centres?’

Typically housed within shipping containers, containerised data centres can be deployed easily, powered up quickly and scaled without delay in line with changing requirements. For the data centre sector itself, containerised solutions are widely used to accommodate surplus demand for data centres that need to grow but cannot yet do so, and often deliver continuity of performance when a primary data centre needs critical maintenance or refurbishment.

In other sectors they are equally as important. They provide “pop up” IT and communication services for music festivals and sporting events, support office relocations and major construction sites, and are a staple resource for the military, as well as complex industries such as offshore oil and gas, where data and communications demands are often remote and temporary.

Temporary by name, essential by nature

The temporary nature of these data centres often results in them being commoditised and overlooked when it comes to the maintenance procedures and performance best practice that would be considered essential for a bricks-and-mortar data centre.

But when in operation, these mobile data centres are just as much a necessity as their permanent counterparts, safe housing the same valuable data, and preventing the same financially catastrophic losses engineers so dread when maintaining their primary data centres.

It is important to remember that a data centre, is a data centre, whether that is a purpose built hyperscale campus, a colo or a temporary solution in a shipping container, and that means the same risks apply, and the same preventative measures are required.

No matter the type of data centre being used, the primary cause of unplanned downtime is power failure, something that the Uptime Institute calls “common, costly and preventable”. In fact, in its most recent Risk and Resilience Report, the Uptime Institute calculated that power failure accounts for around 36 per cent of all outages.

It is essential therefore that backup generators for containerised data centres are regularly tested, the same as permanent data centre facilities.

Critical applications require guaranteed resilience

Music festivals and sporting events aside, the vast majority of containerised data centre applications are critical. Military communications, major construction sites, data centre refurbishments and a temporary expansion of primary data centre capacity may all have a clear expiration date, but the situation is already fragile – risking a power outage in an already difficult environment could be catastrophic.

Although mobile data centres are designed to provide facilities with the perfect mix of temporary generators, networking essentials, cooling equipment, servers and UPS, the fact remains that a single point of failure can immobilise the entire data centre. This is an important consideration when deciding which maintenance procedures to uphold, and which if any, can be overlooked.

With power outages proven to be the biggest point of failure, correct load bank testing should be maintained at all times to provide reassurance that if required, the backup power system is capable of accepting the required load and maintaining uptime in the event of a power failure.

Understand the possibilities, prevent downtime

If it is not the temporary nature of a containerised data centre that prevents the required maintenance, then it is often the location, and the assumption that access will be impossible. Afterall, these small, highly portable load banks are often located in areas that have not been specifically constructed for such essential kit.

That said, leading load bank manufacturers have created backup generator testing equipment that can meet the testing demands of containerised data centres.

One example is Crestchic’s trailer mounted load bank solution that combines the powerful testing capability of its traditional resistive-only load banks, with the flexibility of a heavy-duty trailer for applications that require exceptional levels of manoeuvrability.

With load bank testing still achievable for mobile load banks, the risk of downtime is, as the Uptime Institute put it, preventable.

For More Information:

To read more about Crestchic’s experience within the data centre sector, download out handy guide and information leaflet.

To buy or hire a load bank for your facility, contact our team here.

Please click the relevant country If you need a solution local to you: France   Germany   Middle East    USA

The post IS LOAD BANK TESTING NECESSARY FOR CONTAINERISED DATA CENTRES? appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

Here, we explore why this is not the case, and offer best practice advice for ensuring power resilience through regular testing of your backup generator power system.

1. The impact of onsite conditions

Factory conditions do not replicate the environment found onsite. It is, therefore, vital to consider variables such as climate, humidity and temperature differences, and how these will affect the performance of your UPS and backup power system once in-situ.

Even simple fluctuations in temperature can affect run time performance, battery capacity, cut off voltage, gassing and thermal runaway in UPS systems. Humidity and climate fluctuations can also cause longer-term performance issues including corrosion and condensation.

2. Factory conditions are rarely replicable

When tested at the factory, your backup generator will undoubtedly have been put through rigorous testing. However, even with the very best of testing, the fuel supply system, exhaust system, and cooling will differ from the system used in operational conditions. Equally, it won’t have been connected to your specific electrical system, with its own array of circuit breakers, instrumentation, and automatic changeover switches. The fact that the genset now has to operate to capacity with all these different supplying factors is reason enough to test at commissioning regardless of how recent a factory test was performed.

3. The impact of transportation and installation

At the point of factory testing, your equipment has been subjected to very little movement or human intervention. It has been constructed in a carefully controlled environment and handled with the utmost care. But by the time it reaches the point of installation, this sensitive equipment has been lifted, transported, installed, commissioned, and adjusted by human hands. Any one of these processes may throw performance off kilter. Again, the impact may not be visible straight away. For this reason, it is critical that power systems are tested in-situ, regularly and for backup power, this means using a load bank.

Testing backup power using a load bank

A load bank is used to create an electrical load that imitates the operational or ‘real’ load that a backup generator would use in normal operational conditions. In short, load banks are used to test, support, or protect a critical backup power source and ensure that it is fit for purpose in the event that it is called upon.

