A load bank is a device which develops an electrical load, applies the load to an electrical power source and converts or dissipates the resultant power output of the source. A load bank includes load elements with protection, control, metering and accessory devices required for operation. Load banks can either be permanently installed at a facility and permanently connected to a power source or portable versions can be used for testing power sources such as standby generators and batteries. Load banks are the best way to replicate, prove and verify the real-life demands on critical power systems.
The convective heat is generated from the heating elements when the forced air is made contact with the heater. The electrical connections are wired on the mounting flange while the circuit design is entirely based on the individual target application. A terminal boxing enclosure is available to protect the air duct heater from physical disturbance. To explore further about possible types of duct heaters that could be used as load banks, visit HSCO technical team / representatives for additional information.
The applied load from the duct air heater can be controlled by a temperature controller which is used to adjust the applied temperature. A calibration from the applied temperature into electrical load can be used to ensure that the heater will provide the proper load for the testing. The heater temperature controller is particularly useful for testing a generator’s capacity with multiple loads. Testing a power generator with various ranges of load can fully test its stability. Since the duct heater is designed to be flexible to use, it can be used for regular generator maintenance. Periodic generator tests are essential to maintain the stability and endurance of the windmill process. In addition, regular testing can reduce the amount of potential delays on large repair and replacements for the defective power generator.
In addition to the windmill system testing, an air duct heater can also be used to remove unwanted chemical build-ups of the turbine system, such as carbon accumulation, from the equipment since many organic and inorganic compounds dissociate from metallic structures at high temperature. This could be done simultaneously with the regular load testing/maintenance while minimizing the physical cleaning time.
Duct air heaters could also be used in energy industries other than in wind power generation. Any industry that requires load testing on power generator sets or batteries could use load banks to test the power system’s capability. The function is similar to the wind turbine testing which is to force the power system to perform as it is designed by applying the artificial load.
The design of the load bank air duct heater will be customized based on the target windmill’s structure and specification. Information such as the environment, generator design and load requirements of the wind turbines are essentially needed in order to build an efficient load bank that will fit to your target application. Therefore, feel free to contact HSCO technical supports for information, inquiries about the load bank design or the price quote.