Florham Park, N.J. — Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson (NYSE: EMR) and a global leader in maximizing availability, capacity and efficiency of critical infrastructure, reports its Avtron Sigma 2 Load Bank Control System optimizes power testing workflow, saving time and manpower, by daisy chaining up to 14 portable load banks to test, setup and adjust gen-sets and Uninterruptible Power Systems (UPSs).

"A singe technician can control, meter and network multiple load banks with the control system's three-phase instrumentation," said Bob Daniel, vice president and general manager of Avtron, part of Emerson Network Power’s ASCO® Power business. Portable load banks typically offer manual control with toggle switches, so controlling multiple units from a single system significantly reduces manpower requirements, especially when testing multiple UPSs, and improves workflow. 

The Avtron Sigma Control System, with advanced microprocessor-based control and instrumentation, is specifically developed for load bank applications. Every Sigma-controlled load bank has its own embedded control unit complete with high-accuracy voltage and current transformers, all located within the load bank. The instrumentation digitally processes raw data with high-speed sampling, providing full measurements and high update rates. 

The Avtron Sigma 2 Control System is built on 20 years of power testing and control experience spanning a global installed base of more than 1500 load banks. Networking any combination of resistive, inductive and capacitive Avtron Sigma-controlled Load Banks provides the flexibility to achieve power testing capacities of more than 50 MW. 

The Avtron Sigma 2 Intelligent Handheld Terminal (IHT) is the control interface for a range of load bank functions.   

Before testing, for example, it automatically detects power supply voltage, frequency and phases, and phase rotation to verify the supply connection. A technician can set and verify supply details any time using the Supply on Test display. Besides supply ratings, the Avtron Sigma 2 IHT calculates rated line current and kilowatts. A load correction facility compensates for supply voltage drop.

Using an integrated test editor, a technician can easily set up load steps, including percent load, power factor and time. Entering supply-on-test capacity parameters, for example, determines load control, enables the terminal to protect the supply from accidental overloading, and gives a technician the choice of applying load either in percent load, or in kW and kVA. Fully adjustable leading and lagging power factor control ranges from 0.00 to 1.00.

Automatic load control provides up to 16 timed load steps, including manual override and cyclic testing. The Avtron Sigma 2 IHT permanently retains automatic test and system options. A technician also can manually control load by selecting such parameters as percent load, or kW, kVA and power factor, eliminating the need to calculate kW and kVAR. For transient-response testing, voltage and frequency of the last load change are captured and displayed on a dynamic graph, including maximum and minimum data. 

The Avtron Sigma 2 IHT can operate load banks from distances of up to 3,000 ft. Multi-language support includes English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.

For more information on load banks and the Avtron Sigma 2 Control System, call (800) 800 ASCO (2726), email CustomerCare@Asco.com or visit www.EmersonNetworkPower.com/ASCO.

About Emerson Network Power

Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson (NYSE:EMR), delivers software, hardware and services that maximize availability, capacity and efficiency for data centers, healthcare and industrial facilities. A trusted industry leader in smart infrastructure technologies, Emerson Network Power provides innovative data center infrastructure management solutions that bridge the gap between IT and facility management and deliver efficiency and uncompromised availability regardless of capacity demands. Our solutions are supported globally by local Emerson Network Power service technicians. Learn more about Emerson Network Power products and services at www.EmersonNetworkPower.com.

About Emerson 

Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets around the world. The company is comprised of five business segments: Process Management, Industrial Automation, Network Power, Climate Technologies, and Commercial & Residential Solutions. Sales in fiscal 2014 were $24.5 billion. For more information, visit www.Emerson.com.