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Apex Digital MPPT-4K User Manual

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MPPT-4K
User Manual
APEX Inverter's MPPT-4K is designed for high power
charging of lithium or lead batteries. Dual MPPT
trackers take care of 2 PV arrays independently,
optimising your installation and ensuring the maximum
yield. Black start functionality ensures that you are never
stuck without the ability to restart an over-discharged
battery. The colour user interface is attractive, intuitive
and user-friendly and provides all the information you
need to monitor, manage and control your system.
Key Features:
• Blackstart functionality.
• Dual independent trackers.
• High voltage – no precombining required.
• Wide battery compatibility.
• Ground Fault detection.
• Colour touch screen user interface.
• CAN bus for battery integration.

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Summary of Contents for Apex Digital MPPT-4K

  • Page 1 MPPT-4K User Manual APEX Inverter’s MPPT-4K is designed for high power charging of lithium or lead batteries. Dual MPPT trackers take care of 2 PV arrays independently, optimising your installation and ensuring the maximum yield. Black start functionality ensures that you are never stuck without the ability to restart an over-discharged battery.

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Battery DC Cable Calculations 9.1.2 Deep Cycle Lead-Acid Batteries 9.1.3 Lithium Batteries Battery Bank Location 4. Mounting and Electrical Connections Maintenance Installing the MPPT-4K charge controller Replacing a Battery 4.1.1 Selecting a suitable location Lead-Acid Battery Charging 4.1.2 Mounting 9.5.1 Charging Stages 4.1.3...
  • Page 3 MPPT-4K User Manual Figures Figure 1. De-rating the MPPT-4K charge controller output power at high altitude. Figure 2. Identifying parts of the MPPT-4K. Figure 3. Blackstart warning Figure 4. Wall mounting Figure 5. Input/output connections on the MPPT-4K. Figure 6. GFDI Jumper Selection (Bottom Cover Removed)

  • Page 4: Introduction

    MPPT-4K User Manual 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 WARNINGS AND CAUTIONS A safety instruction (message) includes a hazard alert symbol and a signal word, WARNING or CAUTION. Each signal word has the following meaning: HIGH VOLTAGE: This symbol indicates the presence of a high voltage. It calls your attention to items or operations that could be dangerous to yourself or others operating this equipment.

  • Page 5: Contacting Apex Inverters

    MPPT-4K User Manual 1.2 CONTACTING APEX INVERTERS 1.2.1 PRODUCT SUPPORT When contacting Product Support via telephone or email please provide the following information for the fastest possible service: • Type Of Inverter • Serial Number • Battery Type • Battery Bank Capacity •...

  • Page 6: System Specifications

    MPPT-4K User Manual 1.3 SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS 1.3.1 SYSTEM RATINGS MPPT-4K 80 Charge Controller Number of Input Ports 2 (Individual MPPT Control) Input Vmp Voltage Range 8 kW Maximum Input Voltage 35 A / 45 A/ 80 A Nominal Photovoltaic Power...

  • Page 7: Climatic Conditions

    Daily solar production (kWh) and peak power (kW). Logging of system events. All specifications listed above performed at nominal voltage, frequency and temperature unless otherwise noted. 1.3.7 ALTITUDE DERATING Figure 1: De-rating the MPPT-4K charge controller output power at high altitude...

  • Page 8: Advanced Features

    2. ADVANCED FEATURES 2.1 TWO INDEPENDENT MAXIMUM POWER POINT TRACKERS The MPPT-4K contains two fully independent MPPTs, perfect for residential applications where PV arrays often face in a variety of directions. Connecting such PV strings to separate MPPTs can increase energy yields significantly compared to...

  • Page 9: Wide Pv String Voltage Range

    2.5 BLACKSTART FUNCTIONALITY Some lithium batteries, when tripped due to a low voltage, can be woken up by attempting to charge them slowly. If you try to start the MPPT-4K and it doesn’t detect a battery, it will display the following warning:...

