Does your mining operation have a diesel generator on standby to supply backup power in case your primary generator or connection to the grid fails? If you do, it’s likely that you start your diesel generator periodically to test it. Although you might think that you’re doing the right thing to ensure that your generator is ready to handle your operation’s power needs in an emergency, you may actually have a catastrophe waiting to happen. Your operation needs to conduct a load test on every diesel generator at least once per year.
What Is Diesel Generator Load Testing?
If your operation doesn’t currently conduct load tests, it’s likely that you test your generators by starting them about once per week. You allow your generator to run at idle — or at a percentage of its full capacity — for a few minutes before turning it off. A load test is much more systematic. It simulates what would happen if you needed to use your diesel generator to power your entire facility.
We begin by connecting a load bank to your diesel generator. Next, we start your diesel generator and allow it to idle for several minutes. Once the engine has warmed up, we use the load bank to simulate a power load that gradually increases over approximately two hours. By the end of the load test, your generator will have operated at its maximum capacity for at least 30 minutes.
When the test is over, we’ll give you a report showing how your generator performed during the test and listing any problems that we discovered.
What Are the Benefits of Diesel Generator Load Testing?
Running load tests on a diesel generator has two benefits. The first benefit is that using a simulated load is the only way to know how your generator would perform if you actually needed it to power your mining operation. You need to know that your diesel generator is ready to work if you lose your primary power source. Even a few hours of lost production can cause terrible financial hardship for a mining operation. If your generator has a problem, you need to know before an emergency occurs.
The second benefit of load testing is that it gives your generator an opportunity to come up to temperature and burn away any carbon deposits and unused fuel that has collected in the generator’s exhaust system due to under use. If a plume of black smoke comes out of your generator’s exhaust when you start the engine, it’s likely that your generator already has carbon buildups decreasing its efficiency.
Contact Us Now to Rent a Diesel Generator Set in Edmonton
Does your operation need a diesel generator for main or backup power? Contact us now to rent a diesel generator set in Edmonton. We understand the power needs of the mining industry and can quickly get a mobile generator set in place to satisfy your requirements.
Source URL: http://www.rlnenergyservices.com/blog/dont-forget-test-diesel-power-generators/
What Is Diesel Generator Load Testing?
If your operation doesn’t currently conduct load tests, it’s likely that you test your generators by starting them about once per week. You allow your generator to run at idle — or at a percentage of its full capacity — for a few minutes before turning it off. A load test is much more systematic. It simulates what would happen if you needed to use your diesel generator to power your entire facility.
We begin by connecting a load bank to your diesel generator. Next, we start your diesel generator and allow it to idle for several minutes. Once the engine has warmed up, we use the load bank to simulate a power load that gradually increases over approximately two hours. By the end of the load test, your generator will have operated at its maximum capacity for at least 30 minutes.
When the test is over, we’ll give you a report showing how your generator performed during the test and listing any problems that we discovered.
What Are the Benefits of Diesel Generator Load Testing?
Running load tests on a diesel generator has two benefits. The first benefit is that using a simulated load is the only way to know how your generator would perform if you actually needed it to power your mining operation. You need to know that your diesel generator is ready to work if you lose your primary power source. Even a few hours of lost production can cause terrible financial hardship for a mining operation. If your generator has a problem, you need to know before an emergency occurs.
The second benefit of load testing is that it gives your generator an opportunity to come up to temperature and burn away any carbon deposits and unused fuel that has collected in the generator’s exhaust system due to under use. If a plume of black smoke comes out of your generator’s exhaust when you start the engine, it’s likely that your generator already has carbon buildups decreasing its efficiency.
Contact Us Now to Rent a Diesel Generator Set in Edmonton
Does your operation need a diesel generator for main or backup power? Contact us now to rent a diesel generator set in Edmonton. We understand the power needs of the mining industry and can quickly get a mobile generator set in place to satisfy your requirements.
Source URL: http://www.rlnenergyservices.com/blog/dont-forget-test-diesel-power-generators/
