Heavy machinery specialist Caterpillar has expanded the range of earthquake-resistant diesel generator sets available in North America.

A total of 31 generator models have now obtained International Building Code (IBC) certificates and 19 have received the Special Seismic Certification Preapproval from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD).

This means Caterpillar now sells the only IBC certified and OSHPD-preapproved 4MW generator on the market.

When things get shaky
IBC includes guidelines for fire prevention, emergency exits, accessibility and structural stability, including seismic stability. The code is published by the International Code Council (ICC) – despite its name, a very US-centric organization.

All of the states have adopted some version of the code, and the Unified Facilities Criteria for US military departments, defense agencies, and Department of Defense field activities is also based on the IBC.

To obtain IBC certification, each generator set was subjected to independent shake table testing at the US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in Illinois.

To date, Caterpillar has certified 20 models of its 60Hz gensets against IBC guidelines, from 11kW all the way to 4MW. The same certificate has been applied to eleven 50Hz models, rated from 910kVA to 4MVA.

Meanwhile OSHPD preapproval simply means that critical equipment may be installed in hospitals and similar facilities across California without the need to perform state-mandated shake testing on the actual units delivered, reducing the time needed for installation.

In total, Caterpillar has secured Special Seismic Certification Preapproval (OSP) from the OSHPD for 19 models of its 60Hz diesel generators.

Select Cat components for emergency power systems, including low- and medium-voltage paralleling switchgear and automatic transfer switches, have already received preapproval from OSHPD.