Manual For Mdb-II en (Load Bank) [PDF]

Citation preview

User Guide



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



Contents



Introduction



5



Main panel



7



Graphics display



8



Encoder



8



External clamp connection



8



USB Port



8



Emergency power off button (EPO)



9



External energy supply socket



9



Ports for connection to other MDB-IIs



9



Discharged current and alarm monitors LED bar



9



Main Status and Ready LED



10



Auxiliary I/O Contacts



10



Using the MDB-II Connecting the power cables to the MDB-II Choosing how to supply energy to the system



11 11 12



Connecting the power cables to the batteries



13



Supplying the device with energy



13



Understanding how to use the encoder to move around on the display



15



Setting discharge parameters



18



Which memory should be used?



19



What is the end of discharge voltage?



20



What current value should be used to discharge the battery?



22



How to set the end of discharge battery capacity



26



How much time should battery discharge take?



27



Starting up a discharge session



27



Pausing the discharge session



30



Stopping the discharge session



31



Items to remember



32



Navigating between internal menus



33



Reset System



34



Discharge mode



35



External Current



39



Saved Curves



42



System Alarms



44



Date and Time



46



System Language



46



Parallel functioning



47



How to set a MDB-II MASTER in SLAVE mode Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



47



How to reset a MDB-II MASTER in MASTER mode



48



How to START A DISCHARGE WITH UNITS IN PARALLEL



49



General safety information



51



Technical specifications



52



Specifications



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



53



IDENTIFICATION:



CODE



REVISION



REVISION DATE



Reference



GU______ ___ __



2.0.0 (draft)



14/04/2011



UNI EN ISO 9001:2000



REVIEW:



REVISIONED PARTS



REVISION



REVISION DATE



DESCRIPTION Paragraph(s)



3.0.0



14/04/2011



Page(s) Emission



APPROVED:



DEPT.



NAME



PREPARED BY



R&D



R.Prato



CONTROLLED BY



R&D



A.Boon



APPROVED BY



DIR



S.Farsetti



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



SIGNATURE



DATE



Introduction



MDB-II is a device that is easy to use and practical, with advanced technical characteristics.



MDB-II is a portable device, built with latest generation technology and elements, able to discharge stationary batteries in an effective, controlled, and secure manner.



The technology utilised is exclusively digital, making broad use of microprocessors. A graphic display, together with a single rotating encoder control, allow for complete control and command of the device. MDB-II allows for discharging banks of batteries with a nominal voltage from 24Vdc to 240Vdc. The maximum dischargeable current depends on the working voltage range:



Voltage range



Maximum current



24V - 120V



130 A



220V - 240V



65A



Obviously, it is possible to increase the maximum dischargeable current by connecting up to 10 MDB-II devices in parallel: in this case, obviously, the maximum dischargeable current shall be given by multiplying by the number of devices used. It is therefore possible to discharge up to a maximum of 1300 amperes. Furthermore, MDB-II is also able to measure and take into account the current discharged from a further external charge that is not directly controllable, so that it can evaluate the effective capacity drawn from the battery. Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



MDB-II is able to function autonomously, thanks to non-volatile on-board memories, to carry out and save all parameters and measurements taken during the discharge session. Below are the characteristics of the memories: • • • •



number of saveable sessions: 8 maximum session length: 15 hours temporal recording resolution: 15 seconds saved data: battery voltage and current



The content of the memories can obviously be exported onto a computer, thanks to the “MDB-II Manager” software and the USB connection, in order to allow for viewing it in graph or number form, saving it on disk, or printing it on paper.



MDB-II can function both with energy supply from the network, with ranges which range from 100Vac to 240Vac 50/60Hz, and with energy supply deriving from the same batteries being discharged.



Warning: In normal operations, the MDB-II device forces the ouput of hot air from its upper back part. The external metallic surface can reach very high temperatures! Avoid direct contact with the hands until the automatic cool-down cycle has automatically finished.