  • Page 10: Lead-Acid Battery Equalise

    3.1 OPEN CIRCUIT INPUT CALCULATIONS The MPPT-4K PV input ports have an operating range of 100-350Vdc. When choosing the number of panels in series to connect to each MPPT-4K port, consult the PV panel specifications sheet Maximum panels per string ≤ 350 / (������ + (������ × (��������−25) x ���� / 100) ) and use the following formula: ������...

  • Page 11: Mounting And Electrical Connections

    2. The MPPT-4K is designed to be wall-mounted and must therefore be installed upright in a vertical position, with a clearance of 200mm above and below, to allow sufficient cooling and airflow. 3. The battery leads should be as short as possible, the MPPT-4K charge controller will need to be close to the batteries.

  • Page 12: Making The Electrical Connections

    APEX Inverters for assistance. Remove the screws that secure the removable bottom cover. 2. The ‘Earth’ terminal inside the MPPT-4K must be grounded to reduce the risk of electrical shock and to ensure that the earth-leakage protection device can operate correctly.

  • Page 13: Charge Controller Operation Indicators

    5.1 SOLAR STATUS Green – The MPPT-4K charge controller is active and there is sufficient power to charge the batteries. Orange – The charge controller is in sleep state. Either there is no solar irradiation, or the battery is full.

  • Page 14: Interface

    MPPT-4K User Manual 6. INTERFACE The MPPT-4K HMI (Human Machine Interface) is a colour 4.5” touchscreen interface. This chapter covers using the interface to set up the MPPT-4K charge controller. 6.1 SYSTEM ICONS There are four system icons on the right-hand column. Tapping on the icon select the current screen.

  • Page 15: Control Panel

    MPPT-4K User Manual The directional arrow indicates which direction the power is flowing. The arrows from the solar arrays indicate that power is flowing into the charge controller. The arrow pointing towards the battery, indicates that the battery is getting charged.

  • Page 16: Graphing And Logs

    MPPT-4K User Manual 6.4 GRAPHING AND LOGS 6.4.1 SOLAR OUTPUT GRAPHS The solar input screen graphically shows the amount of solar power that each of the two inputs delivers. Input one is plotted in red and input two is plotted in blue.

  • Page 17: Power Production Logs

    MPPT-4K User Manual 6.4.3 POWER PRODUCTION LOGS The total energy in kWh that the MPPT-4K has produced is summarised at the bottom. The reset button will clear this log. Daily energy (kWh) and peak production (kW) is also shown. This screen can be useful for figuring out if your system is performing adequately.

  • Page 18: Event Logs

    MPPT-4K User Manual 6.4.4 EVENT LOGS Event logs are viewable on this interface screen. It is sorted in a descending list by time and date. General events are marked in black and critical events, typically causing charge controller shutdown, are marked in red.

  • Page 19: Temperature Derating

    MPPT-4K User Manual 6.4.4.6 SOLAR HIGH VOLTAGE If the solar voltage goes higher than the upper limit of the solar input, this message will be logged and the charge controller will switch off until it is back in the specified range.

  • Page 20: Settings

    MPPT-4K User Manual 6.5 SETTINGS 6.5.1 SETTINGS MENU Selecting Alarms, Date & Time, Relay Control, MPPT Settings and Battery Setup will take you to their respective setting screen. 6.5.2 SETUP ALARMS 6.5.2.1 BEEP Click on the beep square to toggle on and off. Beep implies that the charge controller will sound an audible...

  • Page 21: Date & Time

    MPPT-4K User Manual 6.5.3 DATE & TIME Set the date and time to the current time, using the up and down arrows. In this example the date is the 21st of November 2014, with the time being 12h45 in the afternoon.

  • Page 22: Sweep Interval

    You must also physically link the input ports together with a cable or wire. 6.5.4.3 GROUND FAULT DETECTION The MPPT-4K can be configured to detect ground faults on both positively and negatively grounded photovoltaic arrays as well as negatively grounded battery banks. See the Chapter 8. Ground Fault Detector Interrupter (GFDI) for more information.
  • Page 23 MPPT-4K User Manual 6.5.5.2 BATTERY VOLTAGE SETPOINTS Under the Battery Voltage Setpoints page it is possible to fine-tune and adjust the various battery charging options. Please see the Battery chapter and set according to the battery manufacturer’s specifications. 6.5.5.2.1 BULK INITIATE The battery will be kept at a float voltage, until the battery voltage falls below the bulk initiate value.
  • Page 24 MPPT-4K User Manual 6.5.5.3 BATTERY TIMER SETPOINTS Under the Battery Voltage Setpoints page it is possible to fine-tune and adjust the various battery charging options. Please see the Battery chapter and set according to the battery manufacturer’s specifications. 6.5.5.3.1 ABSORPTION PERIOD The bulk charge will be held for this period of time before returning to the float voltage state.

