Hillstone Middle East Trading LLC NEW office address

The location address for the new Dubai offices are available on google maps

PO Box 61574, Dubai

Office #107, Corner City Building, Near Coca-Cola office, Al Badia-Festival City, Dubai, UAE

Tel - +971 (0) 42559355
Fax - +971 (0) 42514593

Hillstone MET operate under a Commercial License for sales and rental service for Hillstone Loadbanks UK.

Dubai loadbank service center

Hillstone Middle East Trading LLC will with immediate effect automatically transfer all warranty and service contracts for any load banks or battery chargers that have been purchased via any sales channels in the Middle East under its control.

Hillstone MET will be able to offer equipment annual service contracts both on site and at customers facilities

Additional services will include training courses on our suite of software from our offices.

For further information please contact Mr Paul Smethurst - 00971 503690433

Hillstone Middle East Trading LLC

Hillstone Middle East Trading is now officially open for business!

Based in Dubai, UAE - Hillstone MET, has been issued a trading and service licence to allow the sale of load banks on behalf of Hillstone Products Ltd - UK and also to operate a load bank rental fleet.

Hillstone MET will also provide professional services for testing and commissioning as part of mechanical and electrical Integrated System Testing, commonly delivered to the Datacenter industry

The registered office is located at Office #107, Corner City Building, Near to Coca-Cola Offices, Al Badia/Festival City, Dubai, UAE.

Press article on rack mounted mini tower load banks at Telecity -Powergate

During the last quarter of 2010 Hillstone designed and supplied 2.2MW of 6KW 19" rack load banks in 122 portable mini towers, to Telecity Powergate datacentre facility in West London.

The following picture and supporting text was published on  the web site ZDNet UK

To get a picture of how the datacentre consumes power day-by-day, Telecity has hundreds of server-simulators (pictured) available that it uses to mimic the expected power load. 

This helps them find kinks in their power distribution systems before customers put their racks in. 

The modelling lets Telecity stress-test the power systems' response to demand spikes and expected loads.

Photo credit: Jack Clark

Hillstone have 3MW of rack mounted load banks available for rental in depots located in UK, Poland and Dubai

www.hillstone.co.uk  UK: +44(0) 161 763 3100    sales@hillstone.co.uk 

Hillstone to Exhibit at Middle East 2012 - Dubai

Stand ZH19 will host Hillstone loadbanks and the new commissioning and high voltage testing services

Hillstone will for the first time finally exhibit at the Middle East Electricity Show in Dubai on 7-9th February 2012.

The show will be the ideal platform to show case our established UAE hire fleet and our expansion into load bank manufacture in Dubai.

We have also created a datacenter division which is focused on integrated system testing, commissioning and high voltage services.

The show will also be used by our Middle East partners to engage and develop new & existing customers  opportunities and potentials.

www.hillstone.co.uk  UK: +44(0) 161 763 3100    sales@hillstone.co.uk 

UAE: +971 (0)50 369 0433

Server Simulator 19" rack load banks in UAE rental depot

The Hillstone Middle East load bank rental depot in Dubai has received its first batch of  19" rack mounted server simulators.

40 load banks of type HAC230-6RM - the versatile 6KW load bank, were instantly deployed to assist in an Integrated System Testing in Abu Dabhi, UAE.  

The IST programme was an extra to the original design and build and the new tenant requested that heat load testing be carried out to establish the HVAC and power operated in the room without hot spots or failure.  

Assisting our direct customer, a datacentre consultancy company in Dubai, a pre-deployment site visit was made by Paul Smethurst - CEO Hillstone Middle East to establish the clients requirements.  

The datahall did not have any racks installed but the 125 ceiling mounted 16A single phase power points allow easy connection to the 19" rack load banks.  A total room loading requirement was established at 220KW

A total of 38 units were positioned over the intended rack locations and 114 connections were made to the  load banks.

The delivery, installation, removal and return delivery was provided by Hillstone's local partner.

The datacentre consultant provided temperature logging devices and oversaw the 12 hour heat test.

The programme took only 2 days on site and gave the pending tenant the re-assurance the datahall will be ready to use.

For further information please contact Paul Smethurst on +971 (0)50 369 0433

Neal Foster – New Senior Sales Manager for Hillstone Loadbanks

Editorial in WIP magazine

Neal Foster (41) is the newly-appointed Senior Sales Manager for  Hillstone Loadbanks, the UK-based company which has established an international reputation for its design, manufacture and rental operations involving  AC & DC load banks to customers  in Europe, the Middle East and in Asia.  

