Keep it in a safe place. Review the drawings and illustrations contained in this manual before proceeding. If there are any questions regarding the safe installation or operation of this product, contact Alpha Technologies or the nearest Alpha representative. 1.1 Safety Symbols To reduce the risk of injury or death, and to ensure the continued safe operation of this product, the following sym- bols have been placed throughout this manual.
1.3 Electrical Safety WARNING! Hazardous voltages are present at the input of power systems. The DC output from rec- tifiers and batteries, though not dangerous in voltage, has a high short-circuit current capacity that may cause severe burns and electrical arcing. Before working with any live battery or power system, follow these precautions: a.
20 secondary load positions. Alpha’s Smart BDFB provides a total system capacity of up to 5120A, divided into two banks (A and B). Each bank has four panels, enabling customers to obtain full utilization of the current (from the primary power plant).
3. Specifications 3.1 Product Specifications Electrical System Voltage: -48V Output Current per Load/Panel: 640A max Number of Loads/Panels per bay: 2, 4, 6 or 8 Secondary Load Positions: 20 positions per panel Over Current Protection: TPS/TLS Plug in bullet up to 125A Single pole LEL breaker up to 100A Double pole LEL breaker up to 200A Triple pole LEL breaker up to 300A...
3.2 Load Bus Arrangements A load bus is defined as one or more panels protected by a single circuit breaker or fuse at the power plant. Cable from the power plant is terminated at the input connector and goes through an 800A rated shunt. For currents larger than 500 amps, two 750 kcmil feeder cables are required per shunt.
3.2.2 Shunt Assembly and Link Bar The BDFB load bus arrangements are factory configured, but they can be changed in the field while the system is operating live. The load bus details are installed at either the top or the bottom panels. These may be unbolted and moved if required.
3.3 Distribution Panels Each 20-position distribution panel accepts bullet-style circuit breakers and fuse holders. Single-pole through 100A, two-pole through 200A, three-pole through 300A and fuses through 125A. NOTE: 1. Breakers in the distribution panels rated 100A and greater shall have one empty space above and below for use in an operating ambient of 40°C.
Breaker trip status indication lights Green = power applied Red = breaker trip alarm Breaker trip status indication lights Green = power applied Red = breaker trip alarm Figure 5 — Front view breaker distribution panels, left and right banks shown 9400009-J0 Rev K...
4. Installation 4.1 Pre-Installation Preparation 4.1.1 Site Selection • Avoid areas that may be subjected to hot air exhaust from nearby equipment. • Provide adequate space for safe access for installation and maintenance personnel. • Rear: 3ft (1m) • Front: 3ft (1m) •...
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4.1.5 Packing Materials Alpha is committed to providing products and services that meet our customers’ needs and expectations in a sustainable manner, while complying with all relevant regulatory requirements. As such Alpha strives to follow our quality and environmental objectives from product supply and development through to the packaging for our products.
4.2 Frame Installation The BDFB must be mounted in a clean and dry environment. Provide sufficient free space at the front and rear of the system to meet the cooling requirements and to allow for easy access. 4.2.1 Floor Drilling for Standard Anchoring NOTE: Earthquake anchoring is the type used in earthquake areas up to Zone 4.
Plan View 32" Bay FRONT 32" BAY .688 X 1.69 MOUNTING SLOTS Front of bay 2.285 20.030 1.285 Back of bay 1.285 29.030 1.285 Figure 7 — Base dimensions and mounting holes, 32" wide model Setting the Anchors 1. Before setting the anchor, review manufacturer's instructions. 2.
4.3 DC and Grounding Cables Installation This section provides cabling details and notes on cable sizing for DC applications with respect to the Alpha BDFB secondary distribution system. • Only qualified personnel should install and connect the BDFB. • All wiring must be in accordance with applicable electrical codes.
4.3.2 Connecting The Frame Ground A true, single point ground system means that everything is referenced to a single point which is tied to the external earth ground system. In reality each component and external source is effectively bonded to a single point, which is then bonded to the facility or the site external ground system.
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Both returns must be connected for accurate voltage measurement. 4.3.4 Auxiliary Power for the Monitor Interface (MI) Alpha provides capability to connect an optional auxiliary supply. This allows the monitor to operated even if all feeds are disconnected. It also facilitates commissioning and calibration if required.
