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.

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A team of two Crestchic load bank experts, travelled to the 124,000 sq. ft facility in Brazil to complete the work over one and a half weeks.

Ben Woodward, Senior Service Engineer, commented on the project: “Navship has a reputation for efficiency in shipbuilding, and a critical part of that process is using load banks to test the onboard power system of its new vessels. Navship was using an older load bank control system that, due to advancements in microprocessor technology, was becoming difficult to repair and maintain.

“To prevent downtime due to component failure or parts becoming obsolete, Navship commissioned the futureproofing of their load bank control system with Crestchic’s Nova controller technology.”

The role of load banks in shipbuilding

Class-leading vessels are now designed all-electric, with a single power network supplied by a primary energy source, which can be multiple units of diesel or gas turbines.

With an integrated power system like this, propulsion power can be diverted to serve on-ship requirements including refrigeration on cargo vessels, light, heating and air-conditioning on cruise liners and weapons systems on naval ships.

During the build and commissioning phases, it is vital that shipbuilders like Navship can simulate and test (vessel testing) these different loads and the way they interact with each other, to ensure the ship is finished to the highest performance standards. To do this, engineers use containerised load banks that are highly specialised and tailored to meet the demanding shipyard and marine environment.

Improving load bank performance for Navship

Part of the Chouest Group of companies, Navship launched its first vessel in 2006, and has since established itself has a leading example of efficiency in shipbuilding.

Located in Navegantes, Brazil, the expansive facility features an indoor erection building with 14 overhead cranes allowing vessels to be built out of the weather to reduce man-hours and increase quality. Navship’s new floating drydock allows engineers to perform additional inspections and repairs to meet the requirements of its rapidly growing Brazilian fleet.

Rodrigo Scarelli, Deputy Production Coordinator at Navship explained why the load bank controller upgrade was so important: “Load bank testing is an essential step in our highly efficient shipbuilding process. It allows us to accurately and safely test the operation of the vessel in accordance with the most stringent performance guidelines.

“Our fleet is growing quickly, and we needed access to additional test reporting and information, plus the ability to improve the quality standards of our load bank testing in line with the latest requirements. Crestchic’s Nova controller technology allowed us to achieve these objectives and guaranteed the reliability of our load bank equipment for the future.

“With such an efficient shipbuilding process, Navship is dedicated to installing the latest technologies that uphold its vessel construction and commissioning processes. Maintaining uptime in our Navegantes facility is critical, so moving away from legacy equipment that is becoming obsolete is an essential investment.”

Crestchic Nova load bank controller technology
Microprocessor technology is constantly evolving, making components for older hardware increasingly more difficult to source. This, combined with advancements in software functionality were the reasons Crestchic innovated its Nova controller technology.

Designed using the latest microprocessor technology, paired with Orion control system software, this futureproof solution prevents downtime due to component failure or obsolescence.

Engineers are able to operate individual or multiple load banks from a single controller and extend the system to control up to 15 load banks with proportional load-sharing. The high-speed fibre optic control cabling makes the system operable over a much greater distance and the load-step synchronisation mechanism produces clean load switching, both within a single load bank and across multiple units. For the marine sector in particular, the Nova controller with Orion software offers motor test facilities.

Importantly, once upgraded, load banks using the Nova system are compatible with all new build Crestchic products, to offer scalability to growing businesses.

The Orion control system features a large operating interface display, allowing data and frequency response curves to be displayed clearly. Advanced features of the control system can be easily accessed such as graphical display of transient performance at load change, recording of instrumentation data and storage of multi-user-defined load profiles. The Nova AC load bank control system is designed for use in resistive/reactive or resistive-only operations.

30 years’ experience serving the shipbuilding sector vessel testing
Upgrading Navship’s load bank control system, including all elements and elements plates is the latest example of Crestchic’s expertise in the shipbuilding sector. With more than 30 years’ experience in the testing and commissioning of marine generators, from small ferries to super tankers, from conventional engines with propeller shafts to multi-unit all-electric ships, Crestchic’s highly specialised marine and shipyard load banks are widely used for the testing of gensets, gas turbines, UPS and DC systems.

For more information on how Crestchic futureproofs load banks for the shipbuilder vessel testing market, call +44 (0)1283 531 645 or compete the contact form online.

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Arriving onsite, Steven Jewell, service engineer for Crestchic, worked with the European naval team to inspect and commission the load bank built into a 10ft ISO container. 

Steven explains: “The ship’s crew were very interested in overseeing the commissioning of the load bank and before the formal training began, they observed the load bank being inspected inside and out. I conducted insulation tests on the main connection terminals and auxiliary supplies to ensure they were all above 550 megaohms at 500V, then connected the main cables from the ship. 

“There were five cables per phase and earth, and I recommended that the auxiliary supply was used to maintain power to the load bank in case the generator on test was to fail. This way there would still be power for the load bank controls and cooling. The auxiliary power was supplied from the jetty’s distribution panel nearby.”