Paul Smethurst,  Managing Director of Hillstone Products, told WIP:  "Neal Foster is a professional who brings with him a wealth of knowledge about loadbank technology and a unique understanding of the engineering aspects of the business. We are very pleased to have on our team."

Neal himself has 25 years' experience in mechanical and electrical  engineering and began his career as a mechanical engineer for a small engineer firm in Suffolk, before joining the Royal Navy as a marine engineer. A former Lead Engineer with Stiell Facilities Ltd,  where he was responsible for the electrical infrastructure of a large telecommunications company's data centre, he went on to work with Emerson Network Power as the UPS Technical Supervisor, before being promoted to Technical Service Sales Manager, gaining a wealth of experience in testing of UPS and data Centre. He has worked closely with clients on IST, Black Building Testing, Commissioning and SATs, for both new installs and maintenance.

Comments Neal: "This appointment is a new challenge for me in a field where I have worked for most of my professional life. Today's load banks - in particular - have a key role to play within data centres, being used for testing black starts generators, UPS systems and standby batteries, in addition to HVAC. Hillstone has rightly earned an international reputation for reacting quickly and efficiently to requests for rental equipment, thanks to our own fleet of vehicles which provides an unparalleled nationwide delivery and installation service to meet the requirements of our data centre customers.”

Testing on CLOUD 9

The number of new data centres is set for a significant increase in the next few years to cater for the world’s insatiable demand for data storage. 

One factor which will push the requirement for data centres is the success of the Apple iPad and similar products from other manufacturers.

Apple alone sold over 7 million iPads in the last quarter of 2010 and plans production of even greater numbers during 2011 and beyond.


The vast array of smart phones and portable tablet devices that can now access the web, and do not use traditional hard drive data storage – in addition to the consumer market’s use of social networking web sites such as Facebook & MySpace and tools such as Twitter and Blogs – have created a greater demand for cloud computing. 

All this data has to be stored somewhere, theoretically up on the ‘cloud’, when in reality it is stored down on earth in data centres. It is not just the reliability of data storage but also increased storage capacity that will be a critical factor when designing heating ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) for data centres. 

The consultant’s objective in commissioning the HVAC in a data centre is to ensure the data hall is designed for the required servers and data storage equipment. It is here the use of load banks as server simulators enable close representation to live running conditions.

Hillstone Products has, for over 20 years, designed, manufactured and rented load banks for specialised markets. 

“Our range of 19” rack mounted load banks have been supplied to test both HVAC and the electrical power infrastructure” said managing director Paul Smethurst. 

20KW mini towers fitted with 3 x 6.66KW 4U 19" rack loads

“When the rack mounted load banks are fitted into our 20KW Mini-Towers, data halls can be commissioned and even sold to clients prior to ‘fitting out’ of the racks”.

Load banks have an important role within data centres being used for testing black starts generators, UPS systems and standby batteries, in addition to HVAC.

“We are able to react quickly and efficiently to requests for rental equipment, with our own fleet of vehicles, which provides an unparalleled nationwide delivery and installation service to meet the requirements of our data centre customers”.

Recent projects have included the supply of over 2.5 MW of 19” rack modules to a leading co-location customer, thus allowing the sale of available new data halls. This project also included the use of over a hundred mini towers to ensure an even heat distribution was achieved prior to the racks being installed. When the racks and cooling containment pods are fitted, the rack mounted load banks are then fitted into the racks to ensure full server simulation is achieved during commissioning.

www.hillstone.co.uk    Tel +44(0) 161 763 3100    sales@hillstone.co.uk 

UAE Solar Salim Mastan load bank

The following video from You Tube showing a DC load bank on rental to discharge batteries on a solar array in Dubai

For further information on the largest DC rental fleet of load banks in the Middle East please contact:

-  Hillstone Middle East Load Banks - UAE: + 971 50 3690433

Middle East Power editorial Feb 2011

The following article is a copy of the editorial in the February addition of Middle East Power.  Middle East Power is the official magazine for the Dubai based Middle East Electricity Show held on the 8th to the 10th February 2011.

This press feature covers a recent load bank rental project for the new Green Line of the Dubai Metro which used both hire AC & DC load banks.

The Dubai Metro loads up with Hillstone

In a major contract Hillstone Products Ltd recently provided loadbanks for 

the autonomous testing of the UPS systems installed by the Dubai Metro, a 

driverless, fully-automated Metro network in the United Arab Emirates 

city of Dubai in the UAE. WIP has the story.

