Simplex Titan

Stationary resistive-inductive load bank rated 1,500 kVA at 0.8 power factor, which is 1,200 kW real

Simplex Titan is one of 16 load banks tracked in the SecondWatt catalogue, each with specifications, lead times and indicative secondary-market pricing.

Simplex Titan load bank: 1,500 kVA at 0.8 pf, 1,200 kW plus 900 kVAR, NEMA-3R, 25 kW steps, D-Series control, inspection points and pricing disclosure.

The Simplex Titan is a resistive and inductive load bank rated 1,500 kVA at 0.8 power factor to 600 V AC, housed in a NEMA-3R rainproof enclosure for permanent outdoor installation. The rating unit is the whole point of this machine. A 1,500 kVA unit at 0.8 power factor is 1,200 kW of real load plus 900 kVAR of reactive load, and it is not a 1,500 kW machine. Simplex's own step figure confirms that reading. Load applies in any increment or multiple of 25 kW and 18.75 kVAR, and the square root of 25 squared plus 18.75 squared is 31.25 kVA, giving 25 divided by 31.25 equals exactly 0.80 power factor. Dividing 1,200 kW by 25 kW gives 48 steps, and dividing 900 kVAR by 18.75 kVAR also gives 48. The published numbers reconcile. Resistive elements run at 0.995 power factor and the inductive elements at 0.05, with individual element ratings of 120, 139, 240 and 480 V. Cooling is forced air with vertical top exhaust from a three phase direct-drive TEFC motor. Control is the Simplex D-Series digital load controller with a colour TFT touchpanel, local or remote, speaking MODBUS RTU over RS-485 or Ethernet. Four physical specifications are absent from both the product page and the brochure: frequency, airflow, dimensions and weight.

Why it matters

A generator's alternator and voltage regulator are only properly exercised when they supply reactive current. Loading a large set with a resistive-only bank at unity power factor lets the machine pass a test it was never really given. Titan's 900 kVAR of inductive load closes that gap. The trade is step resolution, since 25 kW on 1,200 kW is 2.1 percent granularity, coarser in percentage terms than a resistive machine of similar size.

Who buys it

Data centres and hospitals that want a permanently installed load bank for periodic generator exercising at a realistic power factor, rather than renting a machine every year. The published auto-exercise feature is the tell, because it is designed to run an unattended scheduled test and log the result. Shipyards buy the marine version. Buyers testing UPS systems want the regenerative power protection.

Role in the data center

The permanently installed exercising machine, and its distinguishing property is that it tests at a realistic power factor. Data centre load is not unity power factor, and a resistive-only bank leaves the excitation system barely worked. Regenerative power protection is the UPS-testing feature, because a double-conversion UPS under test can push power back toward the bank. NFPA 110 requires annual load bank testing of generators that do not meet their monthly exercise loading; confirm the applicable load percentages and durations against the edition adopted by the authority having jurisdiction.

Key specifications

Technical summary

Rating type: resistive and inductive, rated in kVA at 0.8 power factor, not kW. Capacity: 1,500 kVA at 0.8 power factor, which is 1,200 kW real plus 900 kVAR reactive. Load step resolution: any multiple of 25 kW and 18.75 kVAR, giving 48 steps on each axis. Element power factors: 0.995 resistive, 0.05 inductive. Voltage: to 600 V AC, with individual element ratings of 120, 139, 240 and 480 V. Control power: 120 V. Cooling: forced air, vertical airflow, top exhaust, three phase direct-drive TEFC motor with cast aluminium fan. Enclosure: NEMA-3R rainproof power section, NEMA-3R control section thermally isolated from it. Control: Simplex D-Series digital load controller, colour TFT touchpanel, MODBUS RTU over RS-485. Features: auto-load regulation, auto-exercise, regenerative power protection, multi-function metering, data logging. Elements: Powr-Web, UL Recognized, quality system certified to ISO 9001:2015.

Major variations

A marine version is published for shipyard service and is the only named variant. The D-Series controller is offered with local or remote touchscreen, and data logging is a published option. Element voltage selection spans the 120, 139, 240 and 480 V element ratings within the 600 V AC ceiling. Simplex publishes a single Titan rating of 1,500 kVA at 0.8 power factor on both the product page and the brochure, with no capacity-by-size table anywhere in the published set. The dimensional and pictorial drawings are image-only, so a smaller Titan, if one is offered, would have to be confirmed with the factory.

Configurations and options

Published features are NFPA compliance, branch circuit fuse protection, auto-load regulation, auto-exercise, regenerative power protection, multi-function metering and data logging options. The NFPA compliance line is a vendor claim and names no section or edition, so it should be read as marketing rather than a verified citation. Auto-exercise and auto-load regulation together are what make this a permanent-install machine rather than a commissioning tool, since they run an unattended scheduled test and log the result.

