BROTHER BRENNAN CENTRE

Renewable Energy System

User Manual

Introduction The renewable energy system at the Brother Brennan Centre consists of four principal components;

1. two Whisper 500 wind turbine and controllers (3000 Watt peak power each), Figure 1 and Figure 2 and controllers, Figure 3

2. three battery packs of 24 cells each (Unigy II), Figure 4 and Figure 5 3. four Outback inverters/chargers (3600 watt each @ 48 volts, VFX3648), Figure 6 4. and a diesel backup generator

Figure 7 shows how the above components are interconnected.

Figure 1: Two Whisper 500 turbines on hill behind Brother Brennan Centre

Figure 2: Whisper 500 wind turbine

Figure 3: Charge controllers for wind turbines (diversion resistors on top, on bottom; brake,

diversion switch, and battery key switch)

Figure 4: One of three 24 cell batteries – Battery A

Figure 5: Battery B and 48 volt distribution panel behind, MATE in upper right corner

Figure 6: Outback Inverter/Charger system (AC panel on left, DC on right)

The Outback FX inverter/charger system and the Whisper wind turbines are relatively independent are only connected through the batteries. The wind turbine can only put energy into the batteries while the Outback system and put energy in (charging) or take it out (inverting). For charging it must be connected to the generator.

Figure 7: Red (high voltage AC), Orange (48 V DC), Green (Low voltage), Lt. Blue (48V AC)

Battery Bank A

48 Volt DC

Battery Bank B 48 Volt DC

Battery Bank C 48 Volt DC

48 Volt DC

Cabinet

Flexware

Inverter D(P4)

Inverter C(P3)

Inverter B(P2)

Inverter A(P1)

240Volt split

phase AC

Cabinet

Flexware

48 V O L T D C BU S S

Wind Turbine Controller and

Rectifier 1

48 volt Diversion

load

Brake

Wind Turbine Controller and

Rectifier 2

48 volt Diversion

load

Brake

240/120 V Building

Distribution

#1 Turbine

By A Frame

#2 Turbine

By Outdoor Class

Daewoo

Up

(manual)

Isuzu

Down

(auto)

240V Generator

Switch

Generator Starter Module

GSCM

5/6

3

11/12

MATE Display Module

(P0)

+12v

A

FlexNet DC

(P5) B

General Operation

Figure 8: MATE displays status and controls generator/chargers/inverters

MATE serial number: MA035149 On the MATE there are two LED lights one above the AC IN key (yellow) and one above the INV key (green). The yellow LED above the AC IN provides status of the AC from the generator.

• Flashing means generator is running but not connected to Outback system

• Solid On mean generator running, connected and in use.

• Off no generator AC present (normal)

The green LED above the INV key provides status of the inverter and also has three modes:

• Flashing means the inverter is in search or power save mode (this mode not used at BBC)

• Solid On means the batteries are supplying power to the buildings (normal)

• Off means it is not converting battery power to AC

No Power in Buildings!

If there is no power in buildings it may mean that the inverters are switched off. The green light above the INV button on the MATE should be illuminated. To check the status of the inverters press the INV button once to get to the “INVERTER CONTROL” screen. It may read “Currently: OFF”. If so, press the button below ON and the display should change to “Currently: ON”, and then press OK. The light above the INV key should turn solid green. Note if this does not work the inverter itself may need to be reset by switching the DC power off then on. Check error codes before resetting.

Press STATUS Press FX Press PG2 Press ERROR Press DOWN to scroll through error status ERROR Screens • low ac output voltage: inverter could not supply enough AC voltage to meet demand • stacking error detected: communication problem among stacked FXs • inverter overtemp: FX has reached its maximum allowed operating temperature • low battery voltage: battery voltage is below the LOW BATTERY CUT-OUT VOLTAGE set point (this is a common error and will light up even with low AC out or AC shorted) • phase loss error: not operational • high battery voltage: battery voltage rose above the safe high battery voltage level for 10 seconds • ac output shorted: inverter reached its maximum current and shutdown • ac output backfeed: usually indicates another AC power source was connected to the FX’s AC output

Brother Brennan Centre Wind Power System Operation

Overview The system consists of four major components:

1. Wind turbines that produce 48 VAC and change it into 48VDC. 2. 48V Batteries to store the produced energy 3. Inverter/Chargers that convert stored energy into 110/220VAC building power 4. Diesel Generator (backup power system) that can also automatically charge

batteries

Normal Operation

In normal operation the inverters are taking energy from the batteries and converting it into 110V/220V power for the buildings. The wind turbines are running and replacing some or all of the used energy. The system is being monitored and controller through a computer located in the MATE. If the batteries become drained and have little remaining energy the MATE controls an Automatic Generator Start (AGS) system. The generator when running will begin to charge the batteries and supply power to the buildings. When certain conditions are met the generator should shut down automatically. For the automatic features of the system to work the MATE AGS feature must be programmed in the AUTO mode. Also for the batteries to receive power from the generator the AC input must be in USE mode and the charger control must be in AUTO. If not, the generator can supply the buildings but will not re-charge the batteries.

Automatic Generator Start (AGS)

The AGS signal from the MATE is sent to the Generator Start Control Module (GSCM) in the generator house. The GSCM will try to start the generator four times – if it fails on the fourth attempt it will lock out and need to be reset. The GSCM is powered from the 12V battery which is also used to start the generator. Normally the little green light in the top left corner (Start) will be flashing slowly (1 flash every 5 seconds). When the unit receives a Start command it will light up continuously. The first thing that will happen is the generator glow plug will be energised for 15 s. While this happens a small red lamp to the right of the E-stop switch will come on to warn people the generator is about to start. Next the generator will crank over and hopefully start. When the GSCM see voltage from the generator it closes the ignition relay and signals this back to the battery house where a small yellow light comes on to indicate the generator is indeed running. However if it fails to start the GSCM start light will flash rapidly (1 flash every second). This indicates a problem which may be indicated by one of the red lights on the unit. To reset the GSCM press the little push button just above the GSCM to reset the unit. Note the GSCM has two fuses if either is blown the generator will not start. Also there is an emergency stop (E-stop) switch to the left of the GSCM. Pressing this in will kill the power to the GSCM and stop the generator or prevent it from starting.

