Alpha APU Control Module User Manual
Cable Series
APU Control Module (ACM)
Operation and Maintenance Manual
Effective: February 2010
Alpha Technologies
Alpha Technologies
Power
®
APU Control Module
Operation and Maintenance Manual
018-340-B0-001, Rev. A
Effective Date: February, 2010
Copyright© 2010
Alpha Technologies, Inc.
member of The Group
NOTE:
Photographs contained in this manual are for illustrative purposes only. These photographs may not match
your installation.
NOTE:
Operator is cautioned to review the drawings and illustrations contained in this manual before proceeding. If
there are questions regarding the safe operation of this powering system, please contact Alpha Technologies
or your nearest Alpha representative.
NOTE:
Alpha shall not be held liable for any damage or injury involving its enclosures, power supplies, generators,
batteries, or other hardware if used or operated in any manner or subject to any condition not consistent with
its intended purpose, or is installed or operated in an unapproved manner, or improperly maintained.
TM
Contacting Alpha Technologies: www.alpha.com
or
For general product information and customer service (7 AM to 5 PM, Pacifi c Time), call
1-800-863-3930,
For complete technical support, call
1-800-863-3364
7 AM to 5 PM, Pacifi c Time or 24/7 emergency support
Table of Contents
Safety Notes ..........................................................................................................................6
Battery Notes .........................................................................................................................7
1.0 System Overview ........................................................................................................ 8
1.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 8
1.2 Theory of Operation ......................................................................................... 9
1.2.1 Normal Operating Condition.................................................................. 9
1.2.2 Standby Operating Condition (Less Than 10 Minutes) ......................... 9
1.2.3 Standby Operating Condition (More Than 10 Minutes) ......................... 9
1.2.4 Normal APU Shutdown ....................................................................... 10
1.2.5 Abnormal APU Shutdown.................................................................... 10
2.0 Installation, Confi guration and System Interface .......................................................11
2.1 Field Installation ..............................................................................................11
2.2 ACM-96 and ACM-96G .................................................................................. 12
2.2.1 A2304 Controller Confi guration ........................................................... 12
2.2.2 APS-CP Confi guration ........................................................................ 13
2.2.3 ECI-2 Confi guration............................................................................. 13
3.0 Indicators, Controls and Connectors ........................................................................ 14
3.1 Indicators ....................................................................................................... 15
3.2 Control Functions ...........................................................................................16
4.0 Alarms and Notifi cations ...........................................................................................17
4.1 Alarms ............................................................................................................ 17
4.2 Notifi cations ................................................................................................... 19
4.3 Analog Transponder Interface........................................................................ 20
4.4 Standard ACM-Transponder Interconnection ................................................ 21
4.5 Transponder System Block Diagram ............................................................. 22
4.6 DOCSIS Transponder Interface ..................................................................... 23
5.0 System Self-test and Maintenance ........................................................................... 24
5.1 Self-test .......................................................................................................... 24
5.2 System Maintenance ..................................................................................... 26
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018-340-B0-001 Rev. A
Figures and Tables
Fig. 2-1, CPS-6 Confi guration............................................................................ 11
Fig. 2-1, A2304 Dip Switch Confi guration ..........................................................12
Fig. 2-2, Y Alarms Harness ................................................................................12
Fig. 2-3, Alarms Jumper ....................................................................................12
Fig. 2-4, 5-Position APS-CP Dip Switch ............................................................13
Fig. 2-5, ECI-2 Engine Controller.......................................................................13
Fig. 3-1, ACM Front Panel .................................................................................14
Fig. 4-1, Alarms Matrix .......................................................................................17
Fig. 4-2, Alarm Filter Board ................................................................................20
Fig. 4-3, Standard Transponder-to-ACM interconnect cable, collocated
applications..........................................................................................21
Fig. 4-4, Standard Transponder to ACM-interconnect cable, remote
applications..........................................................................................21
Fig. 4-5, Transponder System Block Diagram ...................................................22
Fig. 4-6, System Interconnection Diagram ........................................................23
Table 1-1, Normal Mode Crank Cycle ....................................................................9
Table 4-1, Analog Transponder Interface .............................................................20
018-340-B0-001 Rev. A
5
Safety Notes
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. Save this document for future reference.
To reduce the risk of injury or death, and to ensure the continued safe operation of this product, the following
symbols have been placed throughout this manual. Where these symbols appear, use extra care and
attention.
ATTENTION:
The use of ATTENTION indicates specifi c regulatory/code requirements that may affect the placement of
equipment and /or installation procedures.
NOTE:
A NOTE provide additional information to help complete a specifi c task or procedure.
CAUTION!
The use of CAUTION indicates safety information intended to PREVENT DAMAGE to material or
equipment.
WARNING!
WARNING presents safety information to PREVENT INJURY OR DEATH to the technician
or user.
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018-340-B0-001 Rev. A
Battery Safety Notes
Always refer to the battery manufacturer’s recommendation for selecting correct “FLOAT” and “ACCEPT” •
charge voltages. Failure to do so can damage the batteries.
Verify the Power Supply’s battery charger “FLOAT” and “ACCEPT” charger voltage settings.•
Batteries are temperature sensitive. During extremely cold conditions, a battery’s charge acceptance •
is reduced and requires a higher charge voltage; during extremely hot conditions, a battery’s charge
acceptance is increased and requires a lower charge voltage. To compensate for changes in temperature,
the battery charger used in the power supply is temperature compensating.