Load bank training for performance and safety

Once connected, the Crestchic team and the naval crew boarded the ship to begin the formal load bank training. The presentation began with load bank familiarisation and specification, then covered electrical connections, control cable connections, control switches and indicators on the load bank.

The main body of the presentation looked at operating limits, how to successfully use the control systems and software, safety and maintenance. 

Hands-on load bank experience 

After the training, the naval team were given the opportunity to test out what they had learned, using the load bank against the ship’s generator with each attendee operating the software, applying loads, starting and stopping the load bank. 

The Crestchic team used this hands-on session to demonstrate further best practice whilst running tests on the vessel’s generator.

Steven concludes: “Load banks are essential for marine applications, none more so than naval and military vessels where performance can mean life or death. Regularly using a load bank to ensure the generators on board are capable of handling the required loads should form part of the vessels regular maintenance procedures, and knowing how to do this safely and accurately is of great importance. 

“This is why we finish our training sessions with hands-on learning, to ensure that those responsible for working with the load bank are competent in doing so and have the confidence to test with accuracy and in accordance with best practice.”

Load banks for naval applications

There are many electrical systems onboard naval and military vessels that must remain active in the event of a primary power outage. 

Propulsion systems, refrigeration, light, heat and air conditioning, and of course weapon systems. Load bank testing ensures the back-up generator is capable of handling these loads, and how they interact with each other in the event of a primary power failure. 

With over 30 years’ experience in the field, Crestchic’s highly specialised, containerised load banks are widely used by naval forces throughout the world for testing gensets, gas turbines, UPS and DV systems. 

For more information, contact Crestchic on +44 (0)1283 531 645 or complete the online contact form.

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Due to advancements in microprocessor technology, components for the site’s Eclipse 3.1 load bank control system were becoming obsolete, leaving the campus vulnerable to power testing failures. To prevent this, and to improve overall testing performance, Crestchic upgraded the control system to its latest NOVA hardware, alongside the installation of a new emergency stop system, fibre connectivity, and a rugged LC80 tablet control.

Steven Jewell, Service Engineer for Crestchic, comments on the essential upgrades:

“This data centre offers 11,700 m² of server space and has a maximum IT load of 17.1 MW. That amount of power needs a substantial and well-tested backup solution to prevent financially crippling downtime.

“The loadbank at this site is used to test the backup power system in a way that is robust and proactive to mitigate the risk of failure. When the customer learned that their control system was becoming harder to maintain and repair due to legacy components, they scheduled an upgrade to the latest controller technology without hesitation.”

Installing the NOVA controller technology

Not only does the NOVA controller technology meet the latest microprocessor technology standards, it also enables additional operational and performance benefits such as the installation of fibre connectivity and the introduction of the LC80 tablet.

A large operating interface display

As part of this data centre’s NOVA upgrade, the team opted for a rugged IP65, LC80 tablet that offers a large operating interface display. From here, data and frequency response curves can be clearly observed and engineers can access a range of advanced features such as a graphical display of transient performance at load change, recording of instrumentation data, and storage of multi-user-defined load-profiles.

Fast, interference-free fibre-optic communications

During these upgrades, the Crestchic team installed high-speed fibre optic cables back to the data centre’s building management system (BMS), delivering far faster data transfer capabilities.

With long distances of up to 500m possible without the need for signal boosting, and total immunity to electrical noise interference, Crestchic’s fibre control is a natural choice for demanding data centre environments.

Steven concludes: “With the upgrade works to the load bank control system complete, the data centre operator can now continue with its regular generator testing, safe in the knowledge that they have state-of-the-art technology at their fingertips.

“Crestchic is proactive in recommending system upgrades to its customers whenever technology becomes obsolete, or components become hard to source. This way, we can prevent downtime and help keep our customer’s sites working smoothly.”

Backup power testing best practice for data centres

A robust and proactive approach to the maintenance and testing of the power system is crucial to alleviate the chance of failure. However – it is vital that this doesn’t become a tick-box exercise – implementing a testing regime which validates the reliability and performance of backup power must be done under the types of loads found in real operational conditions. With this in mind, what would be considered best practice for testing a backup power system?

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.

For more information, contact Crestchic on +44 (0)1283 531 645 or complete the online contact form.

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A Modbus interface module, STAR-DELTA and 400Hz operation are all imminent releases for NOVA. Foreign language versions will become available in 2021.

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

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NOVA uses fibre-optic communication as standard, the benefits being that we can run long distances without the need to boost signals and there is zero chance of electrical interference from the main load cables. The feedback from our rental department is of highly stable communications providing rapid command implementation and data readings from the system instrumentation. Customer feedback has been equally good, and the first update of the ORION software since its initial release is imminent.

We intend to roll-out the NOVA control system to most containerised fleet load banks over the next 18 months.

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 controls package, please contact us here: Contact Form

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