State of Charge (SOC%)

The battery is like a large gas tank, the wind turbines and/or the generator put “gas” in and the inverter takes the “gas” out. The system monitors both the in and out and makes an estimate of how full the batteries are, or their State of Charge Percent (SOC%), 100% is full and 50% is pretty well empty. This system is not all that accurate as there are losses along the way so not all the power going it actually fills up the batteries. The longer we run the more inaccurate it becomes as the errors add up over time.

Resetting the SOC counter

One way to reset the SOC system is to do a periodic BULK charge. This charge cycle fills the batteries to a full voltage for a prescribed time. When the batteries are almost full they can’t take more charge and the current going to them falls off rapidly. At this point (high voltage and low current) there are considered 100% full and then the system will reset the SOC counter. The most sensible time to do a bulk charge is on a low-wind day with the batteries almost full. Then it won’t take long to complete the charge cycle. The following conditions can all trigger an AGS

• SOC% - if the state of charge falls below 79% then the generator will kick in and bring the SOC up to 91% and then shut off.

• Voltage Start – there are three Voltage start conditions.

• Load Start – if the load to the buildings is high (hot water, dryer, kettles, dehumidifier, etc.) over 10 kW then the generator will begin to avoid excessive draining of the batteries.

• Exercise – on the first Wednesday of each month the generator will run for 15 minutes.

There is also a “Quiet Time” from 11 PM to 8 AM where AGS will be disabled if not critical. Thus if the SOC fell below 79% at 8 PM and by 11 PM it was 84% the generator would shut down. If starting on low battery voltage then Quiet Time will be ignored.

Battery Voltage

Battery voltage is also an indicator of battery health or state of charge. It also can be inaccurate. If the buildings are drawing a lot of power the batteries will read a lower voltage than true. If the wind turbines are running fast and the building load is low then the battery voltage would read higher then true. So the best time to get the battery voltage is on a calm day early in the morning before any major activity. A fully charged battery should be about 50.9V.

Putting Brakes on Wind Turbines

The wind turbines put out about 3000 Watt in strong winds however strong wind gusts cause the turbines to furl and beats them up. So it is better to simply shut them down in very strong winds. Much better to retreat and live for another day! Each turbine has a brake switch that shorts their output and eventually stops them. On a windy day wait to a lull in the wind when applying the brake or wait until the turbine furls to one side so the power output is low. Also on days where the batteries are fully charged and the building load is low one turbine can be shut down. Do not shut the turbine DC battery power

off (key switch) without having the brake on.

Power off in Buildings (Note: Read each MATE screen carefully, it is easy to get muddled and get into the

wrong menu, and then choose the wrong action.)

From time-to-time the inverters fault and the building power goes out. Look at the inverters through the pexiglass covers and observe any illuminated red lamps. Please note which unit (A top, D bottom) and the fault showing. Then try the MATE pressing the INV(for inverter) button on the right side of the MATE. You may see Inverter

Control OFF which indicates the inverter has switched itself off. Press the button directly below ON (3rd key from left) the status should change to ON and the INV pushbutton show glow green. If this doesn’t work try resetting the inverters themselves by switching off, and then back on, the four breakers labelled Inverter A-D on the right had panel. Then try the MATE again if necessary.

Manually Charging the Batteries

Charging the batteries is controlled by the AC button on the left-hand side of the MATE. For the AC power from the generator to connect to the batteries the charger must be in the USE mode. This applies to both manual as well as automatic charging. Pressing the AC button once gets to AC Input Control – this should always be USE, if not, set it to

USE. Press the AC button key on left side again and get to Gen Start Control. This will usually be either AUTO-OFF or AUTO-ON. ON-OFF here just indicates the current status of the generator and AUTO indicates what mode the control system is in. Pressing the button below ON will chance the status to MAN-ON meaning MAN(ual) mode with generator running (ON). If not already illuminated the AC button will come on solid green and after a minute or two the yellow lamp on the electrical panel will come on. The generator has now been started. Press the AC button once more to get to the Charger Control this should be in AUTO to allow the battery charger to be connected automatically to the generator. Now press AC button once more to get to Charger Mode

Control. There are two options BULK or EQ(ualize). Press key below BULK and this will bring up the Bulk Control. Now press the key below START. You should see Bulk

Charge Started, press OK or MAIN. The generator power will gradually charge the batteries and the voltage will rise to about 55 volts and use about 150 amps of charging current. After a few hours the current will slowly drop and when below 108 amps a further two hours is required. Once the charge is finished, press the AC button twice to get to Gen Start Control. Press the button below AUTO to place the system back into AUTO(matic) mode. Once charged the SOC counter should reset to 100%.

By-passing Inverters

If something major is wrong with the system and the inverters cannot be switched on it is possible to by-pass the entire inverter-battery system and connect the buildings directly to the AC generator. There is a special procedure posted for doing this but basically it involves:

1. Disconnect batteries from inverters (four breakers in right panel) – pull down 2. Remove AC power to chargers-inverters (four right most breakers in left side

panel) – pull down 3. Disconnect AC output from inverters to buildings (middle four breakers in left

side panel) – pull down 4. Connect (by-pass) generator directly to buildings (left most four breakers on left

side panel) – pull down 5. Starting generator manually with key

When complete all 12 breakers on the left side panel will be down and the 4 breakers on the right side panel will also be down. In NORMAL operation (inverters on) all sixteen breakers are up.

Need for Energy Conservation

There maybe a general perception that as long as the wind blows the power is “Free”. Often the buildings are lit up like a Christmas tree with not a soul in sight. The batteries, for a long life, like to be fully charged and replacing them will cost $50,000. Also we have increased our electric demand since the system was installed; hot water, electric kettles, toasters, electric fridge etc. So the system now has to rely on the generator from time to time. It is important for the Brother Brennan Centre to stress that energy is a precious resource (no different than food) and we must not waste it no matter where it comes from.