Connecting MI Auxiliary Power Supply 1. Undo the single screw on the MI and tilt the board forward. 2. Install the aux wiring into the enclosure and feed it into the MI cavity. 3. Remove the connector from the MI. 4.
4.3.8 Wiring the Distribution Panels Refer to guidelines supplied with the load equipment. Distribution cables are typically sized to provide a 0.5V loop drop at full load as well as meeting the ampacity requirements of the protection fuse or circuit breaker. Before You Begin: 1.
4.3.9 Alarm Connection Wiring See the section BDFB LED Status Indicators (on page 33) for a description of available alarm relays. The wiring connection for the BDFB alarm indicator is routed through the top of the unit. To wire the alarm panel: 1.
NOTE: The alarm relays are configured as fail safe. • The relay is energized when operation is normal. • The relay is deenergized when an alarm condition exists or if the power fails. The NO terminal is shorted to the C terminal when operation is normal. •...
4.3.11 Panel Positions and Labelling The BDFB cabinet is factory configured for top feed cable entry, however this can be reconfigured if required. The following image shows the location of BDFB's side by side banks of 8 panels as well as the BDFB Monitor. Load bus designations are stamped on the labels and installed by the user.
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4.3.12 BDFB LED Status Indicators The BDFB has multiple modes to indicate panel and system functionality. The equipment comes with a factory installed LCD monitor interface to monitor the system and make adjustments. In addition to the information available via the monitor there are system alarm LEDs and panel alarm LEDs. System System alarm indication combine alarms for all panels, it is located at the top of the unit and includes three dry con- tacts (see section on Alarm Connection Wiring, on page 30).
4.4 BDFB Smart VI Monitor The new Smart VI monitor has a full color screen with easy navigation and features both a display mode for monitor- ing status, and a configuration mode for navigating menus and making adjustments. Additional features include, two temperature inputs, portable field calibration wizard, and optional CAN communication.
4.4.2 Display Mode When in display mode, use the up and down arrow buttons to scroll through the status of each panel. Each panel's status displays on the LCD screen which is divided into two portions. The left portion indicates which panel is selected as well any panel alarms if applicable. Panel alarms display in red (see Figure 18).
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4.4.4 Panel Setup BDFB 8x800A Use the Smart VI monitor Panel Setup menu to configure and link indi- vidual panels. In Panel Setup, the right side of the LCD screen displays Menu the navigation menu. From this menu you can link panels up or down 51.1V 53.6V based on your configuration.
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4.4.5 Calibration BDFB 8x800A The BDFB uses 800A 25mV current shunts. The Calibration menu is used to recalibrate the shunt measurement circuitry in the BDFB. Menu 51.1V 53.6V This involves unplugging the current shunt measurement leads from Panel Setup the BDFB and inserting an accurate 25mV in its place. This procedure Calibration is helpful when a meter panel within the BDFB is replaced.
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4.4.6 Alarm Configuration BDFB 8x800A The Alarm Config menu allows users to set the overcurrent threshold for an alarm. If the panel goes above this current an alarm is gener- Alarm Config Shunt Shunt ated. Link^ Link^ The default value is 240A, but the value can be adjusted in 10A incre- Current Limit: ments from between 0A up to 800A.
Connect the CAN cables to the Smart VI monitor, and then route them to the top of BDFB for future use • A CAN adapter is not used Smart BDFB VI METER PANEL Figure 21 — Stand alone BDFB with Smart VI Monitor...
Port Port CAN Adapter Ports Figure 22 — Connecting Smart BDFB with external CXC HP controller 4.5.3 CAN Adapter Ports Port 1: CAN IN, connect the RJ11 cable from the CAN IN on the BDFB VI Monitor to this port Port 2: CAN IN, connect an RJ45 cable from an upstream CAN device to this port (e.g., CXC-HP controller or an-...
4.5.4 Cordex HP Controller The Cordex™ HP (CXC HP) controller provides centralized setup, control and monitoring of power systems. This ranges from simple monitoring and threshold alarms for temperature, voltage and current, to advanced battery charging and diagnostic features. The controller supports dual Ethernet ports and a 4.3” LCD screen to allow simultaneous network, LCD and local laptop access to the controller including both web and SNMP interfaces.