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



Main panel



MDB-II’s main panel was created to be clear, simple, and practical. On the front, all commands are available, as well as power connections, graphics display and LED bar, and the only command knob, which is a rotating encoder knob with an integrated button. Below are the details of the main characteristics and functions made available by the front panel components. GRAPHIC DISPLAY ENCODER



USB PORT AUXILIARY I/O CONTACTS



EXTERNAL CLAMP PORT



EMERGENCY



SUPPLY



POWER-OFF



SELECTOR



BUTTON LED READY



ALARM MONITOR EXTERNAL



AND DISCHARGED



ENERGY



CURRENT LED BAR



SUPPLY AND POWER-OFF



LED MAIN STATUS



SOCKET



NEGATIVE POLARITY BATTERY CONNECTION



MDB-II SLAVE



POSITIVE POLARITY



CONNECTION



BATTERY CONNECTION



PORTS



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



Graphics display Through this liquid crystal graphics display, it is possible to view the device status, electric measurements of the connected battery, and the voltage and current curves of a discharge saved in the on-board memory. Through this single display, it is also possible to set the functioning modes and the internal parameters of the MDB-II.



Encoder The control, the command, and the user interface in general, are structured in such a way as to be used by a single rotating encoder control, with an integrated “accept” button: simply rotating the encoder in a clockwise or counterclockwise motion, it is possible to navigate through the various entries of the context menus. To accept an option, simply push the encoder itself.



External clamp connection The BNC sockets available for connection of a continuous current clamp, allowing for reading the current discharged from an external device that cannot be controlled by the MDB-II itself. The value of the current that is read is added in this way to the discharge setting in order to correctly evaluate the quantity of capacity drawn from the battery. In the case of external current reading, the MDB-II discharges the current which is the difference between the set value (total current to be discharged) and the current read by the clamp (or shunt).



USB Port The USB 2.0 port on the front of the panel allows for connecting the device to a computer in order to save on disk, view, and print the contents of the MDB-II memories. The “MDB-II Manager” software notably facilitates this operation.



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



Emergency power off button (EPO) The mushroom push button allows for immediately powering off the MDB-II if necessary. This command immediately cuts all sources of energy supply to the internal electronics, causing the immediate power-off of the unit and consequently stopping the battery discharge. The unit can only be reset by resetting the button, or by rotating the red knob in a clockwise motion and pulling it out towards you.



External energy supply socket Through the external energy supply socket, it is possible to provide energy to the device from an auxiliary AC source. This operation is practically necessary if, during discharge, the battery voltage should fall to under the 105Vdc value. It is possible to connect any source of alternating voltage, starting from 110Vac up to 240Vac, 50Hz or 60Hz. To function correctly, it is important to check that the Power Source Selector, to the right of the socket, is set correctly.



Ports for connection to other MDB-IIs The two ports available on the unit front are for permitting more than one MDB-II to be connected, which is necessary if the current that needs to be discharged is more than the nominal current of the single device. The connection between various devices takes place by a simple RJ11 cable, which is commonly used for telephone appliances. The maximum length of the cable should not be more than 2 meters. There are two equivalent sockets, which allow for connecting another device in cascade connection. To function correctly, it is important to correctly set the addresses assigned to the MDB-IIs through the rotating Address Selector, just under the connection ports.



Discharged current and alarm monitors LED bar The LED bar has 10 segments on the front panel and accomplishes two tasks: during normal functioning, it indicates the percentage of discharged current in relation to the maximum allowed capacity; in the case of failure of the devices within the MDB-II, erroneous clamp connection, or irregular battery, the LED offers a detailed indication of the anomaly that has occurred.



irregular CAN-Bus communication irregular convertor/controller fans failure high dissipator temperature power surge/ irregular LEM irregular battery voltage high battery voltage low battery voltage fuse blown high system temperature



fans failur



irregular battery voltage



high batte Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



voltage



low batter voltage



Main Status and Ready LED On the front of the panel, there are 2 LEDs which immediately indicate the device conditions. The Ready LED, which is green, comes on when the power electronics have been correctly supplied from the point of view of battery polarity and voltage range, and there are no problems with the functioning of the internal power conversion statuses. The second LED, Main Status, which is below the LED bar, can have 2 different colours:



Red, when there is at least one device or setting irregularity, which could impede the start-up of a discharge session Green, when all of the requirements for starting up the discharge session are fulfilled



Yellow, when a battery is disharging



Auxiliary I/O Contacts In the upper part of the front panel, to the left of the main display, there are two panels within some red/black bushings. In the upper panel, the two Input Remote Control bushings act as: • input command when the MDB-II is used together with a battery charger, so as to automate the chargedischarge cycles. • remote manual stop command during a single discharge session with the loop function deactivated. In the lower panel, the three Output Alarm Contact bushings, clean exchange contacts, allow for signalling an alarm and/or end of discharge situation.



