Xantrex Technology power Inverter Stacking User Manual

Smart choice for power

Inverter Stacking
Control Series
(ISC-S) Cable

Installation Guide

www.xantrex.com

Inverter Stacking Control Series (ISC-S)
Cable

Installation Guide

About Xantrex

Xantrex Technology Inc. is a world-leading supplier of advanced power electronics and controls with products from
50 watt mobile units to one MW utility-scale system s for wind, solar, batteries , fuel cells, micr oturbines, and backup
power applications in both grid-co nnected and stand-alone systems. Xantrex products include inve rters, battery
chargers, programmable power s upplies, and varia ble speed drives that convert, supply, control, clean, and distribut e
electri cal pow er.

Trademarks

Inverter Stacking Control – Series Cable is a t rademark of Xant rex International. Xantrex is a registered trademark of

Xantrex International.
Other trademarks, registered tradem arks, and product names are the property of thei r r espective owners and are used

herein for identi fication purposes only.

Notice of Copyright

Inverter Stacking Control Series (ISC-S) Cable Installation Guide© January 2004 Xantrex International . All rights

reserved.

Disclaimer

UNLESS SPECIFICALLY AGREED TO IN WRITING, XANTREX TECHNOLOGY INC. (“XANTREX”)
(a) MAKES NO WARRANTY AS TO THE ACCURACY, SUFFICIENCY OR SUITABILITY OF ANY

TECHNICAL OR OTHER INFORMAT ION PROVIDED IN ITS MANUALS OR OTHER DOCUMENTATION.
(b) ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE, WHETHER DIRECT,

INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL, WHICH MIGHT ARISE OUT OF THE USE OF SUCH
INFORMATION. THE USE OF ANY SUCH INFORMATION WILL BE ENTIRELY AT THE USER’S RISK.

Date and Revision

January 2004 Rev A

Part Number

975-0059-01-01 Rev A

Contact Information

Telephone: [phone] (toll free North America)

1 360 925 5097 (direct)

Fax: [phone] (toll free North America)

1 360 925 5143 (direct) Email: [e-mail] Web: www. xantrex.com

About This Guide

Purpose

The purpose of this Installation Guide is to provide explanations and procedures
for installing the Inverter Stacking Control – Series Cable and provides
information regar ding stacking two identical Sine Wave Plus inverters.

Scope

The Guide pro vides sa fety guidel ines, deta iled planni ng and setup i nformat ion for
stacking inverters, and pr ocedures for installing the ISC-S cable.

Audience

The Guide is intended for anyone who needs to insta ll series-stacked, Sine Wave
Plus inverters us ing t he Inver ter Stac king Contr ol – Ser ies Cabl e. I nstaller s sho uld
be certified techni cians or electricians.

Organization

This Guide is organized into thr ee chap t ers.

Chapter 1, “Introduction” provides information on stacking of Sine Wave Plus
inverters.

Chapter 2, “Installation” provides information on installing the DC wiring, AC
Wiring, and the ISC-S for Sine Wave Plus inverters.

Chapter 3, “Ope ration”contains information on startup and functional testing
procedures for serie s- stacked Sine Wave Plus inverters.

Warranty and Product Information is provided at the end of the Guide.

975-0059-01-01 Rev A iii

About This Guide

Conventions Used

The following conventions are used in this guide.

WARNING

Warnings identify conditions that could result in personal injury or loss of life.

CAUTION

Cautions i dentif y co ndit ion s or pra ctic es th at cou ld r esult in damage t o t he unit or
other equipm ent.

Important:

know, but not as serious as a caution or warning.

These notes describe things which are important for you to

Abbreviations and Acronyms

The following acronyms and abbrev iations are used in this guide:

AC Alternating Current
ASC Authorized Service Center
BTS Battery Temperature Sensor
DC Direct Current
DCCB DC Conduit Box
DVM Digital Voltage Meter
GSM Generator Start Module

ISC-S cable Inverter St acking Control – Series Cable

Hz Hertz
RMA Return Material Authori zation
Va c AC Voltag e

Related Information

You can find more information about Xantrex Technology Inc. as well as its
products and services at www.xantrex.com

iv 975-0059-01-01 Rev A

Important Safety Instructions

WARNING

This chapter contains important safety and operating instructions. Read and keep this

Installation Guide for future reference.

1. Before installing and using the ISC-S cab l e, read all instructions and
cautionary infor mation in this guide.

2. Do not expose the ISC-S cable to rain, snow , spr a y, or water.

3. Use only attachments recommended or sold by the manufa cturer . Doing
otherwise may r esult in a risk of fire, electric shoc k, or injury to persons.

4. Do not operate the ISC-S cable if it has been damaged in any way. If the ISC-

S cable is damag ed, s ee the Warranty section.

5. Do not disassemble the ISC-S cable. It contains no user-serviceable parts. See
Warranty for instructions on obtaining se rvice. Attempting to serv ice the ISC-

S cable yourself will void your wawrranty.