Ideally, all generators should be tested annually for real-world emergency conditions using a resistive-reactive 0.8pf load bank. Best practice dictates that all gensets (where there are multiple) should be run in a synchronised state, ideally for 8 hours but for a minimum of 3.

Where a reactive-only load bank is used, testing should be increased to 2-4 times per year at 3 hours per test. In carrying out this testing and maintenance, fuel, exhaust and cooling systems and alternator insulation resistance are effectively tested and system issues can be uncovered in a safe, controlled manner without the cost of major failure or unplanned downtime.

Secure power resilience for your facility

For more information on using a load bank to ensure power resilience for your facility, contact our team here.

Please click the relevant country If you need a solution local to you: France   Germany   Middle East    USA

The post Three reasons why factory testing your backup generator is not enough appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

Members of the Crestchic team will be available throughout the event on stand D1030 to discuss Crestchic’s capabilities and product offering, including: 

• Resistive-only load banks typically up to 300kW for heat load testing
• Rack mounted server emulators for heat load- testing
• Capacitive load banks to test with the leading power factor often associated with servers
• Large multi-megawatt, medium voltage load bank packages to test and synchronise multigenset systems on a common bus with a lagging power factor
• DC load banks to test UPS systems for close battery analysis and discharge performance
• Resistive-reactive load banks for testing the whole system operation in an emergency change-over scenario

As the world’s premier datacentre conference, Data Centre World offers attendees an unrivalled line-up of world-class suppliers to the datacentre sector together with excellent networking and conference opportunities.

Paul Brickman, Group Commercial Director at Crestchic Loadbanks, explains: “Reliable power is vital for data centres and testing of facilities under real working conditions is essential to ensure that power supplies cannot be interrupted. Power outages can lead to decreases in productivity, increases in production time, and an increase in costs. Using load banks for commissioning and ongoing testing of backup power solutions, as well as for heat load testing, can mitigate this risk. We’re looking forward to meeting customers and industry colleagues to talk about power continuity in the sector.”

Building on its past success, the event will be key for anyone looking to develop their understanding of the data centre market and source solutions and services to help manage cost and risk, and deliver unparalleled continuity and sustainably.

To register for this event, please visit: www.datacentreworld.com.

The post Crestchic to showcase datacentre load bank range at Data Centre World appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

When dealing with your chosen supplier, ensure that you know how much involvement you need from them and get them to quote accordingly. Choose a supplier that offers flexibility – packages vary from supply-only, short-term rental right through to larger multi-megawatt, high voltage projects which are fully managed by a team of engineers. They can also include site surveys, risk assessments and method statements as well as full project management. Equally, understand what peripherals are included, from step-up/step-down transformers and cabling, extension reels, junction boxes, through to control and data collection equipment and load bank fans.

 Check lead-times meet your requirements

When time is critical, ensure your suppliers can meet your needs. The COVID pandemic has seen an increase in companies wanting rental equipment to be supplied with a very fast turnaround. Using a supplier with its own fleet of loadbanks and dedicated delivery vehicles can help to reduce reliance on outside suppliers and ensure adherence to strict lead times.

COVID-ready

With the COVID pandemic set to impact the way we live and do business for the foreseeable future, it pays to check that your supplier meets the standards set by your business. At Crestchic, we’re doing all we can to protect our staff and our customers and minimise risks. If more than one technician is needed for a job, they will travel separately to ensure social distancing. All staff are also provided with PPE including goggles, masks and sanitiser and we’ll undertake risk assessments to ensure your site is safe.

The post Load Banks – Day 5 of 5 – Understanding rental agreements and lead-times appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

To specify the right equipment for the job, your chosen supplier is likely to ask you for the capacity rating of the generator you wish to test. This information can be found on the nameplate (or data tag) on the generator itself. The capacity rating will be specified in KVA and kW at a specified power factor and maximum output voltage.

The primary difference between kW (kilowatt) and kVA (kilovolt-ampere) is the power factor.  kW is the unit of real power and kVA is a unit of apparent power (or real power plus reactive power).  The power factor, unless it is defined and known, is therefore an approximate value (typically 0.8), and the kVA value will always be higher than the value for kW.

The nameplate will also have information on the voltage, operating phases and configuration of your generator, all of which will impact the load bank your supplier will specify. Having a photo of the nameplate on your mobile phone will mean you have all the information to hand when talking to your supplier.

The post Load Banks – Day 4 of 5 – Have the details from your generator nameplate or data tag at the ready appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.

Equally important is whether the load bank will be used indoors or outdoors. Load banks work by dissipating energy as heat, making it vital that there is space around the equipment for proper airflow, or that the correct type of equipment, such as a vertical blow machine, is used. When used indoors, it is critical that temperatures are monitored to prevent accidental activation of sprinkler systems, overheating or damage to the load bank.

Finally, it helps your supplier if you let them know if the load bank will need to be installed or delivered above ground level, as well as the distance it will be located from the generator. This will ensure that your supplier provides adequate manpower and cabling to successfully carry out testing.

Tomorrow’s focus: Working from generator nameplates and data tags

The post Load Banks – Day 3 of 5 – Where will the load bank test take place? appeared first on Crestchic leading manufacturer of load banks.