Hey. I'm doing a University project, and I need to get my hands on a load bank for a generator, for testing its performance. I need a purely resistive variable resistor capable of dissipating 5kW. I've searched the internet for such components but I've had no luck. My colleague did find two websites, but they are Chinese and French. Due to the time frame of this project I need it asap, so a UK based company is preferable. Does anyone know where I might find something like this?
I'll explain a little bit more about the purpose of the resistor: we're designing a gen-set system whereby an engine is powering a generator. Our job is to construct a test rig for the system and, well, test it! We're looking for a graph of rpm vs output power, so that we know how hard to run the engine to keep the UAV just above stall speed. The resistor will act as an artificial load to test the gen-set, so we can measure the voltage and current and hence power. We also want to simulate environmental changes, such as wind strength, and monitor the effect this has on the engine; and the variable resistor will allow us to do this.
I'm happy to answer questions if there are any.
Thanks very much!
Mike.