Load Banks

Learn the fundamentals of electronics and thermodynamics. A foundation in chemistry so that you understand what is happening in the battery would be helpful. Now apply what you have learned.

How much greater than 5 kW? Is this a one time thing?

Sounds like you're lost.

A load bank is just a giant resistance heater.

Buy one instead.

Load Banks For Sale

Aircraft Load Banks, Electrical Load Banks - Avtron Aerospace

Portable Load Banks | Load Banks | Emerson Network Power‎

I would recommend that you have some distance between the battery and whatever you use to connect/disconnect it from the load. Overloaded batteries can explode.

A coil of wire could work, if you do the calculations (or furnish more info).

So could two wires in the ground; then just collect the worms and sell them for bait.

Large wire wound resistors or resistor mats would seem to be the way to go. Most wire wound resistors can withstand high temperatures, however the resistance rises significantly as the current increases. This may not be significant if the only purpose is to discharge the battery.

If this is part of a test facility the change in resistance could be a problem and you will have to use a much larger load bank to keep it within tolerance.

Or cool it in some way, oil for example....

Even distilled water may be OK......I get gallons of the stuff from our dryer......!!

Or I saw once a dummy load made from salty water in a plastic container.....very cheap!! See here:-

Salt Water Dummy Load

It seems its nothing new.....I found many links and a youtube entry or three.....

That's a pretty small dummy load. I once saw one made out of a trash dumpster filled with water, into which the 3-phase electrodes were lowered by the boom of a forklift. It was a test load for a new installation of a 1500kW generator at 13.8kV. It was quite a sight to watch the flashing of the current flow between the electrodes under the water, and the whole thing heat up and boil!

WOW!!

Sad that nobody videoed it and put it on YouTube. Or did they?

I would suggest you use incandescant lamps for the load.

They are cheap, you (and your non-technical boss) can see when they are working and as the voltage drops, their resistance also drops to keep drawing off the power at a faster rate than a resistor bank would.

I was told that in the '80's, the Australian armed forces had to "change the polarity" of batteries for certain vehicles and this was their prefered method to dump the power.

Lamp voltage would need to relate towhatever the maximum systemvoltage would be.

Can you use it instead of wasting it? e.g.

series of elements to heat water / oil / storage radiators?

Might get a bonus if you reduce the heating bill, especially in winter!

Inexhaustible free supply of hot tea? (We used to make the tea like JRaef's barrel.)

Branch out? Light up the place? Offer extra services, e.g. welding done, etc.?

How about neighbours? They might like 5kw free? (maybe even pay for it!)

jt.

TEACHER: Jenny, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
JENNY: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong!

JENNY: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

Teacher: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree,
but also admitted it.

Now, do you know why his father didn't punish him?

Johnny: Because George still had the axe in his hand........?

I don't know how low you want the cost to be. A bunch of power resistors, preferably with fans would work.

Just had an idea which may be worth considering?

Use it to make hydrogen! Buy or make a rig for electrolosis!

You can them sell the hydrogen, or use it yourself. (go with a bang!)

jt.

I was telling a girl in the pub about my ability to guess what day a
woman was born just by feeling her boobs.
"Really" she said, "Go on then...try."
After about thirty seconds of delightful fondling she began to lose patience
and said. "Come on, what day was I born?"

I said, "Yesterday?."

Went to the store to buy gloves for the wife.

I told the cute sales girl that I didn't know her size.

She put her hand in mine and I held it for awhile.

She said "is she my size"? "Yes" I said.

She got the gloves for me.

"May I help you with anything else"?

I said, "well, she does need some new panties, and a bra too".

All men are pigs.

Pigs are from Mars; cows are from Venus.

Probably not too many people will get that.

Only us old timers.

5kW, is this a single battery or an array?

What's the voltage?