Liquid Cooled Load Bank: Solving Heat Dissipation Challenges of High-Power Equipment for More Stable and Efficient Testing

In fields such as data centers, new energy vehicles, and industrial manufacturing, high-power equipment is rapidly evolving toward integration, miniaturization, and high computing power. Whether it is the full-load operation testing of server clusters, the power verification of new energy vehicle charging piles, or the performance calibration of industrial frequency converters, all rely on load banks as the "testing benchmark." However, as the power density of equipment exceeds 50W per square centimeter or even higher, traditional air-cooled load banks are gradually trapped in a "heat dissipation dilemma" — insufficient heat dissipation efficiency leads to a sharp rise in equipment temperature during testing. This not only causes test data drift and increased errors but also results in the burnout of load modules in severe cases, directly interrupting the testing process and bringing double losses of time and economic costs to enterprises. Against this backdrop, the liquid cooled load bank, with its excellent heat dissipation capability and stable testing performance, has become the core solution to address the heat dissipation challenges of high-power equipment.​
 

30kW liquid cooled load bank 

 

Compared with traditional air-cooled technology that relies on air convection for heat dissipation, the core advantage of liquid cooled load banks lies in "precise temperature control + efficient heat conduction." They use specialized heat-conducting media (such as long-life antifreeze, mineral oil, etc.) as heat transfer carriers, which directly contact the load modules through a closed circulation system: when high-power equipment operates in a simulated environment, the heat generated by the load modules is quickly absorbed by the heat-conducting medium. Then, the medium is transported to heat dissipation terminals (such as plate heat exchangers, water-cooled radiators) via a circulation pump, and finally, the heat is efficiently dissipated to the external environment. The entire heat dissipation process does not rely on a large amount of cold air, which not only avoids the maintenance problems of air-cooled equipment caused by fan noise and dust accumulation but also achieves a stable temperature control accuracy of ±1℃. This ensures that high-power equipment remains in the optimal operating temperature range during long-term testing, fundamentally solving the pain points of "inaccurate data and frequent interruptions" in traditional testing.​

In addition to the leapfrog improvement in heat dissipation efficiency, liquid cooled load banks also provide "customized + high-adaptability" solutions for high-power testing scenarios in different industries. In the data center field, to meet the full-power testing needs of entire server units, liquid cooled load banks can be adapted to server racks of different specifications through modular design, supporting a maximum single-rack load power of 100kW. At the same time, they are compatible with various interface protocols such as PCIe and SAS, enabling comprehensive performance verification of core server components including CPUs, memory, and hard drives. In the new energy vehicle field, to address the high-voltage testing needs of charging piles and on-board power supplies, liquid cooled load banks can be customized with high-voltage insulation systems, with a maximum withstand voltage of 1500V. They also feature dynamic load adjustment functions to simulate power fluctuation scenarios during vehicle charging, accurately testing the output stability and safety protection performance of charging piles. In the industrial manufacturing field, to meet the high-frequency testing needs of frequency converters and inverters, liquid cooled load banks can be equipped with high-speed data acquisition modules with a sampling frequency of up to 1MHz, which record parameters such as load voltage, current, and power in real time, providing accurate data support for equipment optimization.​

From the perspective of industry development trends, with the advancement of the "dual carbon" goal and the popularization of high-power equipment, liquid cooling technology has become the core direction of green testing. Compared with traditional air-cooled equipment, liquid cooled load banks can reduce heat dissipation energy consumption by more than 30% and further reduce the emission of harmful substances through closed circulation systems, complying with the construction requirements of green factories and low-carbon data centers. Taking a large data center as an example, after introducing liquid cooled load banks, the energy consumption of its server testing process decreased by 35%, saving more than one million yuan in annual electricity costs. At the same time, the testing efficiency increased by 50% — the original 24-hour full-machine testing can now be completed in 12 hours, significantly accelerating the product launch speed.​

In the future, with the continuous development of fields such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and new energy, the testing demands for high-power equipment will further escalate, and higher requirements will be put forward for the accuracy, power, and intelligence level of liquid cooled load banks. Industry enterprises need to continuously make breakthroughs in core technologies, such as developing high-efficiency heat-conducting media, optimizing intelligent control systems, and exploring the integrated application of liquid cooling and digital twin technology. This will drive the development of liquid cooled load banks toward a "more efficient, more intelligent, and more environmentally friendly" direction, providing strong support for the safe and reliable operation of high-power equipment and helping various industries move forward steadily on the path of technological innovation.