Kipp&Zonen SMP3 User Manual

Instruction Manual

SMP series • Smart Pyranometer

Important user information

Dear customer, thank you for purchasing a Kipp & Zonen instrument. It is essential that you read this manual completely for a

full understanding of the proper and safe installation, use, maintenance and operation of your new SMP series pyranometer.

We understand that no instruction manual is perfect, so should you have any comments regarding this manual we will be pleased

to receive them at:

Kipp & Zonen B.V.

Delftechpark 36, 2628 XH Delft, - or

P.O. Box 507, 2600 AM Delft,

The Netherlands

+31 15 2755 210

support@kippzonen.com

www.kippzonen.com

Warranty and liability

Kipp & Zonen guarantees that the product delivered has been thoroughly tested to ensure that it meets its published speciﬁcations.

The warranty included in the conditions of delivery is valid only if the product has been installed and used according to the

instructions supplied by Kipp & Zonen.

Kipp & Zonen shall in no event be liable for incidental or consequential damages, including without limitation, lost proﬁts, loss

of income, loss of business opportunities, loss of use and other related exposures, however incurred, rising from the faulty and

incorrect use of the product.

Modiﬁcations made by the user may aect the instrument performance, void the warranty, or aect the validity of the CE declaration

or other approvals and compliances to applicable International Standards.

All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or

by any means, without authorisation by Kipp & Zonen.

Kipp & Zonen reserves the right to make changes to this manual, brochures, speciﬁcations and other product documentation

without prior notice.

Manual document number: V1501

Publication date: 1

January 2015

EC Declaration of Conformity

Kipp & Zonen B.V.

Delftechpark 36, 2628 XH Delft

P.O. Box 507, 2600 AM Delft

The Netherlands

declares under our sole responsibility that the product

SMP3, SMP10 and SMP11 Smart Pyranometer

to which this declaration relates is in conformity with European Harmonised Standards as published in

Ofﬁcial Journal of the EC, issue: C321/1 23-10-2012

The compliance of the product has been based on the following standard

EN 61326-1:2006 [EMC - Emissions] EN 61326-1:2006 [EMC - Immunity]

following the provisions of the directives

EMC-directive 2004/108/EC

Delft, 1

January 2015

Dr. F. Kuik - CEO

Kipp & Zonen B.V.

This Declaration of Conformity is compliant with the European Standard EN 45014 General Criteria for supplier’s Declaration of Conformity. The basis for the criteria has been found in international documentation, particularly in ISO/IEC, Guide 22, 1982, Information on manufacturer’s Declaration of Conformity with standards or other technical specifications

Table of Contents

Important User Information

Declaration of Conformity

1 Introduction

1.1 Product overview

1.1.1 The pyranometer

1.1.2 International Standards

1.2 Key parts of the SMP3 pyranometer

1.3 Key parts of the SMP10 pyranometer

1.4 Key parts of the SMP11 pyranometer

2 Installation

2.1 Included with the product

2.2 Tools required

2.3 Location and support

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

2.4 Installation for measurement of horizontal global irradiance

2.4.1 Location

2.4.2 Mounting

2.4.3 Orientation

2.4.4 Levelling

2.4.5 Securing

2.4.6 Fitting the connector and cable

2.4.7 Fitting the sun shield

2.5 Installation for measurement of tilted global irradiance

2.6 Installation for measurement of reﬂected global irradiance

2.7 Installation for measurement of albedo

2.8 Installation for measurement of horizontal diffuse irradiance

2.9 Electrical connections

2.9.1 Power connection

2.9.2 Data connection

2.9.3 Analogue voltage output

2.9.4 Analogue current output

2.9.5 Recommended cable types

.................................................................................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................................................................

