Sharing the load: 400 load banks for generators help a data centre pass Level 5 ISAT tests

To meet UAE local data centre testing/certification standards, a new data centre needed to pass a rigorous Level 5 ISAT testing process.

Jones Engineering’s customer needed something that most suppliers couldn’t offer: a very specific type of small, rack-mountable load bank that is not commonly available on the market.

To make the challenge even more complex, the new data centre needed a supplier who could provide these load banks for heat load testing on a massive scale. A total of 400 units would be needed to meet the recommended data centre heat load requirements.

Jones Engineering knew exactly who to call: the only provider in the market with the reach and fleet required to meet such a challenge. 

We’d worked with Jones Engineering on data centre projects across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. So the team knew they could rely on us for the equipment and support they needed.

We provided the design and load calculation they needed to meet the requirement of 2.5MW of heat load. Four hundred units of 6.6kW rack-mountable restive load banks allowed Jones Engineering to simulate the necessary heat load effortlessly.

Getting everything installed and keeping it maintained took a large workforce – but we were ready with the expert support Jones Engineering needed to get the job done.

After installing the load banks – plus the nine kilometers of cable needed to get them running – we were on hand to make sure everything worked perfectly. 

Once the load banks were installed, two Aggreko engineers and two full-time operators to run and test the units remained on site, ready to leap into action.

Every time load testing was conducted, the operators were there to operate the load banks. And their extensive industry and technical expertise meant they could make sure the load testing ran smoothly at every stage.

The whole load-testing phase of the project was completed within 50 days. Despite its complex requirements, the data centre was able to complete its testing without delay – and get its business on the road to success faster.