• Switch of the lights!

• Use dryer sparingly – clothesline

• Limit time in dormitory shower Lastly while the wind system has had it ups and downs and fair share of problems and challenges – most of these are slowly being worked through. We may forget some of the advantages:

• For instance, we can now leave the Centre fully operational for several days without clearing out fridges, shutting down alarm systems etc.

• Our carbon dioxide emissions have been significantly reduced.

• We can now perform summer maintenance with full power available without worrying about using fuel oil.

• Wear and tear and maintenance on the generator has been reduced.

• And, of course, so has the noise.

By-passing the Outback Inverters

Normal Mode:

In normal operation the By-pass switches are open (up) and the inverter input and output switches are closed (also up). Thus all the switches are in the up position.

By-Pass Mode:

In by-pass mode the inverter input and output are disconnected from the generator and load respectively. The inverters input AC is usually also disconnected (down) although this is not absolutely required. The inverters are now disconnected from the AC generator and the load. The AC generator now by-passes the inverters and goes directly

to the buildings.

Figure 9: AC Panel (left-hand cabinet) – circuit breakers.

To switch from Normal to By-Pass

1. Turn off (push down) four breakers on right panel labeled Inverter A to D, D first

lastly A. This shuts off the DC supply to the inverters.

2. Turn off (push down) four right-most breakers on left hand (AC) panel to

disconnect AC from inverters.

3. Loosen metal plate over eight left most breakers on left hand panel.

4. Open (push down) four central (output) breakers removing inverter output from

building load.

5. Close (also down) four left most breakers (bypass) on left hand panel connecting

the generator to the buildings.

6. All switches should now be in down position.

7. Start generator manually using key

To switch from By-Pass back to Normal mode

1. Turn generator off

2. Open (move up) four left most breakers on left hand AC panel connecting the

generator to the buildings

3. Close (move up) four central breakers connecting the inverter outputs to the

building.

4. Close (move up) four right most breakers on left (AC) panel to connect generator

to the inverters.

5. All 12 switches on left hand AC panel should now be up.

6. Close (move up) all four switches on right hand DC panel labeled Inverter A to D,

do A first D last. This connects the batteries to the inverters.

7. Status lights on inverters should be green or yellow (no red).

8. On the Mate use the INV key to check that “inverter on”. The INV key should

illuminate.

9. Check light switch in battery room – if lights on the building power is also on.

Excessive Wind Speed – During periods of excessive wind speed approaching hurricanes etc. it will be better to put the brakes on to reduce the wear and tear on the turbines. Note when the wind speed is very high the Whisper controller dumps most of its energy so there is no big loss in having the brakes on. Teaching in Meadow – If the battery is in a reasonable state of charge and the meadow or outdoor class is needed and it very windy the turbines can produce excessive noise preventing effective communication. To make a more pleasant environment the diversion rocker switch on the turbine controller could be temporally put on to slow down

the turbines and dump the power (red light will be solid on). Inform the kitchen staff to avoid using the dryer/electric heaters to reduce load. Light use during summer or weekends – If the Centre does not have clients over a period of time the diversion switch on the controller could be put on one turbine with the active one providing power to top up and maintain the batteries. Winter Shutdown – Lay wind generator towers down remove tail pieces and nose cone and blades and wrap generator in waterproof tarp. Remove anemometers. Turn off Whisper Controller DC Key switch. If batteries are not charged run a BULK charge to charge the batteries completely then turn off DC breakers A-D providing power to inverters. These can run the batteries down over a long period of time. Temporary Winter Usage – If necessary the system could be turned on (DC breakers A-D) for a few hours of light usage. Alternatively the system could be put in Bypass mode to bypass the inverters and run directly on generators. Spring Startup – Touch up any paint. Check and replace return springs if showing cracks. Replace nose cone if cracked. Check turbine blades for cracks and replace any missing or torn leading edge tape, replace nose cone. Reattach tail stock. Check for cracks in wire. Install anemometers. Place brakes on and raise towers on calm day. Make sure DC key switch is turned on and Whisper controllers are energized. Turn off brakes. Annual Battery Voltage Check – With system fully charged. Put turbine brakes on. Turn off breakers A-D on Inverter DC panel. Remove plastic protective battery covers and measure and record individual cell voltages. All cells should be about 2.15V and no cell should be more than 0.05V from the mean of all. Repeat for each battery bank. Check Torque on Battery Terminals – The torque on the battery terminals should be 120 in-lbs or 14 N-m. BULK charge voltage should be 54 volts with Equalize set to 57.4 volts. Summer Rentals – Summer rentals may be under the mistaken impression that the power is free therefore there is no reason to conserve. This could not be further from reality. The batteries are most happy when fully charged. Education for all is necessary. Showers in the dormitory are now heated by electricity and this can put a heavy load on the system.

WattPlot

WattPlot (rev 4.6.10) is software that is installed on the Centre’s laptop and connects to the MATE via a RS232 to USB adaptor. WattPlot provides a graphical interface to monitor the power and battery voltage. WattPlot communicates with the MATE via a pair of GC-ATC-981 wireless RS232 wireless serial port, Figure 10.

Figure 10: GridConnect ATC-871 Wireless Serial Module

The MATE must have it SETUP/MATE/COMM/PC set to ON. The MATE communication port does not have internal power so it is wired to battery bank B to provide ±9 volts at pins 4(+) and 7(-) at the MATE. The +12v DC power to the ATC-871 is also provided by the same batteries. When transmitting the yellow transmit led should be flashing once per second indicating it is transmitting data.

Figure 11: MATE Communication port connector

Note: WattPlot activation code is 58Z0H01q09 on centre’s desktop PC (040e-f03f-0f43-921b-46a0-g) and the Mate S/N is MA035149. To move WattPlot to another computer you MUST follow the procedure listed in the WattPlot manual.

