Crestchic Loadbanks appoint Siemens as a key supplier for medium voltage switchgear

As a leading supplier of load bank equipment across a range of global industries - from marine, oil & gas, data centre, and power generation sectors - Crestchic has a long history of designing and manufacturing load banks that provide accurate, reliable electrical test loads for commissioning and maintaining power systems. By working with Siemens, Crestchic is able to offer customers the global technical support and research and development expertise that comes with working hand in hand with a well-known and respected brand.

The gas-insulated 8DJH switchgear is designed for use in secondary distribution systems up to 24 kV, making it ideal for Crestchic’s medium voltage load banks. With space in many industries at a premium, the compact design of the Siemens’ switchgear is ideal for the small footprint containerised solution offered by Crestchic.

The combination of hermetically-sealed, welded stainless-steel switchgear vessels and integrated maintenance-free switching devices provides a long service life, even under adverse environmental and climatic influences. For Crestchic, which supplies customers from the desert to the Antarctic and everywhere in between, the ability to prevent ingress of saline air, humidity dust and condensation is a key concern when it comes to longevity and service life.

Crucially, when working with electrical equipment, the Siemens’ product offers key safety benefits. Tested for resistance to internal faults in accordance with the latest version of the IEC 62271-200 standard (2nd edition) of 2011, it offers maximum personal protection. The hermetically sealed primary enclosure is safe to touch and conforms to degree of protection IP 65 according to IEC 60529 for all high-voltage parts of the primary circuit, while mechanical interlocks installed in the operating mechanisms reliably prevent maloperation.

Paul Brickman, Crestchic’s Sales & Marketing Director commented, “Crestchic is delighted to be expanding our collaboration with Siemens which is synonymous with innovation and quality globally. We have been successfully using Siemens’ control gear within our load banks since 2006 and we have always been very impressed by their products and excellent customer support. By opting to use their switchgear within our medium voltage load banks, our customers stand to gain from their technical expertise and global support network.”

Along with the benefits offered by the construction of the switchgear, the simple and straightforward design ensures that operators from across the globe can quickly understand the circuit mimic, switchgear status and mode of operation.

Craig Phillips, Low and Medium Voltage Sales Lead from Siemens said “Crestchic are a leader in their field and great to see the success of a UK based company, it has been great working with the team, from initial design through to order delivery”