3 Accessories

3.1 Diffuse radiation measurement

3.2 Ventilation

3.3 Mountings

3.4 Glare screen kit

3.5 Cables

4 Software installation and conﬁguration

4.1 Set up communication

4.2 Change the Modbus® address

4.3 Instrument data

4.4 Chart

4.5 Data logging

5 Operation and measurement

5.1 Data collection

5.2 Key parts of SMP series pyranometers

5.2.1 Dome(s)

5.2.2 Detector

5.2.3 Housing

5.2.4 Drying cartridge

5.2.5 Cable and connector

6 Maintenance and re-calibration

6.1 Daily maintenance

6.2 Monthly maintenance

6.3 Yearly maintenance

6.4 Calibration

6.4.1 Calibration principle

6.4.2 Calibration traceability to the WRR

7 Speciﬁcations

7.1 Optical and electrical

7.2 Dimensions and weight

8 Trouble shooting

8.1 Output signal not present or incorrect

8.2 Frequently Asked Questions

9 Customer Support

10 Keyword index

Appendices

A. Modbus®

A.1 Modbus® commands

A.2 Input registers

A.3 Holding registers

A.4 Read input register

A.5 Discrete inputs

A.6 Coils

A.7 Read write holding registers

A.8 Read discrete inputs

A.9 Read write discrete coils

A.10 Requesting serial number

A.11 Simple demonstration program

B. Pyranometer physical properties

B.1 Spectral range

B.2 Sensitivity

B.3 Response time

B.4 Non-linearity

B.5 Tempearture dependence

B.6 Tilt error

B.7 Zero offset type A

B.8 Zero offset type B

B.9 Operating temperature

B.10 Field of view

B.11 Directional response

B.12 Maximum irradiance

B.13 Non-stability

B.14 Spectral selectivity

B.15 Environmental

B.16 Uncertainty

C. Pyranometer classification to ISO 9060:1990 (E)

Using this table

Click on any item in the table of contents to be taken directly to the relevant page.

Click on the bottom of any page to be taken back to the table of contents.

1. Introduction

Throughout this manual the following symbols are used to indicate to the user important information.

General warning about conditions, other than those caused by high voltage electricity, which may result in physical

injury and/or damage to the equipment or cause the equipment to not operate correctly.

Note Useful information for the user

1.1 Product overview

According to International Standard ISO 9060:1990 and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) a pyranometer is the

designated type of instrument for the measurement of hemispherical (global or diuse) solar radiation integrated over the

wavelength range from 0.3 m to 3 m (300 nm to 3000 nm). All pyranometers within the SMP series are compliant with one

of the classes speciﬁed by the international standard.

This manual, together with the instruction sheet, provides information related to the installation, maintenance, calibration,

product speciﬁcations and applications of the SMP series pyranometers.

If any questions should remain, please contact your local Kipp & Zonen representative or e-mail the Kipp & Zonen customer and product support department at: support@kippzonen.com

Please go to www.kippzonen.com for information about other Kipp & Zonen products, or to check for any updates to this manual

or software.

1.1.1 The pyranometer

The SMP series instruments are high quality radiometers designed for measuring short-wave irradiance on a plane surface

(radiant ﬂux, W/m²), which results from the sum of the direct solar radiation and the diuse sky radiation incident from the

hemisphere above the instrument.

SMP pyranometers feature internal digital signal processing and interfaces optimised for industrial data acquisition and control

systems. Kipp & Zonen has developed a smart interface that features RS-485 Modbus® data communication for connection to

programmable logic controllers (PLC’s), inverters, digital control equipment and the latest generation of data loggers. Ampliﬁed

Voltage or Current outputs are also included for devices that have high-level analogue inputs or current loop interfaces.

There are three models in the SMP series, SMP3, SMP10 and SMP11, and available in two versions. One has an analogue voltage

output of 0 to 1 V, the other has an analogue current output of 4 to 20 mA. They all have a 2-wire RS-485 interface with Modbus®

(RTU) protocol.

Digital signal processing provides faster response times and, with an integrated temperature sensor, corrects for the temperature

dependence of the detector sensitivity.