6. T o reduce the risk of electrical shock, disconnect both AC and DC power
from the inverters before attempting any maintenance or cleaning or working
on any circui ts connec ted to t he IS C- S c abl e. T ur ning of f th e inve rters wi ll n ot
reduce this risk.

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vi

Contents

Important Safety Instructions

1

Introduction

Stacking Inverters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1–2
The ISC-S Cable - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1–5

2

Installation

DC Wiring - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–2

Battery Requirements for Series-stacked Inverters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–2
Battery-Bank Configuration for Series-stacked Inverters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–2
Grounding Series-st acked Inverters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–3
Connecting the Battery Bank to the Inverters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–4

AC Wiring - General - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–6

Inverter AC Distribution Panel (Sub-Panel) Wiring (if used) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–6
Neutral Bonding - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–7
Grounding - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–7

AC Wiring - Specific - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–8

Off-Grid AC Wiring for Sine Wave Plus Inverters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–8
On-Grid AC Wiring for Sine Wave Plus Inverters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–10
Generator AC Wiring to Series-s tacked Inverters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–12
Wiring for a 240 Vac-Only Input Source - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–14

Connecting the ISC-S Cable - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–16

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -v

3

Operation

Start-up and Testing- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3–2
Setting Changes - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3–4

Automatic and Manual Generator Control - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3–4
Bulk and Float Charging Parameters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3–4
Equalize Charging - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3–4

Automatic Generator Equalize Charging - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3–5
Manual Equalize Charging - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3–5

Warranty and Return Information

Index

975-0059-01-01 Rev A vii

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - IX–1

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WA–1

viii

Figures

Figure 1-1 Off-Grid Applications with Series-Stacked Inverters- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1–3
Figure 1-2 On-Grid Applications with Series-stacked Inverters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1–4
Figure 1-3 Inverter Stacking Control – Series Cable (ISC-S cabl e) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1–5
Figure 2-1 Exam ple of Battery Connections for Series-stacked Inverters (24 Vdc shown) - - - - - - - 2–2
Figure 2-2 DC Grounding of Serie s-stacked Inverters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–3
Figure 2-3 DC Connections for Dual Inverters, Series-stacked- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–5
Figure 2-4 AC W iri n g for Se ri es-s tack ed SW Pl u s Inverters Off Grid - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–9
Figure 2-5 AC W iri n g for Se ri es-s tack ed SW Pl u s Inverters OnGrid - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–11
Figure 2-6 Generator Wiring to Series-stacked SW Plus Inverters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–13
Figure 2-7 AC Wiring for a 240 Vac-Only Input Source- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–15
Figure 2-8 The 25-pin D-conne ctor on the ISC-S Cable - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–16
Figure 2-9 Stacking Port Locations on SW Plus Inverters - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–16
Figure 2-10 The ISC-S Cable Connected to Dual Sine Wave Plus Inverters- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2–17
Figure 3-1 Testpoints for Confirming Voltages - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3–3

975-0059-01-01 Rev A ix

x

1

Introduction

Chapter 1, “Introduction” provides information on stacking of Sine

Wave Plus inverters.
The following topics are covered in this chapter.

For this topic: See:

“Stacking Inverters” page 1–2
“The ISC-S Cable” page 1–5

Introduction

Stacking Inverters

Two identical, series-stack ed, inv erters can be conne cted toget h er for the
following purposes.

• The voltage output of a single inver ter is insufficient to powe r the 240 Vac
loads attached to the system;

• Multi-wire branch circu its exists in the current str ucture . Please see Appendix

F, “Multi-wire Branch Circuit Wiring”, in the Sine Wave Plus Owner’s
Manual for additional information.

Important:

configurations. In other words, you can use two SW Plus 2548 inverters, or two
SW Plus 4048 inverters. You cannot stack a SW P lus 2548 with a SW Plus 4048.
Different types of inverters cannot be intermixed in a stacking configurati on.
Models with 230 Vac, 50 Hz, output cannot be series-stack ed.

Stacking inve rters in a “series” configuration can double the output voltage at the
same current level as an individual inverter.

Series-sta cki n g conn ect s the ne utr al output s of each inve rt er tog eth er an d ena b les
the inverters to synchronize their hot outputs to be 180 degrees out-of-phase with
each other. This maintains the wattage output at the rated level, but doubl es the
voltage output avail able, thereby allowing 240 Vac loads to be supported by the
system.

Example: T wo series-st acked, Sine Wave Plus 4024 Vac inverters can run both
120 Vac and 240 Vac loads at 33 amps continuous output.

Stacking inverters in a series configuration requires the use of the Inverter
Stacking Control- Series (ISC-S) Cable.

Inverter types and models must be identical for stacking

1–2 975-0059-01-01 Rev A

Stacking Inverters

Figure 1-1

975-0059-01-01 Rev A 1–3

Off-Grid Applications with Series-Stacked Inverters