Page 8 - Industrial Technology EXTRA 20th July 2020

Power protection emergency backup generators without interrupting
Power cuts are an inconvenience to anyone, at ordinary power operations by regularly running on
almost any time of day. But there are some sets of at least 25 per cent of the generator’s rated
buildings that cannot afford even a couple of power for 10-20 minutes. Running on load uses up
minutes of blackout time. Take the care industry, for expensive fuel, so the appropriate load for routine
example. If a hospital was to plunge into darkness, testing is the lowest one for the shortest time that
surgery would be suspended, life-sustaining will ensure the diesel and its ancillaries are brought
equipment would cut off and vulnerable patients up to their full working temperature.
would be placed at risk. Cressall’s load banks for fixed installations are
As a result, every hospital has a standby power designed as a stage bolt-on addition to the
supply plan in place in case of a power cut, so that generator set, requiring a space of only 40–800mm
the building never has to go a second without. A between the radiator and the acoustic splitters,
battery-powered uninterruptible power supply making them an easy addition during any initial
(UPS) can instantaneously take over if the regular generator set up. Load banks are now easier than
power supply fails. In addition, most hospitals also ever to operate thanks to features such as touch
have a diesel generator that kicks in when there screen controllers and ethernet connectivity.
isn’t a power supply from the grid. However, our While power resistors may seem as though they
fortune that power cuts are a rarity in the Western belong in large, industrial operations, it’s never too
world can also be the generator’s downfall – it never difficult to identify where they are required in
has the opportunity to prove its power. everyday life. Without this important piece of
To make sure hospital generators are able to electrical equipment, many of our services that
operate during power cuts, their efficiency must be require power in order to function simply wouldn’t
tested using a fixed load bank. The load bank allows be safe and usable.
the building manager to verify the performance of www.cressall.com

July 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA! • p8