Crestchic, specialised loadbank manufacturer and loadbank rental company, has recently established a promising professional relationship with leading engine and component manufacturer, MAN Diesel & Turbo.
MAN Diesel & Turbo, France has acquired two 4500 KW resistive loadbanks and two 4.5 MVA integrated stackable step-down transformers from Crestchic, a Burton-on-Trent based business. The loadbanks and transformers are now used to test up to 6300 KW marine diesel engines, which MAN manufacture at their St Nazaire site in France. During testing, the engines are linked to a generator and the genset output is then tested. The engines are tested at 110% and for extended periods: one engine is initially run for 60 hours, then the genset is set up on the test bench and various load tests are run over the course of approximately one month.
This arrangement offers several benefits for MAN, including distinct advantages over their previous practices of using an MD directly connected 3MW HV resistor loadbank, and of hiring test packages for larger-scale tests. The Crestchic loadbanks and transformers are available whenever MAN needs them, and have customised timing and control systems that were designed specifically to meet their requirements and to be compatible with other components used on the test bench. The Crestchic products also allow MAN to comply with noise level regulations — which was not the case with their previous solution — and have generated considerable cost savings compared with their previous rental costs.
Purchasing from Crestchic also allowed MAN to eliminate live element technology, which can cause earth leakage and short circuits in resistor elements, from its test bench. The technology involved was not available from any other French loadbank suppliers. The design of Crestchic’s products, and the fact that their footprint could be reduced through stacking, were other key advantages.
MAN Diesel & Turbo SE, based in Augsburg, Germany, is the world’s leading provider of large-bore diesel and gas engines and turbomachinery. The company employs around 15,000 staff at more than 100 international sites, primarily in Germany, Denmark, France, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, India and China. The company’s product portfolio includes two-stroke and four-stroke engines for marine and stationary applications, turbochargers and propellers as well as gas and steam turbines, compressors and chemical reactors. The range of services and supplies is rounded off by complete solutions like ship propulsion systems, engine-based power plants and turbomachinery trains for the oil & gas as well as the process industries. Customers receive worldwide after-sales services marketed under the MAN PrimeServ brand.
Arnaud Guille at MAN Diesel & Turbo commented: “After careful consideration we consulted Crestchic for our unique power testing needs. As an industry leader with international capabilities and vast experience in bespoke applications Crestchic was the unrivalled choice.”
Paul Brickman Sales and Marketing Director at Crestchic commented: “It has been a pleasure to work with MAN Diesel & Turbo, helping to identify issues the company faced and supply them with products that eradicated previous pain points”.