To achieve the required spectral and directional characteristics SMP Series pyranometers use thermopile detectors and glass

domes. SMP3, SMP10 and SMP11 have built-in bubble levels and adjustable levelling feet. Snap-on sun shields reduce solar

heating of the housings. The waterproof connectors have gold-plated contacts.

The pyranometers are normally delivered with a waterproof plug pre-wired to a high quality signal cable, typically this is 10 m

long but other lengths are available. The instruments can also be ordered with a plug only, for the user to ﬁt their own cable.

SMP3 features a 64-junction thermopile sensing element with a highly absorptive, and spectrally ﬂat, black coating to capture

incoming radiation and convert it to an electrical signal. This detector is protected by a high quality glass dome which is 4 mm

thick. The housing is completely sealed.

SMP10 and SMP11 have a larger housing than SMP3 with increased thermal mass. Its 32-junction thermopile sensing element

features faster response, better linearity and a wider measurement range than the SMP3. There are two high quality concentric

glass domes, 2 mm thick, which provide improved directional error and thermal isolation. The radiometric levelling is more

accurate and SMP11 has a drying cartridge with replaceable desiccant. The SMP10 has internal desiccant that lasts for 10 years.

Features and speciﬁcations of the SMP3, SMP10 and SMP11 pyranometers are explained later in this manual.

1.1.2 International Standards

SMP3 is fully compliant with the requirements of ISO 9060:1990 for a Second Class Pyranometer.

SMP10 and SMP11 are fully compliant with the requirements of ISO 9060:1990 for a Secondary Standard Pyranometer.

SMP series pyranometers are calibrated in accordance with Annex A.3 of ISO 9847 ‘Calibration of Field Pyranometers by

Comparison to a Reference Pyranometer’. Annex A.3 refers to ‘Calibration Devices Using Artiﬁcial Sources’. Calibrations are

traceable to the World Radiometric Reference (WRR) in Davos, Switzerland.

SMP series pyranometers comply with IEC 60904-1 ‘Photovoltaic devices - Part 1: Measurement of Photovoltaic Current-Voltage

Characteristics’.

1.2 Key parts of the SMP3 pyranometer

glass dome

detector

sun shield

housing

ﬁxed foot adjustable feet

1.3 Key parts of the SMP10 pyranometer

inner glass dome

sun shield

connector

bubble level

outer glass dome

detector

bubble level

connector

desiccant

ﬁxed foot adjustable feet

1.4 Key parts of the SMP11 pyranometer

inner glass dome

sun shield

drying cartridge

ﬁxed foot adjustable feet

housing

outer glass dome

detector

bubble level

connector

housing

2. Installation

Please follow the instructions in this section carefully for the mechanical and electrical installation of the SMP series pyranometers.

Do not turn on power to the instrument until instructed to do so.

Note Do not connect the instrument to a computer until instructed to do so.

Note Do not turn on power to the operating computer until instructed to do so.

2.1 Included with the product

Check the contents of the shipment for completeness (see below) and note whether any damage has occurred during transport.

If there is damage, a claim should be ﬁled with the carrier immediately. In the case of damage and/or the contents are incom-

plete, contact your local Kipp & Zonen representative or e-mail the Kipp & Zonen customer and product support department at: support@kippzonen.com

Although all SMP radiometers are weather-proof and suitable for use in harsh environmental conditions, they have some

delicate mechanical parts. Please keep the original packaging for safe transport of the radiometer to the measurement site, or

for use when returning the radiometer for calibration.