If the batteries appear to be overcharged or undercharged, fi rst check for defective batteries and then •
verify the correct charger voltage settings.
To ensure optimum performance, inspect batteries every three to six months for signs of cracking, •
leaking, or unusual swelling (note that some swelling is normal).
Check battery terminals and connecting wires. Clean battery terminal connectors periodically and •
retighten to approximately 50 inch-pounds (or to manufacturer’s specifi cations if not AlphaCells). Spray
the terminals with an approved battery terminal coating such as NCP-2.
NOTE:
If installed, disconnect the AlphaGuard prior to measuring battery voltage.
NOTE:
Even with a AG-CMT present in the system, any battery which fails the 0.3V load test must be replaced with
an identical type of battery.
Check battery voltages UNDER LOAD. Use a load tester if available. Differences between any battery in •
the set should not be greater than 0.3Vdc.
Refer to the battery manufacturer’s recommendation for correct charger voltages and the power supply •
operation manual for corresponding charger settings.
Number the batteries (1, 2, 3, etc.) inside the enclosure for easy identifi cation (refer to the appropriate •
enclosure installation guide).
Establish and maintain a battery maintenance log.•
018-340-B0-001 Rev. A
7
1.0 System Overview
1.1 Introduction
The primary purpose of Alpha’s APU Control Module (ACM) is to control and monitor
generator systems that utilize the ACU Module. Depending upon the standby powering
confi guration, the ACM and generator combination are installed remotely, or co-located, with
other Alpha equipment such as power supplies and batteries.
The ACM monitors AC line and DC bus status to determine when to start and stop the APU.
In the event of an extended power outage, self test initiation, remote start command or low
battery bus voltage, the ACM will start the APU. The APU will prevent the backup batteries
from discharging to a reduced voltage level which would compromise the ability of the system
to provide a continuous, reliable source of power.
In addition to starting the APU, the ACM monitors the entire generator system for abnormal
operating conditions such as engine over-temperature, gas leak, enclosure pad shear, etc. If
certain abnormal conditions or alarms are present, the ACM and or the APU controller (APSCP, A2034 Logic PCB, CCG or ECI-2) will either prevent the generator from starting or shut
it down immediately. This provides for public safety, while preventing any serious damage to
the APU. The system operator also has the ability to override the ACM and control the APU
manually or remotely.
Finally, the ACM provides the interface between the APU and Alpha Technologies’
communication devices. The ACM is designed to control and monitor the APU while
responding to commands and queries from a system controller via an isolated RS-485 data
bus. Status information and alarms can be read from the ACM remotely via the data bus,
locally from the Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) on the unit’s front panel, or by an optically
isolated analog transponder interface. The ACM is capable of reporting 7 major alarms, 6
minor alarms and 2 notifi cations.
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018-340-B0-001 Rev. A
1.0 System Overview, continued
1.2 Theory of Operation
1.2.1 Normal Operating Condition
Under normal operating conditions (no alarms) the ACM’s Run-Auto-Stop (RAS)
three position rocker switch will be in one of two positions: “AUTO” or “RUN”. (See
Section 3, Indicators, Controls and Connectors) The ACM has control over the
starting and stopping of the APU while in the AUTO mode. The ACM is monitoring
the utility input, via an AC sense, the DC buss voltage, Ignition battery charger
output, enclosure sensors and the APU status sent from the APU controller. If a fault
occurs, the ACM determines whether or not to start or inhibit the APU based upon
the failure. The ACM can also receive remote start commands via the RS-485 buss
or the analog transponder interface. The ACM can be removed from controlling the
APU by switch the RAS to run or “manual” mode. In this mode, the APU will run until
a fault condition shuts it down.
1.2.2 Standby Operating Condition (Less Than 10 Minutes)
If an AC line disturbance or outage is less than 10 minutes, the ACM will not start
the APU unless the battery buss voltage drops below a programmable threshold
(Low DC Buss Level) which defaults to 1.95 Volts per cell or 35.1/46.8/93.6 Volts for
36/48/96 Volt systems respectively. However, the ACM will notify the system operator
of a line failure via the front panel LED’s (see alarm section). Otherwise, the ACM will
appear to be in a “normal” operating condition.
1.2.3 Standby Operating Condition (More Than 10 Minutes)
If an AC line disturbance or outage is greater than 10 minutes, the ACM start delay
timer will expire and the ACM will attempt to start the APU. The ACM will attempt
to start the engine 9 times with either a 30 second or a 60 second pause between
attempts (See Table 1-1). If the engine fails to start, the ACM will report an “Engine
Over-crank” alarm. Otherwise, the ACM will start and continue to run the APU until
either a normal shutdown or Major alarm occurs (See section 4.1, Alarms).
Crank Cycle
Crank Attempt 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Cranking Engine 15 Sec 15 Sec 15 Sec 15 Sec 15 Sec 15 Sec 15 Sec 15 Sec 15 Sec
Pause (no crank) 30 Sec 30 Sec 60 Sec 30 Sec 30 Sec 60 Sec 30 Sec 30 Sec
Table 1-1, Normal Mode Crank Cycle
Engine
Overcrank
Alarm
018-340-B0-001 Rev. A
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