When the Dubai Metro needed to find load banks to commission standby UPS systems on the Dubai Metro Green Line, it was fortunate that a UAE hire fleet from Hillstone Products had just the range of AC & DC load banks to fit project requirements.

The Dubai Metro, a driverless, fully- automated Metro network in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai in the UAE, has already carried approximately 20 million passengers since it opened in 2009.
Hillstone reports that 200kW and 300kW AC units along with 120V DC load banks were supplied for autonomy load testing and battery capacity testing by the Metro.

Paul Smethurst, MD of Hillstone, told MEP: “Since 2008 Hillstone have successfully operated a specialised Load Bank Rental Service from Dubai covering the whole Middle East region.”
Hillstone’s Load Bank Fleet contains an extensive range of both AC and DC units. The DC load banks are said to be very portable and allow for ease of movement to the battery or UPS room by one man.  The AC load banks are designed with a small footprint and can deliver high power ratings with the use of the intelligent parallel hand held controller.

A cornerstone of the successful rental service is the technical support given by the UK engineering department, says the company. Every enquiry is fully supported to ensure the UAE sales team can provide the highest engineering standard and solution to the customer.
Part of the technical discussions for DC load banks requirements often starts with the need to established the type, size and capacity of the battery to allow selection of a suitable load bank, says Paul.
“Our customers get the reassurance from our extensive experience of UK engineering standards to ensure the load bank package suits the commissioning needs” Paul reports.

“Our DC load banks are used for commissioning testing for both Ni-Cad and Lead Acid batteries used on telecom and UPS standby systems. With ratings available from 12V to 600V and allowing discharge testing from 50A to over 4000A, we can satisfy most requirements across the Middle East,” says Paul.
All the specialist equipment has been designed and manufactured by Hillstone in the UK and regular additions to the fleet are introduced.

The Middle East fleet includes AC load banks of both single-phase and 3-phase designs with portable equipment rated from 14KW 240V single phase. Larger 3 - phase designs include 100KW, 200KW, 300KW, 500KW and 650KW load banks, with total power availability of over 3000KW when the units are linked together.

One recent project involved the supply of 650KW load banks to Qatar Gas for the Dubai-based oil rig manufacturer J Ray McDermott. A load bank was required for the commissioning & testing of the platform’s electrical power system during production in Dubai and also during the rig transfer to Qatar.

Hillstone has expansion plans for 2011 which include the opening of a new rental depot in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “This is a very exciting opportunity with the introduction of a depot inside the Kingdom allowing for an enhanced service to customers and an opportunity to overcome the importing and re export costs presently experienced,” Paul concludes.

  www.hillstone.co.uk    Tel +971 503690433     sales@hillstone.co.uk 

Safety First for Hillstone Load Bank Hire Service

The site service division of Hillstone Products has been developed for delivery, installations and removal of rental load banks.   Our abilities now extend to provide the highest safety standards when supplying from the wide range of AC load banks used for testing UPS systems, gensets and HVAC.

The site service team operates using:

• 4x4 towing off road utility vehicles
  
• Jumbo transit vans
  
• Long wheel based towing vans

All vehicles are fitted with rear view camera's and reversing sounders, flashing roof and front grill beacons to comply with UK health and safety on-site driving requirements.

When the need to provide a road tow load bank exists we can use vehicles that are fitted with digital tachographs so we can comply with European driving legislation 

Where possible we utilise our low carbon emission vans, this both keeps our transportations costs to a minimum and improves our impact on the environment.

Our proactive safety policy is backed up with our ISO9001 quality standards which includes our vans being fitted with winches for the use with tail ramps to allow the safe loading and unloading of load banks. 


We are therefore not dependant on using customers or site fork lift trucks so unloading on busy sites is kept to a minimum and thus improving our efficiency and keeping customers costs to a minimum.

The site service package also includes a high level of documentation such as specific and generic method statements and risk assessments, operating manuals, installation diagrams and equipment quality assurance certificates.

Each load bank technician is equipped with CSCS cards and full PPE equipment to UK standards including: goggles, gloves, hats, boots, high viz clothing.

Our site duties ( when requested ) includes for site survey, equipment off loading, cable laying, positioning of load banks, providing safety barriers and cable ramps and operating the load banks.  


Our reputation for high levels of professional service and politeness is ensuring customers use Hillstone as their preferred load bank solutions partner.

www.hillstone.co.uk    Tel +44(0) 161 763 3100    sales@hillstone.co.uk 

ADIPEC oil & gas show, 1-4 Nov 2010

Hillstone exhibited along side our then Middle East partner at the 2010 ADIPEC exhibition in Abu Dhabi, UAE

This is the second show that Hillstone had joined this partner at ADIPEC but we have now no longer involved with this company.