The following items are included with SMP pyranometers:

Smart Pyranometer

Sun screen

Cable, pre-wired with 8-pins connector or connector only for customer cable

Calibration certiﬁcate

Instruction sheet

Pyranometer ﬁxing kit SMP3; 2 each of stainless steel M5 x 30, M5 x 40 and M5 x 50 mm screws, nut, ﬂat washer

Pyranometer ﬁxing kit SMP10/SMP11; 2 each of stainless steel M5 x 80 mm screw, nut, ﬂat washer, nylon insulation ring

2 Dessicant bags (SMP11 only)

CD with product documentation and software

2x 2x 2x

2.2 Tools required

The tools required to ﬁt an SMP series pyranometer to a support are a 4 mm (M5 socket head screw) Allen key and a 8 mm (M5

nut) wrench / spanner. Normally, the drying cartridge for the SMP11 should be hand-tight, but a 16 mm or 5/8” open-ended

wrench / spanner can be used to loosen it.

2.3 Location and support

The instruction sheets contain all the outline information necessary for the correct installation of the pyranometers. Further

detail for speciﬁc types of installation and application are given later in this section.

Check the condition of the desiccant in the SMP11 and replace before installation, if necessary; for example after a long storage

period. This is not required for SMP3. The SMP10 internal desiccant is operational 10 years after the last calibration date as

mentioned on the instrument label and calibration certiﬁcate.

When using the digital output it might be convenient to set the Modbus® address prior to visiting the site, otherwise a computer

and RS-485 / USB converter may be required during installation.

2.4 Installation for measurement of horizontal global irradiance

The following steps must be carefully taken for optimal performance of the instrument.

2.4.1 Location

Ideally, the site for the radiometer should be free from any obstructions to the hemispherical view from the plane of the detector.

If this is not possible, the site should be chosen in such a way that any obstruction over the azimuth range between earliest

sunrise and latest sunset should have an elevation not exceeding 5 ° (the apparent sun diameter is 0.5 °).

This is important for an accurate measurement of the direct solar radiation component. The diuse solar radiation is less

inﬂuenced by obstructions near the horizon. For instance, an obstruction with an elevation of 5° over the whole azimuth range

of 360 ° decreases the downward diuse solar radiation by only 0.8 %.

It is evident that the radiometer should be located in such a way that a shadow will not be cast upon it at any time (for example

by masts or ventilation ducts). Note that hot exhaust gas (> 100 °C) will produce some radiation in the spectral range of the

radiometer and cause an oset in the measurements. The radiometer should be distant from light-coloured walls or other

objects likely to reﬂect sunlight onto it, or emitting short-wave radiation.

The radiometer should be readily accessible for cleaning the outer dome, checking that it is level and inspecting the desiccant.

2.4.2 Mounting

The SMP pyranometer is provided with two holes for 5 mm bolts. Two nylon insulation rings and two each of stainless steel bolts,

washers and nuts are provided in the ﬁxing kit. The pyranometer should ﬁrst be secured lightly with the bolts to a solid and

stable mounting stand or platform as shown below. The nylon insulators are important to prevent corrosion between the screws

and the pyranometer housing.

The mounting stand temperature may vary over a wider range than the air temperature. Temperature ﬂuctuations of the

pyranometer body can produce oset signals, therefore it is recommended to isolate the pyranometer thermally from the

mounting stand by placing it on its three feet. Ensure that there is a good electrical contact with the ground to conduct away

currents in the cable shield induced by lightning.

M5 x 80 mm screw (2x)

Nylon insulation rings (2x)

>10 x h

Ø 5.2 mm (2x)

Flat washer (2x)

Nut (2x)

65 mm

Note After recalibration and/or reinstallation ensure that the nylon insulators are reﬁtted.

2.4.3 Orientation

In principle no special orientation of the instrument is required, although the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) recommends

that the signal lead (connector) is pointed towards the nearest pole, to minimise heating of the electrical connections. This is also

where any mounting pole, or other support, should be located in order that shadows do not fall on the instrument.

2.4.4 Levelling

Accurate measurement of the global radiation requires proper levelling of the detector surface. Level the instrument by turning

the two adjustable feet to bring the bubble of the spirit level centrally within the marked ring. For easy levelling, ﬁrst use the

screw nearest to the spirit level.

