Power Reliability Testing

Standby power plant reliability is critically tested during commercial AC failures. Malfunctions can be costly or disastrous. Typically system components are tested and maintained to standards, but the entire power plant as a system is only tested during a commercial power outage. This paper presents unique procedures devised in our company to simulate power failures without an actual outage. The tests are designed to verify the total system reliability under actual operating conditions. The objectives developed, and the procedures that perform these tests will be discussed. The methods outlined in the paper have been in operation for approximately 4 years, and helped to uncover a multitude of problems that could have prevented the standby power plant normal function during commercial power failure. We are confident that our experience will benefit most companies operating standby power plants, and will find a broad application in the industry.