CAN 2 OUT CAN 1 OUT CAN Adapter CAN Adapter CAN Adapter POWER CXCHP VI METER PANEL VI METER PANEL VI METER PANEL Smart BDFB Smart BDFB Smart BDFB Figure 24 — Smart BDFB with integrated CXC HP controller 9400009-J0 Rev K...
4.6 BDFB Monitor (original) Overview Each BDFB has up to 8 panels. The current, voltage and breaker trip status are monitored and displayed via the BDFB monitor interface (MI). The MI features both a display mode for monitoring status, and a configuration mode which is used for navigating menus and making adjustments.
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4.6.2 Display Mode When in display mode, the up and down arrow keys allow operators to scroll through the status of each panel. Each panel's status displays on the LCD screen which is divided into two portions. The left portion indicates which panel is selected as well as panel alarms. Each of the eight panels are represented by a 5 by 3 pixel grid.
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Alarm Messages The alarm error messages are as follows: • Over Current • Loss of Input Feed • Breaker Trip If more than one error exists the message scrolls between errors. 1. To monitor the BDFB, use the up and down buttons to scroll through the individual panels. 2.
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4.6.3 Configuration Mode The MI configuration menu is used to set configurations and change parameters. Operators can adjust the parame- ters until desired functionality is reached, and then save them. Adjusted or restored parameters are not "permanent" until saved at the top level configuration menu (see the Configuration Menu map, on page 49). From the configu- ration menu the operator can do any of the following: •...
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4.6.4 To Configure a Panel 1. From Display Mode, use the up and down arrows to scroll to the panel to be configured. 2. Press and hold the left and right buttons simultaneously to enter the Configuration mode. Config Menu displays on the top line, and the first option, Panel Config displays on the second line.
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4.6.5 To Configure System (Alarms or Display) 1. From Display Mode, press and hold the left and right buttons simultaneously to enter Configuration mode. Config Menu displays on the top line of the display, and the first option, Panel displays on the second line. 2.
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4.6.6 Configuration Menu 9400009-J0 Rev K...
4.7 Separating Panels The load bus details can installed at either the top or the bottom panels. The BDFB load bus arrangements are fac- tory configured, but they can be changed in the field. The basic procedure to separate two panels is to add a shunt bus connector kit to the panel to be separated, connect the shunt kit and then remove the link bar between panels.
4.8 Combining Panels BDFB load bus arrangements are factory configured, when the system is ordered, but they can be changed in the field. The basic procedure to combine two panels is to install a link bar between the panels, and then remove one shunt feed.
4.9 Installing/Changing the Load Shunt Bus Kit The BDFB comes factory configured for top fed installation. Each bank of panels can be reconfigured to meet cus- tomer equipment power needs as required. To reconfigure the BDFB, a load shunt bus kit, as well as a link bar kit and the necessary hardware are needed.
4.10 Installing/Changing the Inter Link Bar Kit To reconfigure the BDFB, a shunt and or interlink bar kits and the necessary hardware will be needed. Install the shunt load kit and then install inter link bar between the panels. NOTE: When converting the BDFB, unscrew the bolts to remove the inter link bar between panels, and then reinstall the bolts on the existing PEM studs to ensure connection be- tween the laminate bar and the input bus bar.
4.11 Converting the BDFB System The following diagram shows the connection for a top feed, 8 panel, 2-load BDFB system. Load shunt bus kit Load shunt bus kit Breaker/fuse loads Breaker/fuse loads 1 through 20 1 through 20 to the equipment to the equipment Link bars connect Link bars connect the 4 panels, on...
4.11.1 Converting from a 2-load to a 4-load To convert the BDFB from a 2-load to a 4-load system do the following: 1. Remove the interlink bars between panels 3 and 5, and between panels 4 and 6. See page 55. 2.
4.11.2 Converting from a 4-load to a 8-load To convert the BDFB from a 4-load to and 8-load system do the following: 1. Remove the interlink bars between panels 1 and 3, 2 and 4, 5 and 7, and between panels 6 and 8. See page Load shunt bus kit Load shunt bus kit Panel 1...