Note It is ideal that the bubble should be completely within the marked ring. However, in fact, the pyranometer is level

within the speciﬁed accuracy when the bubble is at least half within the ring.

2.4.5 Securing

Secure the pyranometer tightly with the two stainless steel bolts. Use the two nylon insulators to avoid contact between the

aluminium body and the steel screws. Ensure that the pyranometer maintains the correct levelled position when it is tightened.

2.4.6 Fitting the connector and cable

Locate the plug correctly in the radiometer socket, it only ﬁts one way, and push it in. Screw the plug locking ring hand-tight.

Over-tightening may damage the waterproof seal. Secure the cable so that it cannot blow in the wind or cause a shadow on the

instrument.

Note The cable should be arranged with a curve below the instrument so that water drips o, rather than running along

the cable up to the connector.

2.4.7 Fitting the sun shield

Finally, clip on the sun shield to prevent excessive heating of the radiometer body. The bubble level is visible through the top

of the sun shield for routine checks and the shield ‘tail’ helps to protect the connector.

2.5 Installation for measurement of tilted global irradiance

When a pyranometer is mounted on a large ﬂat tilted surface the temperature of this surface can rise considerably (more than

10 °C) above air temperature. It is advised to pre-adjust the levelling feet on a horizontal surface for easy mounting of the

instrument parallel to the inclined surface. It improves the measurement accuracy when the body is thermally isolated by its

feet from the surface. This promotes thermal equilibrium between the dome(s) and the housing and decreases zero osets.

For accurately and securely ﬁxing a pyranometer at an angle to a surface an adjustable tilt mounting kit is available. See Accessories

in chapter 3.

2.6 Installation for measurement of reﬂected global irradiance

In the inverted position the pyranometer measures reﬂected global radiation. The

height above the surface (H) depends upon its roughness. The WMO recommends a

height of 1 m to 2 m above a uniform surface covered by short grass.

The mounting device should not interfere signiﬁcantly with the ﬁeld of view of the

instrument. The mounting plate above the pyranometer prevents excessive heating of

the housing by downwards solar radiation and. The glare screen has an angle of 5 °

and is ﬁtted to the pyranometer to prevent direct illumination of the domes by the sun

at sunrise and sunset. It is available as an accessory kit for the SMP10 and SMP11.

Thermal oset signals generated in the pyranometer are 5 times more signiﬁcant

in the measurement of reﬂected radiation due to the lower irradiance level.

The mast shown intercepts a fraction D/2πS. of the radiation coming from the

ground. In the most unfavourable situation (sun at zenith) the pyranometer

shadow decreases the signal by a factor R2/H2.

As a guide, a black shadow below the pyranometer with a radius of 0.1 x H decreases the signal by 1%, and 99 % of the signal

will originate from an area with a radius of 10 x H.

R S

Pyranometer

Lower screen (white)

Mast (black)

Equator

2.7 Installation for measurement of albedo

An albedometer consists of two identical pyranometers that measure the

incoming global solar radiation and the radiation reﬂected from the surface

below. Albedo is the ratio of the two irradiances, and varies from 0 (dark)

to 1 (bright).

Albedo

mounting plate

R S

Upper screen (white)

Pyranometers

Two SMP3’s can be mounted back to back with the standard ﬁxing kit, and the

accessory mounting rod screwed into one of them, to make an albedometer.

For two SMP10’s or two SMP11’s a mounting plate is required. The CMF 1

mounting plate is used for unventilated SMP10’s or SMP11’s and the CMF4 for

ventilated instruments. There is no ventilation unit for the SMP3.

The requirements for installation of the upper pyranometer are the same as

for horizontal global irradiance. The requirements for installation of the

lower pyranometer and mast are the same as for reﬂected global irradiance.