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



Using the MDB-II In this chapter, the following shall be discussed: how to connect the device to the battery, the operations to carry out to set the discharge parameters in the device, and how to start up, pause, and stop a discharge.



To make the MDB-II work, it is necessary to connect it as follows: • to a battery, with a voltage included in the work range, by two cables, with crocodile clamps, included with the equipment • if necessary, to an external energy supply source, through the energy supply cord included with the equipment



Connecting the power cables to the MDB-II First of all, the power battery power cables are connected to the device, to the two connectors named “Battery +” and “Battery –“, paying special attention to the polarities. • the cable with the red crocodile clamp is connected to the “Battery +” connector • the cable with the black crocodile clamp is connected to the “Battery -” connector



Cable



with



BLACK



crocodile clamp



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



Cable with RED crocodile clamp



Choosing how to supply energy to the system To work, the MDB-II needs an energy supply. There are two possibilities: through the battery itself or through an external AC current socket. The following table helps to choose the most appropriate energy supply method:



Battery nominal voltage



Battery energy supply



External socket energy supply



24Vdc 48Vdc 110Vdc 120Vdc 220Vdc 240Vdc



Key: Not usable Usable, but not the preferred choice Fully usable



Once the energy supply source to be used is chosen, the Power Source Selector has to be correctly set.



Move the switch to the left when choosing to provide energy from an external source. Move the switch to the right when choosing to provide energy from the battery. .



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



Connecting the power cables to the batteries Once the power cables have been correctly connected to the device, begin connecting the black crocodile cable to the negative of the battery; then connect the red crocodile cable to the positive of te battery. Ensure that the connections are firm, in order to avoid that the clamps overheat at the maximum discharge current. Ensure that the connections do not have inverted polarities: in this case the device shall not allow for the battery to be discharged. If the system is to be supplied with energy from the battery itself, as soon as the power cables are connected, MDB-II immediately follows the start-up routine and immediately provides for beginning the discharge. If the system is to be supplied with energy through the external AC socket, once the power cables are connected, nothing happens: the device waits to receive energy supply from the socket on the front of the panel.



Supplying the device with energy If the MDB-II is to be provided energy from the battery being discharged, the device has already been supplied in the same moment that the power cables were connected to the battery. If the MDB-II is to be provided energy from the external energy supply socket, the energy supply cord needs to be connected to the socket on the front and the switch on the energy supply chamber needs to be turned on: the device is immediately supplied, and the start-up routine proceeds and provides for starting the discharge. When the MDB-II starts up, it automatically carries out various control operations on the internal devices: - the connection of other MDB-IIs in the network and their functioning is controlled - if present, all connected MDB-IIs are started up - the battery voltage is shown, once the work range and the maximum current and power of discharge that can be set are established - the device prepares to carry out a new discharge using the same end of discharge control parameter values as those of the last discharge session carried out At this point, the display shows all necessary information to the user, as well as the measurements taken from the battery. The display information is organised as follows.



15:56



18-11-07



MEMORY



MENU



1 V 120.0



System information bar Battery measurement bar



130 A 0.0Ah



STOP: 102V START BARS



18A



00:00:00 SEC



100AH 14:59 PAUSE



System messages and end of discharge controls bar



STOP Command bar



In detail, the information, the measurements, and the commands presented are organised in this way: Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



Memory in which the



Command to go to the settings



discharge will be saved



menu



system time and date



battery voltage read during operation



current presently



15:56



18-11-07



MEMORY



MENU



discharged from the



1



battery



120.0 V 130 A capacity discharged



0.0Ah



from the battery



time remaining to the



00:00:00 SEC



end of discharge



during the discharge session Control parameters for end of discharge:



STOP:



102V



18A



100AH



14:59 C



- end of discharge voltage - setting of current to be discharged



START BARS



PAUSE



STOP



- end of discharge capacity - discharge session duration time - discharge mode



Discharge commands



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



Understanding how to use the encoder to move around on the display Once the system has been supplied with energy and the batteries are connected (let’s suppose that there is a battery voltage equal to 120.0Vdc), the interface arranges for the immediate start-up of a discharge. The parameters that will be controlled by the system for the control and stop of the discharge shall be shown in the “System Messages and End of Discharge Control” bar. The system immediately sets itself on the START command, showing it in the field that is reversed compared with the others:



Rotating the encoder to the right, we move to the next entry, indicated with the BARS label:



By pushing the encoder knob, we can enter into the BARS menu:



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



The new menu that is shown shall be the one from which, in just the blink of an eye, we can divide the discharge currents, temperature, and voltage read by the whole fleet of connected devices:



By pushing the encoder knob again, we return to the previous menu.