Communication Ports

The MATE, FX Inverters, and the FLEXnet DC monitor module all communicate through ports on the 10 port communication HUB. The mate is connected to port 00, the FX master L1 inverter on port 01, FX slave L1 is on ports 02, FX slaves L2 are on ports

5 4 3 2 1

.9 8 7 6

NC RDX TDX +9V GND

NC -9V NC NC

To serial radio

2 x 9V batteries

03 and 04. The FLEXnet DC monitor is on port 05. The AGS start relay is assigned to port 1 that is the FX Inverter. A large yellow LED light will illuminate on the AC panel when the generator start relay is energized.

Whisper Wind Turbine System The two wind turbines have their own controllers that consist of an electrical brake that shorts the 3 phase 48 volt windings on the turbines. When shorted the high current leads to high load torque so the turbine generator and the blades can only turn very slowly even in the strongest wind. There is also a load dump resistor bank (diversion load) that automatically takes excess power from the turbine and dumps it to prevent too high a voltage from reaching the batteries. There are two voltage settings in the Whisper controller that regulate the voltage delivered to the batteries. The “regulation on” voltage is the voltage above which 100% of the turbine output is dumped into the resistor to protect the batteries from over voltage. The “regulation off” voltage is that below which none of the power is dumped. The primary function of the controller is to convert the 48V 3Phase AC output from the turbine to 48 DC for battery storage. The controller is connected to the batteries via a key switch. Note there must be an electrical load on

the turbines either from the brake or the controller/batteries at all times or they

could spin excessively fast. The 48V DC key switches should be turned off if the turbines are not in use as the controllers can drain the batteries. Note the brakes should be on if the controller is switched off.

Figure 12: Whisper 500 Output as function of wind speed

Diversion Switch

The diversion rocker switch is located on the top of the controller, Error! Reference

source not found., to the left of the green and red LEDs. Setting the switch to “OFF” causes all the power produced by the wind turbine to be diverted the Diversion Load and the wind turbines will slow down. The Whisper 500 utilizes an external Diversion Load. (Note: The switch may not stop a rapidly spinning wind generator, however, once stopped setting the switch to “OFF” will keep the generator from spinning in most winds.)

Figure 13: Wind turbine diversion switch and LED

LED Indicators

• Steady illumination of the Green LED indicates that batteries are being charged by the wind generator.

• Steady illumination of the Red LED indicates that all available power produced by the wind generator is being diverted to the Diversion Load as a result of operator request. The operator may select this mode by setting the Diversion Switch to “OFF” or through the LCD Display. The turbines may turn slowly but will not produce power. Thus the diversion switch provides a quick and easy way

to shut down the turbines.

• A flashing Red LED indicates power is being diverted to the diversion load in order to automatically regulate the battery voltage. This will happen if the battery voltage rises above 56 volts for more than 30 seconds. It will stay in this mode until the battery voltage drops below 52 volts for 30 seconds. When this happens the turbines turn at a much reduced speed.

In normal operation the rocker switch will be “ON” and the green LED will be lit. From time to time the red LED may be blinking, typically in high winds with batteries fully charged. The operator may place the rocker switch “OFF” and the green LED will go out and the red LED will be continuously illuminated.

Turbine Serial Numbers

17293010 (#1)

17292996 (#2)

Shock absorber

The shock absorber is manufactured by Competition Engineering as a 3-way adjustable front drag racing shock. The model number is C2620 and is set to the 90/10 ratio (XF). This puts maximum damping force into shock compression when the wind turbine is returning from furling. The shock slows the rate at which the turbine furls in high winds. To set (1) hold shock vertical with rod upward, (2) extend/compress shock 10 times and then compress fully, rotate rod clockwise several times until “clicking” felt or heard, finally set index to XF, see specification at end of this document or go to http://www.competitionengineering.com/catalog/images/c2600_inst.pdf. The shock slows the rate of furl when it starts to pitch and when it returns to the normal position but does nothing at the furled stop. The small spring begins to compress to cushion the stop at the furl position. In addition, a plastic compression spring has been added as the final stop.

Figure 14: Competition Engineering’s 3-way shock absorber (model C2620 set to 90/10 XF)

Leading Edge Tape

The leading edges of the turbine blades should be covered with protective tape. The recommended tape is 3M 8607 Polyurethane Protective Tape. However this is difficult to obtain but 3M 8671 available from www.aviall.com seems to be a similar product.

Bearings

The yaw post has two 6910-2RS bearing (50 mm bore x 70 mm OD 12 mm deep). The tilt back mechanism has two 6206-2RS bearings (30 mm bore x 62 OD 16 mm deep). The propeller spindle uses 2 × 6207-2RS (35 mm bore 72 mm OD, 17mm deep) and one 6910-2RS.

Compression Spring

The furling compression spring is 4.5” long and had OD of 1” and 0.135” wire diameter. A 36” long piece can be obtained from McMaster-Carr (SKU 9662K33). Rate is 44.8 lb/in.

Yaw Furl Stops

The original yaw furl stops were rubber pads glued to the steel plate. These were replaced with Shock-Absorbing Plastic Compression Springs, 1400 in-lbs energy capacity, 1.96” diameter and 1.77” high, McMaster-Carr part# 9677K22.

Yaw Furl Bolt

The yaw furl bolt is a SAE Grade 8 bolt – 7/8” by 7” long. It is important that the shank (no thread) part of the bolt is long enough to pass through both of the 3/8” thick plates on the turbine body.

Outback Inverter/Charger System The Outback System consists of four 3600 w DC-AC inverter two for each phase of a 120V split phase system. In normal operation the inverters take the 48 Volt DC power form the batteries and convert it to 120V/240V split phase that is sent to the buildings. As it is a split phase system the load on the phases may become unbalanced so the Outback system has an autotransformer to transfer power form the lightly loaded phase to the more heavily loaded phase. There is a breaker on the Outback Flexware AC panel labeled Auto-Transformer – this should always be ON. The Flexware cabinet has two distribution panels; the one on the left handles the 120V AC side going to and from the generator and buildings while the right panel handles the 48V DC power coming from the batteries. The charger input current is limited to 18 amps which limits the overall charging current to the batteries to about 39 amps per inverter or 156 amps for the four units (~7.8 kW). In between there are four inverter/chargers (A-D) and these communicate with each other over “ports” 1-4, with port 1 (bottom) being the master and 2-4 being slaves. Control and configuration of the controllers is collected under the MATE and its programming interface. On the DC side there are four breakers that disconnect the batteries from the controllers. If the system is going to be left dormant for a long period of time (longer and a weekend) without any wind power then these four breakers should be shut off as the inverters each require about 25 watts (100 watt total) of power when in idle mode and can over a period of time drain the battery. Also on this panel there is a battery indicator which is only accurate when the generator is not running. Also there is a small breaker at the bottom of the panel for 48V DC power (not used). On the top of the AC panel (left side) there are 12 breakers with the left most 8 of these are ganged to a mechanical lockout. These are the AC bypass breakers. If for instance the batteries failed (less than 42 volts) and the inverters could not be powered the generator power could not reach the buildings.

Before starting the generator loosen the lockout using a small wrench and switch all

eight bypass breakers allowing the generator power to bypass the inverters and go

directly to the buildings. The generator power would now also be available in the control shed. The other four other breakers on the right providing AC power to the inverters could be left on. When switching back to normal mode it would be best to once again turn off the generator first, switch back the eight switches and then restart the generator.

FLEXnet DC Monitor

The FLEXnet DC monitor module, Figure 15, is located on the left hand side of the DC cabinet. It monitors the energy (current in amp-hr) entering and leaving the batteries. As the current from the wind turbines passes through Shunt A it causes a small voltage across it. Likewise the current coming from(+) or going to(-) the Outback inverter/charger passes through Shunt B and is also monitored. The total power going into the batteries is the sum of these two sources. The module also monitors the battery voltage. The state of charge (SOC), Figure 16 and Table 1, of the batteries is monitored by keeping track of the energy entering the batteries and that being drawn from the batteries. Energy withdrawn from the batteries by the inverters is removed at 100% factor while energy entering the batteries from the charger or the wind machines comes in at a lower efficiency, 94%. When the single green led is flashing SOC parameters have been met and battery recharging will cease and a discharge cycle will commence.

Figure 15: FlexNet DC Monitor Module (in DC cabinet)

Figure 16: State of charge (SOC) indicator lights

Table 1: Approximate battery voltage and state of charge

State of Charge

Volts per Cell

48 Volt battery @ temperature (deg C) Comment

5 10 15 20 25

Amp-hr 56 56 56 56 56 Regulation on

5421 52 52 52 52 52 Regulation off

100% 2.12 51.2 51.1 51.0 50.9 50.8

90% 2.10 50.8 50.7 50.6 50.5 50.4 SOC Stop 91%

80% 2.08 50.3 50.2 50.1 50.0 49.9

70% 2.06 49.8 49.7 49.6 49.5 49.4 SOC Start 79%

60% 2.04 49.3 49.2 49.1 49.0 48.9

50% 2.02 48.7 48.6 48.5 48.4 48.3

40% 1.99 48.1 48.0 47.9 47.8 47.7 24 hr start

30% 1.97 47.5 47.4 47.3 47.2 47.1 2 hr start

20% 1.93 46.7 46.6 46.5 46.4 46.3 2 minute start

10% 1.92 46.3 46.2 46.1 46.0 45.9 Shutdown

0% 1.77 42.8 42.7 42.6 42.5 42.4

Manual Battery Re-Charging

If by accident the battery voltage becomes so low that the inverters cannot be powered up then they will have to be manually recharged with the centre’s 24V charger. The general procedure is as follows (take your time and be very careful)

1. Place the AC panel in Bypass mode to provide 120V AC or bring in an external 120V generator. Turn off DC breakers (A-D) to disconnect the batteries from the inverters.

2. Remove plastic covers from batteries 3. Remove terminal wires from batteries (remember the wires could be still live

and not fused even when disconnected so wrap terminals in electrical tape!) 4. For battery A place the red (+) terminal of the charger on the + side (red post) of

cell#1 (has big “+” stamped on plate) and the negative (black) terminal of the charger on the negative terminal (black) of cell#12.

5. Turn the voltage selector knob fully clockwise to 24V full charge.

100 % >90% 80-89% 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% <50%(blink)

6. Check everything then turn timer to 1 hour. Ventilate well, very explosive

hydrogen gas may be vented during this recharging. 7. Charging current should be 20-40 amps. 8. With the charger off remove both cables and put the negative (black) cable on the

negative (black) post of cell#24 (has big “–“ stamped on plate). 9. Connect the positive (red) cable of charger to negative (black) terminal of cell#13

(happens to be the same as the + of cell#12) 10. Again check and charge for 1 hour. 11. Repeat 4-10 for batteries B and C. 12. Measure voltages on all three batteries if not up to 43 volts repeat process. 13. Finally make fine adjustments of individual batteries to balance them to within

0.1 volts. 14. Re-Connect the battery with highest voltage to inverter. 15. Re-connect battery with second highest voltage 16. Re-connect battery with third highest voltage 17. Energize inverters by throwing four DC circuit breakers (A-D) on right hand

panel.

Reference Voltages, Currents and Timers

51.551

49

51.5

53.2

54.555.255.2

54 5453.5

53

5251.5

44

46

48

50

52

54

56

10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

Time of Day (hrs)

Battery

Voltage (V

olt)

Figure 17: Typical charge cycle. Discharge from 10 to 12am, at 49V generator starts charging, when

battery voltage reaches equalize voltage, 55.2 V @ 16:00), charger current is reduced so this voltage

is held for 1 hr (17:00) then charge current is reduced further until voltage is at float voltage 54 V for

one hour (17:00-18:00 hrs) . At 18:00 the generator is shut off.

1. Whisper controller “regulation on” voltage 55.2 Volt (100% power diverted) 2. Whisper controller “regulation off” voltage 51.2Volt (0% power diverted)

The Luminous controller has a 55.2vdc regulation voltage preset when the VRLA battery is selected. To see which one you have you need to hold down the left two keys together until you get the words "enter password" to appear. You then enter "0800". Use the up

and down arro keys to move through the menu selections. There are two selections, "VRLA" and "Tubular". You want the VRLA selection which is for the 55.2vdc dump setting, with 100% dump occurring by 57.6vdc. Note if the batteries are disconnected

from this controller it will default back to “Tubular” and will have to be reset.

The batteries charge at between 2-3% per hour. Expect the generator to take 3-4 hours to change the state of charge from 76% (SOC start) to 85% (SOC stop). Typically the SOC will control the generator keeping the batter voltage (measured with generator off) at 50.0 to about 50.5 volts. Voltage start will commence at voltages below this 47.8 for the 24 hour setting. This is a secondary layer of protection is in case SOC becomes confused. The voltage start will begin a bulk charge cycle and the AGS will stop the generator when the bulk is complete.

Table 2: Outback Inverter/Charger/AGS Control Settings ADV/MATE/PG3/FN-DC Charge termination Yes

ADV/MATE/AGS/SETUP AGS port 5 (FN-DC)

ADV/MATE/AGS/SETUP AGS enabled Yes

ADV/MATE/AGS/SETUP DC genset No

ADV/MATE/AGS/SETUP Vdc genstop 76 VDC

ADV/MATE/AGS/SETUP AGS fault time 17 minutes

ADV/MATE/AGS/SETUP Cool down time 0 minute

ADV/MATE/AGS/SETUP Warm up time 0 minute

ADV/MATE/AGS/QT Weekday quiet start 10:45 pm

ADV/MATE/AGS/QT Weekday quiet stop 8:15 am

ADV/MATE/AGS/QT Weekend quiet start 10:45 pm

ADV/MATE/AGS/QT Weekend quiet stop 9:15 am

ADV/MATE/AGS/VSTART 24 hr setting 47.8

ADV/MATE/AGS/VSTART 2 hr setting 47.2

ADV/MATE/AGS/VSTART 2 min setting 46.4

ADV/MATE/AGS/LS Load start 8 KW

ADV/MATE/AGS/LS Load start delay 2 minutes

ADV/MATE/AGS/LS Load stop 6 KW

ADV/MATE/AGS/LS Load stop delay 2 minutes

ADV/MATE/AGS/%SOC %SOC start 79%

ADV/MATE/AGS/%SOC %SOC stop 86% (~3 hrs)

ADV/MATE/AGS/%SOC Charge to 100% full Disabled

ADV/MATE/AGS/EX Exercise start day Wednesday

ADV/MATE/AGS/EX Exercise start time 9:45 am

ADV/MATE/AGS/EX Exercise period 15 min

ADV/MATE/AGS/TIMERS AGS start code 0 to 128

ADV/MATE/AGS/TIMERS AGS genfault 0

SETUP/MATE/COMM/PC PC Communications ON

ADV/FX/INVERTER Low battery cut out 44 vdc

ADV/FX/INVERTER Low battery cut in 50 vdc

ADV/FX/CHARGER Charger limit 18 aac/each

ADV/FX/CHARGER Adsorb set point 54.4 vdc

ADV/FX/CHARGER Adsorb time limit 2 hrs

ADV/FX/CHARGER Equalize Voltage 57 vdc

ADV/DC/BAT Battery capacity 5400 amp hours

ADV/DC/CHARGE Return amps 108 amps

ADV/DC/CHARGE Battery voltage 54.0 vdc

ADV/DC/CHARGE Parameters met time 1 min

ADV/DC/CHARGE Charge factor 93%

ADV/DC/SHUNTA Shunt A mode Enable

ADV/DC/SHUNTB Shunt B mode Enable

ADV/DC/AUX High Volt 76 VDC

ADV/DC/AUX Low Volt 42 VDC

ADV/DC/AUX %SOC High 0%

ADV/DC/AUX %SOC Low 0%

Note: FnDC (AUX) function must be disabled leaving AGS in control

To check why the generator has started see AGS State code:

Go into advanced setup. Press MATE Press AGS Press TIMERS (note AGS Start code)

AGS State Start code

Start reason Quiet Manual End Charge cycle

Load OK

>VDC Genstop

128 Manual N/C Stop

64 Exercise Stop Stop

32 Must start Stop Stop

16 Load start Stop Stop Stop

8 Voltage 24 hr Stop Stop Charge Stop

8 Voltage 2 hr Stop Stop Charge Stop

4 Voltage 2 minute

N/C Stop Charge Stop

2 %SOC Stop Stop %SOC Stop

Whisper Controller Regulation Setpoint

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

(Full CCW) Potentiometer Turns (Full CW)

Vo

ltag

e (

48 V

syste

m) Regulation ON

Regulation OFF

Dumps current to

resistor bank if

voltage rises above

this voltage for 30 s

Resumes charging

batteries if output

voltage fall below this

voltage for 30 s

Figure 18: Whisper 500 regulator setpoint versus potentiometer (6 turns CW default, BBC setting is

52 and 56 volt, 4 turns CW)

Figure 19: OutBack Flexware DC connections

Figure 20: Outback Flexware AC Connections (120 v split phase with Autotransformer)

Solar Supplement

In summer of 2017 two solar arrays of 560 watt each were added to the energy system. Each array has 4 ×12volt@55 w each plus 4 × 12 volt@85 w each PV panels in series to produce a nominal 48 volt output. The two arrays are connected in parallel to give a combined output of 1120 watts. The PV array outputs are connected to an Outback MX60 Charge Controller under control of the MATE. The solar arrays are mounted on an equatorial mount at an angle of 35º. The array can tilt on this axis from -45º to +45º in 15º increments. Thus the solar array can directly face the sun from 9 AM to 3 PM which maximizes the output. The panels each have their own local volt/amp meter so the students can see the variation in power as the panels are rotated to face the sun. The charge controller (CC) is plugged into port 6 on the HUB.

Figure 21: Two 560 watt solar arrays

Figure 22: Wiring of Solar Panel Array

Generator Auto-Start (AGS Mode Auto Generator Start)

One controller is used to sense the battery voltage and if below a set minimum value it can send a start signal to an Atkinson Generator Start Control Module (GSCM), Figure 23, located adjacent the Isuzu generator. The GSCM will warm up the glow plug, turn the crank, and ignite the generator. If it fails it will try four times before locking out. Part of its circuitry checks the frequency of the line voltage from the generator to ensure the motor speed is correct. However this feature can cause problems when the generator is used with an Outback inverter as higher harmonics can distort the wave form and instead of seeing the normal 60 Hz the sensor can mistakenly see the second harmonic (120 Hz) causing an “Generator Hz Shutdown” error (LED just under Start). The way around this is to disable this line frequency checking by the GSCM by setting the Under and Over Frequency Shutdown voltages to 0 volts (turning them both off) and allowing the Outback system to monitor line frequency itself. If the Outback system sees an error in line frequency it can shutdown the generator (see Atkinson Engineering Application Bulletin EAB#9, July 19, 2006).

Figure 23: Atkinson GSCM for staring the generator

When the generator starts it will begin supplying power to both the buildings and the batteries. If the buildings are requiring nearly all the generator power then the batteries will not charge. However even if the buildings are switched off the charger will only be allowed 20A of current or less if the batteries do not need it. Initially the batteries will usually take all the power they can have as they are weak. However as the charge progresses their voltage will increase until they reach a recommended preset “adsorption” voltage of about 54.2V (2.26 volt/cell × 24cells). At this time the current will begin to drop and the batteries will begin their adsorption cycle for some hours where additional charge is placed in them. At the end of the adsorption cycle the generator will

automatically shutdown. Note the float / refloat cycles are not used in this remote off grid installation.

Figure 24: Control wiring for automatic generator start is split between battery and generator

houses

When the FN-DC initiates a generator start command its’ internal auxiliary relay closes (FNDCStart). This applies 12 V to a small relay (GeneratorStart) back in the generator house by connecting the low side to B-. The closing contacts on this relay grounds the manual start circuit on the GSCM (pins 5 and 6) and it begins a generator start sequence. First the glow plug relay on the GSCM closes heating the glow plug (pin 19) and this also energizes a red warning lamp in the motor shed to warn personnel that the generator is about to start. After 20 seconds the generator crank relay (pin 21) closes and the ignition relay (pin 23) also closes which together start the generator. Once the generator is started the crank and glow relays open. The ignition relay stays closed powering the fuel pump and it also sends +12 V back to the battery house which illuminates a yellow light on the DC panel to verify the generator is running. This control signal also closes a relay (BatterySaver) within the DC panel which connects the BatterySaver® module to the 48 volt main battery bank.

Note if the generator key switch is in the ‘run’ position the generator can be started via the automatic starter but it will not stop automatically. The key switch also runs the fuel pump and this will drain the battery over time if left on. Pressing the Emergency Stop button will disable the automatic start system although the generator can still be run via the local key switch. When the GSCM is working properly awaiting a start command the small LED in the top right corner will flash once every 5 seconds. When a start command is received it will come on solid. If the GSCM detects an error (failure to start generator for instance) the LED will flash rapidly (once per second) and the unit will refuse any further commands. The error must be cleared by pressing the small red push button just above the unit. Lights on the unit will also display the cause of the error.

Figure 25: GSCM in Motor House, Emergency Stop on left, reset pushbutton at top

AGS will initiate a generator start under a number of conditions:

1. Load Start. If the building load is above 10 kW for 2 minutes then the generator will start to avoid a heavy battery drain. It will stop again when the load falls below 6 kW. Note a load start will not be commenced during Quiet Time.

2. Monthly Exercise: On the first Wednesday of each month at 9:15 AM the generator will run for 15 minutes. This is to burn of carbon or clean out condensation.

3. SOC Start. When the SOC as monitored by the FLEXnet DC falls below 79% the generator will start until the SOC reaches 91%. Note if in Quiet Time the 79% SOC limit will be bypassed until Quiet Time has passed. Once a week a full recharge will be called for and the 91% stop limit will be overridden.

4. Voltage Start. There are three set points for voltage start. Upon entering a voltage start sequence the generator will run through a full BULK charge cycle, that is the battery voltage will increase to the adsorb set point (54.2Volt) and then hold this for 1 hour.

Note: When AGS (FN-DC) has been initiated a yellow lamp will illuminate on the AC panel in the battery room to indicate that 12V DC start signal has been sent to the generator. The 12volt start signal will energize as small relay in the motor house closing the manual start contacts on the GSCM. The GSCM will then close the glow plug contacts which will heat the generator glow plug and illuminate a red warning lamp on the left side of the E-stop switch. After 10 s the generator will crank over. When started the Ignition relay will close sending 12V back to the battery house to indicate the generator is running. This illuminates a yellow lamp on the DC power panel.

Storage Tank The steel fuel tank is 4’ in (1.22 m) diameter and 12’ long. The capacity of the tank is approximately 4300 liters of diesel fuel. Table 3 and Figure 26 show the volume of fuel remaining in the tank versus the level on the dip stick (in inches or cm). The tank is double walled with a vacuum seal in the cavity between. If the seal fails the pressure will change indicating a problem with the tank. The seal pressure should be checked each year.

Table 3: Diesel Fuel Tank Capacity

Level (in)

Level

(cm)

Volume

(l) Level (in)

Level

(cm)

Volume

(l)

1 3 22 25 64 2248

2 5 61 26 66 2361

3 8 111 27 69 2474

4 10 170 28 71 2586

5 13 236 29 74 2697

6 15 308 30 76 2807

7 18 386 31 79 2917

8 20 468 32 81 3024

9 23 554 33 84 3130

10 25 644 34 86 3234

11 28 738 35 89 3336

12 30 835 36 91 3435

13 33 934 37 94 3532

14 36 1036 38 97 3626

15 38 1140 39 99 3716

16 41 1246 40 102 3802

17 43 1354 41 104 3885

18 46 1463 42 107 3962

19 48 1573 43 109 4034

20 51 1684 44 112 4100

21 53 1796 45 114 4159

22 56 1909 46 117 4209

23 58 2022 47 119 4248

24 61 2135 48 122 4270

Litres of Fuel in Tank

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48

Fuel Level (inch)

Fu

el (l

ite

rs)

Figure 26: Storage Tank Capacity versus Fuel Level

Isuzu Generator The Isuzu Generator requires eight liters of SHELL Rotella 15W40 Heavy Duty Oil and the pre-fuel filter is Parker Racor Model 500 FG Diesel Filter/Water Separator. These can be obtained from Custom Generators and Equipment on Kenmount Road. The engine fuel filter is number NAPA 3386 The engine oil filter is NAPA 1334. The engine air filter is a Donaldson P821575 (NAPA Gold 6438). The maintenance schedule for oil changes is 250 hours.

Propane Furnace Cookhouse Air filter is 16”x20” by 1” thick. American Air Filter – Strata Density 37947 19500 Should be replace at beginning of season

Dorm Furnaces Gas Valve: RobertShaw-Grayson 7A6 A7J 502 (LP kit – propane)-#7200DER-SO-3 Control: Fenwal 05-32 HSI (now replaced with a Fenwal 35-655605-001) Filter: 16”x9” custom cut (Canadian Tire) – Change each season (clean in September)

Labrador Coastal

Gerry & Chris Skinner gerry@labradorcoastal.com Labrador Coastal Equipment/Newfound Energies 98 Dogberry Hill Road St. Philips, NL A1M 1C2 Canada Phone: (709) 895 6626 Toll Free: (866) 895 6626 Cell : (709) 689 6626 Fax: (709) 895 6629 www.windspot.ca www.labradorcoastal.com www.nfenergies.com

Unigy Batteries

Jeff Lambert (610) 682 – 6361 ext. 2848 (484) 995-2899 (Cell) JLambert@eastpennunigy.com PennEast Batteries

SouthWest WindPower

Bo Culton (gone now SouthWest have stopped the Whisper production – support gone) bo.culton@windenergy.com Technical Support Representative Southwest WindPower 1801 W. Route 66 Flagstaff, Az 86001 928-779-9463 ph 928-779-1485 fax

Renewable Energy Supply Inc

John (technical) and Danita (sales) MacDonald 9385 Link Road Fountain, Colorado danitamcdonald09@gmail.com

Luminous Renewable Energy Solutions

Rajarshi Sen Whisper 500 wind turbine production has moved to India Luminous Renewable Energy Solutions (P) Ltd., Gat No. 1569/B, Off Pune-Saswad Road, Vadki Village,

Pune – 412 308, INDIA. rsen@luminousrenewable.com

Constantines Engine and Performance

Performance Engineering C2620 shock replacement 22 Goldstone, St. John’s 709 753-9145 Also: http://www.summitracing.com

Custom Generators and Equipment Izuzu Generator Parts and Service 1216 Kenmount Rd, Paradise, NL A1L 1N3 Phone:(709) 364-6545

Outback Power Systems

19009 62nd Ave NE Arlington, WA 98223 www.outback.com Tech. Support: (360) 618-4363 (6 AM-5 PM PST)

WAJAX

Bearings 1164 Topsail Road 364-7959

WattPlot

Andrew Welch wattplot_info@wattplot.com www.wattplot.com

No AC Power

Turning on or off the Inverters. (Normally left ON)

• Press <INV> key once to get to INVERTER CONTROL menu, if display is “OFF” press key below ON. Green light on MATE above INV should come solid on and display should show “ON”. Note if generator is running the inverter is bypassed and the

green light will be off. Start/Stop Generator

Manually START/ STOP Generator

• Press <ACIN> key twice for GEN START CONTROL.

• Press key below ON to start generator. Display will read “MAN ON”. Yellow light on panel will illuminate to indicate control signal sent to generator. After a few minutes the yellow light on MATE will flash indicating generator running. Finally it should go solid yellow. Note starting the generator alone will not

charge the batteries – a BULK charge cycle is also required.

• Press key below OFF to stop generator. Display will read “MAN OFF”. It will take 2-3 minutes for the generator to stop.

BULK Charge Battery

Applies AC power to charge batteries

• Press <ACIN> once and check AC INPUT CONTROL is “USE”. If “DROP” press key below USE.

• Next press <ACIN> key one more time to GEN START

CONTROL – start generator. Wait until light above <ACIN> is solid yellow.

• Next Press <ACIN> twice more to get to CHARGER CONTROL

MODE.

• Press key below BULK to enter BULK CONTROL.

• Press key below START to begin a bulk charge. As the charging proceeds the battery voltage will increase to 55.4 V. After 1 hour at this voltage the charging will cease. Wind turbines may stop at 55.2 V. STOP will stop the charging.

AUTO Start/Stop

Automatically starts and stops generator to maintain battery voltage, state of charge

• Press <ACIN> key twice for GEN START CONTROL.

• Press key below AUTO to place generator start control in automatic mode.

• If either the battery SOC%, or voltage, are low the generator will automatically start and control will display “AUTO ON”.

• Make sure the enable/disable switch in generator house will allow the generator to start if required. If the generator fails to start automatically after 3 attempts it will set a fault flag which must be manually cleared.

Clearing Auto-Start

Fault

Failure to start generator automatically will set a fault

• To clear an Auto-Start fault you must manually start generator, press <ACIN> twice to GEN START CONTROL.

• Press key below ON , display will read “MAN-ON”

• After running 1-2 minutes press key below OFF. The control will be left in “MAN-OFF” (manual mode – off state). (Alternatively simply press key below AUTO and the display will read “AUTO ON”. If the generator is not required it will switch to “AUTO OFF” and automatically shut down the generator.)

• Press AUTO to restore AUTO mode. If either the battery SOC% or voltage are low the generator will automatically start.