2.8 Installation for measurement of horizontal diffuse irradiance

For measuring the diuse radiation from the sky, the direct solar radiation

must be blocked from the pyranometer dome(s).

A static shadow ring can be used to intercept the direct solar radiation. This

requires frequent manual adjustment as the sun’s arc in the sky changes. At

times the shadow ring also intercepts a signiﬁcant proportion of the diuse

sky radiation. Therefore, post-processing of the recorded data is necessary to

correct for this.

Sun

Pyranometer

Equator

Lower screen (white)

Mast (black)

Equator

Shadow ring

Mount

Kipp & Zonen produces a universal shadow ring, model CM 121, which is

suitable for use at all latitudes.

The alternative to a shadow ring is to use a two-axis automatic sun tracker,

such as one of the models from Kipp & Zonen. The sun tracker uses location

and time information to calculate the position of the sun and point at it

accurately under all weather conditions.

The sun tracker can be ﬁtted with a small disk or sphere mounted on an

articulated shading assembly. The shadow of the disk or sphere is adjusted to

cover the pyranometer dome(s) completely and it will then be shaded correct-

ly throughout the year without adjustment.

2.9 Electrical connections

As standard SMP pyranometers are supplied with a waterproof connector pre-wired to 10 m of high quality yellow cable with 8

wires and a shield covered with a black sleeve. Longer cables are available as options. The colour code of the wires and the

connector pin numbers are shown below and on the instruction sheet.

Special attention is needed to prevent power or ground loops when connecting the SMP to multiple readout devices.

Connecting the RS-485 to a grounded circuit and the analogue output to a ﬂoating circuit can cause unacceptable

ground loops. This may cause dierential voltages outside the SMP speciﬁcations and will damage the unit. We

recommend using either the analogue or the digital output but not both. The maximum dierential between either

of the Modbus® RS-485 lines (yellow and grey) and the power ground / RS-485 common line (black) is 70 VDC.

Radiometer connection

up to

serial number 144999

0.6

0.4

0.8

0.2

0.0

1.0

V / mA

SMP-V or SMP-A SMP-V or SMP-A

Modbus® RS-485

wire from power supply ground

to Modbus® ground needed

5 to 30 VDC

power supply

Radiometer connection

starting from

serial numbers 145000

0.6

0.4

0.8

0.2

0.0

1.0

V / mA

Modbus® RS-485

5 to 30 VDC

power supply

Radiometer Connection

Wire Function Connect with

Green

Brown

Yellow

Grey

White

Black

Red

Blue

* Connect to ground if radiometer not grounded

The blue wire is not connect with radiometers with serial number up to 144999

Analogue out V+/4-20 mA(+)

Analogue ground V

Modbus® RS-485

Power 5 to 30 VDC

Power ground / RS-485 Common

Modbus® common / Ground

HousingShield

/4-20 mA(-)

(12 V recommended)

Not connectedNone

Ground *

First connect all wires before plugging into the radiometer

The shield of the cable is connected to the aluminium radiometer housing through the connector body. Preferably,

secure the radiometer with its levelling screws on a metal support with a good connection to ground (e.g. by using

a lightning conductor) and do not connect the cable shield at the readout end.

If there is no good ground connection at the pyranometer, the shield at the cable end should be connected to ground

at the readout equipment. Lightning can induce high voltages in the shield but these will be led o at the pyranometer

or readout equipment.

Note Long cables may be used, but the cable resistance must be smaller than 0.1% of the impedance of the readout

equipment for the analogue outputs and may aect the baud rate of the RS-485 digital connection.

2.9.1 Power connection

The minimum power supply voltage for SMP pyranometers is 5 VDC. However, for optimal performance it is advised to use

12 VDC, especially when long cables are used. 5-volt power can only be used in combination with a short cable, maximum 10 m.

It is advised to protect the output of the power supply with a fast blowing fuse of maximum 250 mA rating.

+ 42 hidden pages

Kipp&Zonen SMP3 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual