{"id":4888,"date":"2026-03-27T19:17:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T18:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/comment-fonctionne-un-banc-de-charge-ou-banc-de-test\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T16:12:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T14:12:02","slug":"how-does-a-load-bank-or-test-bench-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/en\/how-does-a-load-bank-or-test-bench-work\/","title":{"rendered":"How does a load bank (or test bench) work?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The load bench is your ally. Running your equipment on a load bank guarantees that it will deliver its rated performance over time. It’s the tool that, independently of an installation or electrical network, will enable you to test, maintain, carry out trials, commission and check your power sources and those of your customers. Whether for reasons of safety, maintenance, regulatory compliance or risk anticipation, a test bench (or load bank) is essential to guarantee, over the long term, correct operation of your equipment (generators, inverters, batteries, motors, turbines, etc.) and a reduction in equipment breakdowns.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Principle<\/p>\n<\/div>

Load bank principle<\/h2><\/div>

Thanks to variable power and different types of load (resistive, capacitive or inductive), the load bank will reproduce your operating conditions or specifications exactly, enabling you to check that the power supply systems (genset, inverter, battery) are capable of delivering the electrical power required.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

How it works<\/p>\n<\/div>

Operation of a load bank (or test bench)<\/h2><\/div>

The operation of a load bank is relatively simple. The test bench applies a load (resistive and\/or reactive) to the power source, generating an electric current that flows through the loads. As the current flows, the loads dissipate energy, mainly in the form of heat. Load banks can be adapted to different power requirements, from a few kilowatts (kW) to several mega watts (MW). Depending on the power of the test bench, it can be equipped with a ventilation system to dissipate the heat created.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Resistive load bank: generator testing<\/h3><\/div>

Most emergency power supplies (GHGs, inverters) or auxiliary power supplies (site GEs) are used under load for long periods. A resistive load bank will enable these devices to be tested up to full load, so as to guarantee their performance without cutting off or disrupting the installation’s electrical network. <\/p>\n

Indeed, at low load, the engine of a generator set (GE) does not reach its optimum operating temperature, and clogs up. To prevent failure and maintain rated power on your genset, it’s imperative to use or test your equipment with a minimum load of 30% to 50%. <\/p>\n

Please note that resistive loadbanks allow you to test only the active part of your generators.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Reactive load bank (inductive or inductive load, capacitive load…) to correct the power factor of a plant<\/h3><\/div>

Used alone, reactive loads correct the power factor of your installation by compensating for the phase shift between voltage and current, created by the consumption of reactive energy. The main consumers of reactive energy are: fluorescent lighting ballasts, transformers, motors, LED lighting and long cable runs… <\/p>\n

Combined with resistive loads, reactive loads enable you to test your equipment at full power, and also to simulate equipment that consumes reactive energy.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>

Rack-mountable load bank, testing the entire power line of a data center<\/h3><\/div>

The rack-mountable load bank (which fits into a server rack) can be used to simulate a server’s power consumption, and thus to test both its power supply (including when switching from the main source to UPS and generator backup sources), and the evacuation of the heat generated by the air-conditioning systems. These tests are carried out almost systematically during data center commissioning, before the servers are installed. For large data centers, hundreds of rack-mounted test benches may be needed to perform these tests. <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>

Discharge bench, testing DC generators for power, capacity and reliability<\/h3><\/div>

Direct current is widely used in power electronics equipment (inverters, chargers, drives, etc.) and embedded systems. As with any power supply system, it’s essential to test them to check that they’re working properly, and also to ensure that battery-powered systems are self-sufficient. This is also a question of safety. For all types of battery, particularly lithium-ion, it is important to discharge the battery during the transport phase (risk of electric shock, sparks, etc.). <\/p>\n

With a range of modular products and a wide choice of designs (resistive and\/or inductive\/selfish and\/or capacitive loads, rackable load banks, tunnels, discharge benches, containers, etc.), Delta-Resistel can design and build your equipment. This guarantees that we can meet your specific test, commissioning and measurement system needs, and meet your requirements with safety and peace of mind.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4889,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technical"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4888"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5299,"href":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4888\/revisions\/5299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delta-resistel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}