Compatibility and dependencies

Requires a 120 V control supply separate from the load connection, and load voltage must not exceed 600 V AC. Element voltage taps must match the installation, since the published element ratings are 120, 139, 240 and 480 V. One gap affects specification directly. Simplex publishes no frequency rating for the Titan, while it publishes 50, 60 and 400 Hz for Atlas and 50 or 60 Hz for PowerStar. A sibling's figure must not be carried across to a different platform, so any 50 Hz application should be confirmed with the factory before order.

Pricing and availability

Trend: stable No Titan price history exists to trend. One category dynamic is worth carrying at this size. Used dollars per kW overlaps new dollars per kW in the 1.5 to 3 MW class, because new pricing scales down with size while used pricing does not, so a buyer at this rating can find used asks above new list. That pattern comes from published prices on resistive air-cooled units at smaller sizes and may not hold for a resistive-inductive machine. Lead time, new: Titan does not appear on Simplex's Quick Ship stock list, and the SteadyPower listing reads please call for current lead time.. Warranty, new: No warranty term appears on the product page or in the brochure..

Lifecycle and maintenance

Simplex publishes no Titan-specific maintenance schedule. No Titan owner's manual is hosted on the Simplex site, where Atlas and PowerStar manuals both are, and the Atlas schedule must not be carried across to a different platform. No MTBF is published for Titan or for any Simplex model. What can be said from published material is that the enclosure is NEMA-3R rainproof with a thermally isolated control section, the elements are UL Recognized Powr-Web, and manufacture is certified to ISO 9001:2015. The lifecycle pattern common to load banks applies with one adjustment. Titan carries reactors as well as resistors and both are passive, so the controls, contactors and fan motor remain the ageing components while the load elements outlive them. A four-hour run at rating draws 4,800 kWh of real energy from the 1,200 kW component while the 900 kVAR circulates without drawing fuel.

Thermal and emissions profile

No on-site combustion and no direct emissions. At 1,500 kVA and 0.8 power factor the resistive section rejects roughly 1,200 kW as heat while the 900 kVAR inductive section circulates reactive power and dissipates only its own losses, so the thermal load on site is set by the kW figure rather than the kVA nameplate. Emissions during a test are those of the generator or UPS source under test.

Common failure points

• Inductive reactor winding — Reactive steps drop out, measured power factor drifts above 0.8, or audible buzz and a hot varnish smell
• Powr-Web resistive element — A 25 kW step draws no current and total real load reads below 1,200 kW
• Branch circuit fuse — A resistive or reactive step is dead while the element or reactor measures good
• TEFC fan motor — The fan stops or airflow drops, with overtemperature following quickly on a vertical top-exhaust design
• NEMA-3R enclosure and drain — Water ingress, corrosion at seams, or standing water on the enclosure floor
• Load step contactors — A step fails to pick up, or welds closed and will not shed load on command
• D-Series controller and touchpanel — The display fails, touch response degrades, or data logging stops writing

Inspection checklist

Nameplate rating: confirm it reads 1,500 kVA at 0.8 power factor and not 1,500 kW, because that is the single most expensive mis-specification here. Resistive element continuity: meter all 48 resistive steps, since 1,200 kW divided by 25 kW gives 48. Inductive reactor continuity and insulation: check all 48 reactive steps, since 900 kVAR divided by 18.75 kVAR also gives 48. Reactor condition: inspect all 900 kVAR of reactors for winding discoloration, varnish breakdown and core noise, which a resistive-only inspection misses. Measured power factor under load: should land at 0.8 with both element sets energised, since each step is 31.25 kVA. Element voltage taps: verify configuration against the 120, 139, 240 and 480 V element ratings and the 600 V AC maximum. Branch circuit fuses: check throughout both the 1,200 kW resistive and 900 kVAR reactive sections.

Procurement channels

New through Simplex and its distributors, with SteadyPower the only reseller found listing the Titan by name and publishing no price for it. No dealer published a price for a combined resistive-inductive load bank of any manufacturer as of August 2026. Simplex's factory-certified used list covers six models, including a Nautilus 250, with kW and voltage for each and no dollar figure, and does not include the Titan.

Regional notes

Built in Springfield, Illinois, where Simplex has operated since 1951 and runs a 110,000 square foot facility with over 250 employees. The company was founded in 1934 in Burlington, Iowa and introduced its first air-cooled load bank in 1961. The published marine version targets shipyard service. Because no frequency rating is published for this model, suitability for 50 Hz markets should be confirmed with the factory rather than assumed.