4.12 Internal Return The BDFB internal return bus (if ordered) comes factory configured in either 2 or 8-load configuration which can be field upgraded to suit the specific needs of the installation. The internal return load bus kits can be ordered as follows: •...
4.13 Converting the Internal Return from 2-load to a 4-load To convert from a 2-load to a 4-load system, add booster bar with the supplied hardware. See "Booster Bar Instal- lation" on page 61. Booster bar 1/4 - 20 screws supplied Figure 32 —...
4.14 Converting the Internal Return to a 6- or 8-load System To covert to a 6- or 8-load system, add booster bars with the supplied hardware. See "Booster Bar Installation" on page 61. Booster bar 1/4 - 20 screws supplied Booster bar Figure 33 —...
4.15 Booster Bar Installation 4.15.1 Installing a 24" booster bar If possible, in an A-B system it is recommended to turn off the side in which the booster bar is being installed. 1. There are a total of six nuts which hold the main internal return and the input connector together (only two should be removed).
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4.15.2 Installing a 48" Booster Bar If possible, in an A-B system it is recommended to turn off the side in which the booster bar is being installed. 1. There are a total of six nuts which hold the main internal return and the input connector together (only four should be removed).
4.16 External Return Installation 4.16.1 Mounting the External Return Base Kit (optional) The external return base kit is an option for return connections for the loads. It serves as the common connecting point for the positive side of the power section. The external return kit has a capacity of 640A per kit.
Figure 36 — External return, 4-bar, horizontal configuration 4.16.2 Return Connection When installing a BDFB with the external return option, separate return wires need to be connected to the A and B sides to power the BDFB controller panel. The connection landings can be accessed via the rear of the BDFB and are labeled CONTROLLER BUS ‘A’ RE- TURN (RTN A), and CONTROLLER BUS ‘B’...
4.16.3 Landing Cables on External Return When landing cables on the bus bar for the external return bar kit follow the instructions in the Figure 21. Return Bar to Loads Wiring Always start system and load wiring from the same side. When wiring the system always space the input and output cables evenly across the entire length of the bar to ensure the load current is evenly distributed.
5. Maintenance Although very little maintenance is required with Alpha systems, routine checks and adjustments are recommended to ensure optimum system performance. Qualified service personnel should do the repairs. The following table lists a few maintenance procedures for this system. These procedures should be performed at least once a year.
5.1 Breaker Panel Interface Replacement (alarm strip) This procedure outlines how to remove and replace the breaker panel interface boards (P/N 7050244-001). The alarm strip boards are difficult to install when the breakers are in place. It is recommenced that all breakers be removed before installing the alarm strips.
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The alarm boards are calibrated to specific inputs on the monitor interface labelled 1 through 8. Do not swap locations. The frame is always pre-wired to all locations. Recali- brate the board after installation (use kit available from Alpha). To remove the interface connections: These wires have insulated quick connectors to reduce chance of shorting as there is -48Vdc with high current potential on the leads.
2. Remove the cover from the breaker panel interface as follows: a. Gently hold the cover with one hand. b. Push up on the bottom of the cover for the right side. Push Unlocked down on the top for the left side. c.
• Before working with any live battery or power system, follow these precautions: a. Remove all metallic jewelry, such as watches, rings, metal rimmed glasses, or necklaces. b. Wear safety glasses with side shields at all times during the installation. c.
6.3 Product Warranty Alpha warrants that for a period of two (2) years from the date of shipment its products shall be free from defects under normal authorized use consistent with the product specifications and Alpha’s instructions, the terms of the manual will take precedence.
7. Acronyms and Definitions Alternating current ANSI American National Standards Institute American Wire Gauge British thermal unit Controller area network Canadian Electrical Code Canadian Standards Association Cordex™ series; e.g., CXC for Cordex System Controller Direct current DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Electronic Industries Alliance Electromagnetic compatibility Electromagnetic interference Electromagnetic Compatibility and Radio Spectrum Matters...
Alpha rectifier and power system products, bearing the aforementioned CSA marks, are certi- fied to CSA C22.2 No. 60950-01 and UL 60950-1. Alpha UPS products, bearing the afore- mentioned CSA marks, are certified to CSA C22.2 No. 107.3 and UL 1778.