The system immediately sets itself on the next option:



By rotating the encoder two clicks to the left, we are brought to the START entry:



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



Now the START command is highlighted again:



So, we can say that: • moving the encoder clockwise: we move onto the next menu entry the numerical values increase moving the encoder counterclockwise: we move onto the previous menu entry the numerical values decrease Pushing the encoder: we enter into the highlighted menu the highlighted action is carried out the set numerical value is chosen the option shown in the display is chosen



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



Setting discharge parameters MDB-II makes various options available for discharging batteries, some which are particularly specialised, reachable only after having entered into the more internal setting menus. Normally, and in particular every time the MDB-II is turned on, the systems arranges for discharging the battery in Constant Current mode (to change modes, please see the paragraph regarding setting discharge modes); the discharge mode is shown with a letter, on the far right of the System Messages and End of Discharge Control Bar. Setting the main discharge parameters, those which will surely be used in the great majority of cases, takes place in the main menu, that is, the one that is shown when the system is turned on:



The parameters which can be set in this screen are the following: memory number to be used voltage at the end of battery discharge current (or power) of battery discharge end of discharge battery capacity time (hours and minutes separately) that the battery discharge will last



Of these parameters, only two are used to carry out the discharge: the current (power) of discharge and the memory to be used. The other parameters, instead, help to establish when the discharge should be stopped. A discharge session is automatically stopped when at least one, or more, of these parameters is not satisfied anymore: when more than the set time has passed when the battery voltage falls below the voltage value set for the end of the discharge when the set battery capacity has been discharged when contact that may be connected to the Input Remote Control bushings is closed (in the case of deactivated loop function)



Obviously, a discharge can also be definitively stopped by the operator at any moment, by using the STOP command.



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



Which memory should be used? MDB-II has 8 internal memories available, which are not deleted when the device is powered off, and are able to save the voltage and current values discharged from the battery every 15 seconds, for a maximum duration of 15 hours. The presence of these memories makes the device particularly autonomous, in that it is possible to carry out 8 discharge sessions before having to connect a computer to collect the data from the memories. Obviously, it is necessary to pay particular attention to not overwrite memories that have already been used before transferring them to the computer! At the end of each discharge session, MDB-II automatically sets itself to use the next memory. However, the operator, if necessary, can manually choose the memory on which the curves should be saved: rotate the encoder until the curve number option is highlighted push the encoder to enter into the menu to select the memory number the curve selection menu is displayed if the memory selected has never been used, a message indicates that the memory is empty if the memory selected has already been used, the summary data about the curve is displayed: date, time, and duration of the last execution rotate the encoder to move to the desired memory number: as the coder is rotated, the summary data of the memory is displayed push the encoder to choose a memory and exit the menu The pre-chosen memory is shown in the System Information Bar.



15:56



18-11-07



MEMOR. 1 MENU



System information bar



120.0 V 130 A 0.0Ah



STOP: 102V START BARS



18A



00:00:00 SEC



100AH 14:59 C PAUSE



STOP



At this point, the next discharge session shall be recorded on the selected memory, overwriting the data that was already saved on it.



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



What is the end of discharge voltage? When a battery is discharged, it is always necessary to avoid that its voltage drops to below a certain level, to prevent that it becomes damaged. This voltage value is commonly called the “end of discharge voltage”. The end of discharge voltage and the type of battery are related; it is possible to say that: for lead batteries, the end of discharge voltage is equal to about 1.8-1.7 V/ cell for NiCd batteries, the end of discharge voltage is equal to about 1.1-1.05 V/ cell The best choice for the end of discharge value is evaluated based on experience, on the requirements of the facility, the temperature, etc. To calculate the effective end of discharge voltage, then, the end of discharge value needs to be multiplied by the number of cells that make up the entire battery. It is typical to have the following end of discharge voltage for the following voltage ranges:



Battery nominal voltage



Advised end of discharge voltage



Deep end of discharge voltage (minimum limit)



Absolute minimum settable limit (*)



24Vdc



22 Vdc



21 Vdc



20 Vdc



48Vdc



44 Vdc



41 Vdc



20 Vdc



110Vdc



99 Vdc



94 Vdc



20 Vdc



120Vdc



108 Vdc



102 Vdc



20 Vdc



220Vdc



198 Vdc



188 Vdc



20 Vdc



240Vdc



216 Vdc



204 Vdc



20 Vdc



(*) The absolute minimum limit could be not reached in some voltage ranges: in these case the unit could stop the discharge session showing the “control failure” alarm



When it is turned on, the MDB-II analyses the battery voltage and tries to align it with the voltage range to which the battery belongs; after this, it determines the typical end of discharge voltage, in accordance with the table above. Initially, the MDB-II tries to set the same end of discharge voltage value used in the previous discharge; if it is impossible to use that value, the end of discharge value from the corresponding “advised” column will be set. However, the operator can intervene to select the most suitable end of discharge voltage: rotate the encoder until the battery voltage measurement is highlighted push the encoder to enter into the end of discharge voltage settings menu the Vstop settings menu is displayed the current end of discharge voltage value is displayed in Volts rotate the encoder to choose the most suitable value: the voltage range on which it is possible to work ranges from the battery’s nominal value to the lowest anticipated value of minimum voltage, so that it does not damage the battery when the set value is the correct one, push the encoder to exit the menu Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



The set end of discharge value is displayed in the System Messages and End of Discharge control bar.



15:56



18-11-07



MEMORY



MENU



1 V 120.0 130 A 0.0Ah



00:00:00 SEC System messages and end of discharge controls bar



STOP: 102V START BARS



18A



100AH 14:59 A PAUSE



STOP



At this point, the next discharge session shall be stopped if the battery voltage should reach and exceed the set end of discharge voltage value. NOTE: sometimes its possible that, even if the unit allows to set the absolute minimum limit as Vstop (20V), the discharge session will stop before touching threshold; it happens when the internal power control device reaches the its maximum modulation limit (normally it depends on the nominal beginning battery voltage).



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



What current value should be used to discharge the battery? The reason for discharging the battery is to verify that it is able to supply the stated nominal capacity. It is quite usual that the nominal capacity refers to a discharge current equal to one-tenth of the nominal capacity; in this way, to be able to establish in a repeatable way the effective degree of battery reliability, it is advised to discharge the battery for 10 hours with a current equal to one-tenth of the nominal capacity.



Practical example: A nominal 110Vdc battery, with a 600Ah capacity, can be discharged setting a discharge current equal to: 600 Ah / 10h = 60A,



for a duration of 10 hours



In this way, if at the end of 10 hours the battery voltage is still above the end of discharge voltage, it is possible to confirm that the battery is in good condition. Obviously, it is also possible to discharge the battery more “violently”, maybe in half the time, or 5 hours; in this case we will have: 600 Ah / 5h = 120A,



for a duration of 5 hours



Obviously, it is also necessary to take into account the capacity of the device to discharge the desired current, in the environmental conditions in which it is found. In general, the maximum discharge current that can be set depends on: the battery’s nominal voltage environmental temperature Each parameter is discussed below. MDB-II is able to distinguish two work ranges based on the measured battery voltage:



range 24-120V



range 220-240V



24V 48V 60V 110V 120V



220V 240V



130A



65A



The voltage difference of the work range is equal to 140V.



Document: MDB-II User Rev.3.0.0 Date: 21/03/2011



It is possible that the nominal voltage of a 125Vdc battery can lead MDB-II to choose an unsuitable range and so, an erroneous maximum discharge current. This choice depends on the battery voltage and, so, on the voltage to which the battery was being recharged just before beginning to discharge it. Therefore, it is possible that MDB-II limits the maximum dischargeable current to 65A for batteries with a nominal voltage more than 120Vdc. Vice versa, in the case that MDB-II assigns the battery to the first range (maximum dischargeable current equal to 130A), the operator shall pay attention to ensure the effective dischargeable current is not exceeded, which is given by the following formula:



maximum dischargeable current