UPS testing at full load

[jlchaves]

Hi all!

We're purchasing a new 16kVA UPS and want to test it before signing off any acceptance documents.

We usually simulate full load by using a dummy load consisting of electrodes immersed in a tank of water. Salt is added to the water until the UPS is at full load.

I'd like your comments:

1. Does anyone here use the same method to test your UPSs?

2. Up to how high a load should I test? I'm contemplating testing up to 110% load for up to 3 hours.

3. What other stuff should I test? I will probably hook up a digital oscilloscope to capture the waveform.



Thanks,

Jan

 

[ScottyUK]

jlchaves,

Have you had a look at the GE Digital Energy 'Signature' range? GE bought out the European manufacturer IMV who always had a pretty good reputation and painted the IMV product in GE's colours. We got a cracking deal a couple of years ago on an 80kVA redundant pair.

Those who use heaters as loads: if you have the time, adding a rectifer and a small smoothing cap to the element connections makes it behave like a more typical load. Obviously don't rectify the supply to the fan motor, and beware that the elements will dissipate more power than they otherwise would. I've done this a few times when I've needed a non-linear test load - not 608 times over though!


----------------------------------

One day my ship will come in.
But with my luck, I'll be at the airport!

 

[ruggedscot]

Those 608 heaters..... every one had to have a 13A plug top fitted - Ouch !

rugged

 

[stevenal]

Don't UPS manufacturers have methods already in place for testing? Agree on a test procedure and witness the testing. May be safer and more cost effective than buying a bunch of heaters or stringing cables around salt water.

 

[ruggedscot]

The heater solution was the best availiable for this task,

1. It loaded up the electrical system - the hall distribution network and switchgear, allowed us to undertake heat soak testing of the kit ensuring that there was no localised hotspots.

2. it allowed us to distribute a source of heat in a regular manner through out the hall so we could check the enviromental operation and prove that, again looking for any issues.

It did look rough and ready and a little heath robinson but it did do what it said on the tin and allowed us to test check a lot of the operation.

As you can imagine the infrastructure under went a lot of intensive testing, one of the tests involved a bolted short - this comprised of a contactor in a box and connected to a very long lead. The box was connected upto a distribution board and then activated while lots of equipment monitored the supply to check the effect and ensure that the supply was able to cope with the fault clear it and not impact any other area of the network.

Rugged

 

[stevenal]

See NEMA PE-1. Free download from the NEMA site.

 

[davidbeach]

A factory test would show that the UPS worked at the factory. Using heaters throughout the room tests the UPS, the distribution system, and the HVAC system.

 

[alehman]

http://www.loadbanks.com/

http://www.avtron.com/portable_load_banks.htm