  • Page 25: Faults And Warnings

    MPPT-4K User Manual 7. FAULTS AND WARNINGS 7.1 FAULT / WARNING SCREEN Above is a typical warning message. There are two options: Reset – Clears the error and resets the system. If the error condition no-longer exists, this will re-enable the charge controller and it will start again.

  • Page 26: Ground Fault Detector Interrupter

    The MPPT-4K GFDI works by checking if there is a voltage difference between the Fuse + and Fuse - points. If a ground fault exists, a current will flow through the ground fuse causing the fuse to blow (at 600mA).

  • Page 27: Photovoltaic Positive

    MPPT-4K User Manual 8.1.3 PHOTOVOLTAIC POSITIVE Some solar panels need to be positively grounded in order to stop ionisation on the panels. This ionisation can cause a reversible loss of performance. Select this option if your solar panels are positively grounded.

  • Page 28: Can Bus Connector

    MPPT-4K User Manual 8.2 CAN BUS CONNECTOR MPPT-4K charge controllers with a newer hardware revision comes with a CAN-bus connector included for communication to a Lithium battery. Contact APEX for a list of approved compatible Lithium Battery packs. Name Description Pin 1 This is tied to the ground of the internal PCB.

  • Page 29: Batteries

    Lithium based batteries are currently manufactured using various technologies and chemistries. The most commonly available Lithium batteries for home storage are Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4). Most Lithium batteries can be used with the MPPT-4K charge controller, if you are unsure about a specific battery, please contact APEX Inverters for support.

  • Page 30: Replacing A Battery

    9.5 LEAD-ACID BATTERY CHARGING 9.5.1 CHARGING STAGES The MPPT-4K includes a four-stage battery charger. Please configure the charge controller for use with your batteries as per your battery manufacturers’ specifications. Above is a typical battery charge curve for a lead acid battery. It consists of four stages, a bulk constant current stage, absorption stage, taper-to-float stage and last the float stage.

  • Page 31: Battery Charger Settings

    It is important to select the correct charging current and voltage for your batteries during the installation of your MPPT-4K. If you increase or decrease your battery capacity or replace the battery bank with a different type of battery it may be necessary to change the battery charger settings.

  • Page 32: Lithium Battery Charging

    380 A 9.6 LITHIUM BATTERY CHARGING The MPPT-4K can charge most Lithium-based battery banks. Lithium batteries are typically charged much faster than Lead-Acid based batteries, and at higher currents. Please see the APEX Inverters website for full information regarding compatible battery banks. When charging a Lithium battery it is always recommended to connect the battery CAN communication, which would allow the battery to control the charge parameters actively depending on the state of charge.

  • Page 33: Troubleshooting

    10.1 FAULTS If there is a fault with the MPPT-4K charge controller, the HMI will indicate which fault has occurred, and an audible alarm, if enabled via the HMI control panel, will sound. If you have a fault that is not addressed in this manual, then you should contact the person who installed your MPPT-4K or APEX Inverters product support.

  • Page 34: Glossary

    MPPT-4K User Manual 11. GLOSSARY Alternating current. The utility, generators, and inverters supply AC. The AC voltage to homes in South Africa is described as 230V AC 50Hz meaning 230V RMS that is alternating between a positive voltage and a negative voltage 50 times a second.

  • Page 35: Appendix A: Sample Single Line Wiring Diagram

    MPPT-4K User Manual APPENDIX A: SAMPLE SINGLE LINE WIRING DIAGRAM...

This manual is also suitable for:

Mppt-4k 80

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