Weighing in at over 60,000 pounds, MTU Onsite Energy’s 3,250 kW generator set is the largest unit ever to undergo successful shake-table testing for International Building Code (IBC) seismic certification. The certifying test, which subjects a running generator set to random seismic accelerations in three axes to simulate an earthquake, was performed by VMC Group of Bloomingdale, NJ. The MTU Onsite Energy 3,250 kW generator set operated normally during and after the seismic test and is now certified to the IBC’s seismic standards.

MTU Onsite Energy’s 3,250 kW unit is also the largest generator set to be pre-approved by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) for use in California health care facilities. Currently, all MTU Onsite Energy diesel generator sets from 30 kW to 3,250 kW have been OSHPD pre-approved for California healthcare application use. In addition, all generator sets from 30 kW to 3,250 kW have achieved IBC seismic certification (with the exception of new Series 1600 units from 230 kW to 400 kW that will undergo testing in the near future).

“Achieving these milestones means that emergency standby generator sets from MTU Onsite Energy are now certified for use in healthcare applications in California and in all critical facilities in areas of North America subject to seismic activity,” says Dwight Wells, regional sales manager, MTU Onsite Energy. “IBC certification is required by code for emergency power systems in mission-critical applications in earthquake-prone areas. The goal of IBC certification is to verify that a standby generator set will continue to provide emergency power even after a major seismic event.”

Generator sets can be IBC certified by either shake-table testing or through more passive engineering analysis. “While shake-table testing for a generator set as large as the 3,250 kW is difficult due to limited suitable testing facilities, we felt that it was a better demonstration of the unit’s ruggedness and ability to withstand seismic forces,” says Wells.

The IBC is a comprehensive set of building standards that was adopted by the International Code Council (ICC) in 2000. The IBC harmonizes the many national, state and local codes that govern the design of structures and their components in an effort to make compliance more uniform. Currently, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have adopted various versions of the IBC as their de facto building code.