For any UAE - Middle East load bank related enquiries or for direct support on load banks supplied by Hillstone Products Limited please contact our sister company - Hillstone Middle East LLC, that is based in Dubai

www.hillstone.co.uk    Tel +971 503690433    sales@hillstone.co.uk 

Generator testing using AC load banks

Regular maintenance

Wet stacking occurs predominantly with under loaded gen-sets that are used in prime power applications. By using a load bank, as part of any regular maintenance routine, will provide the generators an essential health check and prevent diesel engine failure due to wet stacking. 

Wet stacking

Wet stacking occurs due to the lightly loading ( at levels of less than 35% for a prolong time period ) of a genset.   The consequence of low loading results in wet un-burned fuel deposits building up in the engine cylinders. This fuel residue over time will line the combustion chamber cylinders and cause a reduction of the engines performance rating and efficiency which will ultimately cause premature failure of the generator. 

As part of the regular maintenance it is recommended that the genset is loaded in incremental steps with due consideration of the age and service history of the genset is given prior to  loading at 100%

Running the generator on loads above 35% of the genset rating will allow the engine to reach the recommend operating temperature, which will burn off the choke deposits. 

Load bank generator service

Hillstone Products can provide the complete genset load banking package.  Our load bank team(s) operate across the whole of the UK and the supplied service frequently involves:

•                Off loading of the load bank
•                Positioning of the load bank with safety barriers as required
•                Laying cables without causing obstruction
•               Operating load bank  
•                Removal of equipment from site

We are happy to work along side customer's service teams or on behalf of customers as required.

The available range of load banks allows for testing of gensets up-to 2000KVA.

Our sales team are available to discuss your Genset testing requirements:

www.hillstone.co.uk    Tel +44(0) 161 763 3100    sales@hillstone.co.uk 

19" rack data center HVAC load banks

Within a server room installation and commissioning of HVAC, the use of dedicated 19" rack load banks are used as server simulators to provide heat exchange testing conditions.  This allows for verification of HVAC design and performance of cold & hot aisles.

The power consumption of server rooms typically can range from 90KW to more than 2000KW.  The use of load banks for HVAC testing by virtue that they are connected into the power infrastructure therefore allow verification of  the electrical wiring & balance of the PDU and also as part of black start testing of the standby power UPS & generator systems. 


Fitting the load banks into the racks prove to potential customers the electrical supply is ready to have the very expensive servers installed and switched on.


The typical ratings of single phase 19" load banks include 2KW, 3KW, 4KW and 6KW, allowing for connection to 16A - C19 sockets or 32A - IEC309 / BS4343 commando plugs.


Alternative solutions include the use of 24KW aisle load banks that provide 6 x 4KW load channels that are directly connected via 32A - IEC309 / BS4343 commando plugs to the under floor or ceiling mounted supply points within the data rooms.

Once the load banks are fitted it is also important to install blanking plates to seal off the racks to create  realistic thermal conditions.

Hillstone provides a complete service of load bank rental supply and installation.  We work closely with the customer to ensure the loads are installed balanced across the PDU and connected under the floor or up to ceiling power points.


Our sales team are available to discuss your HVAC testing requirement:
www.hillstone.co.uk    Tel +44(0) 161 763 3100    sales@hillstone.co.uk 

DC hire load banks

When choosing your DC load bank rental partner, your list of requirements will include:

• Complete technical understanding of  your requirement
• Availability of equipment
• Reliable logistics for both delivery and collection
• Support and backup 

For 20 years Hillstone Products, a UK manufacturer and rental company for load banks, have invested and developed the largest DC fleet of rental load banks in the UK and the Middle East - from Dubai UAE.

Our technical sales team take great pride with every enquiry to ensure that the selected equipment is fully compatible with the battery, charger or fuel cell to be tested. 

The DC load bank range are available  from 12V to 600V,  allowing discharge testing from 50A to over 1000A.  This can be achieved by using multiple portable units in parallel.  


The DC load banks are very portable and allow for ease of movement to the battery or UPS room that can be carried by one man.


The Hillstone web site hosts operating manuals for the majority of the hire fleet load banks.


A summary of the complete hire fleet range is available online at: http://www.hillstone.co.uk/hire/index.html

www.hillstone.co.uk    Tel +44(0) 161 763 3100    sales@hillstone.co.uk