ALENCON GARD-1000-V2.2 Installation, Operation And Maintenance Manual Download Page 1

G

ROUND AND 

A

RC 

R

APID 

D

ISCONNECT 

(GARD)

 

 

A unique device for detecting ground and arc faults in PV arrays and 
rapidly disconnecting the impacted PV strings. 

 

I

NSTALLATION

,

 

O

PERATION AND 

M

AINTENANCE 

M

ANUAL 

FOR USE WITH THE 

GARD

 

V2.2 

PM006 Revision 7 

 

 

 

 

Alencon Systems LLC 
330 Warminster Rd., Suite 380 | Hatboro, PA 19040 | USA 
© 2009-2019 by Alencon Systems LLC  

Summary of Contents for GARD-1000-V2.2

Page 1: ...d and arc faults in PV arrays and rapidly disconnecting the impacted PV strings INSTALLATION OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE MANUAL FOR USE WITH THE GARD V2 2 PM006 Revision 7 Alencon Systems LLC 330 Warmin...

Page 2: ...ems LLC and or organization names mentioned may be trademarks and or registered trademarks of their respective companies Publication Number PM006 Date and Revision Revision ECO Date Author Approval Co...

Page 3: ...Arc Faults in Your PV Array 12 4 1 The Ground Arc Rapid Disconnect Unit GARD 12 4 2 Unique Features Benefits of the Alencon GARD 12 4 3 GARD Specifications 13 4 4 GARD Functionality and Operation 14...

Page 4: ...IRECT CURRENT SUPPLY 8 FIGURE 4 GROUNDING SCHEMES 10 FIGURE 5 ARCING 11 FIGURE 6 AFD PCB 16 FIGURE 7 SYSTEM NOISE SIGNATURE DURING AN ARC EVENT 17 FIGURE 8 PV SPOT INVERTER SYSTEM NOISE SIGNATURE 17 F...

Page 5: ...the Alencon s Ground Rapid Disconnect Unit Who Should Read this Manual This manual should be read by anyone who needs to Understand the product Plan the installation Install the product Commission th...

Page 6: ...ystems high quality control standards and rigorous testing most of our customers never need to use our warranty service If an Alencon Systems product is defective it will be repaired or replaced at no...

Page 7: ...r technical support if you need additional assistance Please have the following information ready before you call Product name LIN and serial number see section 6 5 for more information the location o...

Page 8: ...Before installation please ensure the following items have been shipped Correct of GARD Units specified for your plant with appropriate mounting hardware Figure 1 The GARD Unit 1 7 Ordering Informati...

Page 9: ...anada 1 Before installing and using the GARD read all instructions presented in this manual and the cautionary markings shown on the GARD s enclosure 2 The GARD contains no user serviceable parts For...

Page 10: ...ly Ignoring to do so may result in a risk of fire 8 PV modules produce electrical energy when exposed to light and thus can create an electrical shock hazard Wiring of the PV modules should only be pe...

Page 11: ...e terminals are connected to a conductive load the current begins to flow from the source to the load thereby generating power Figure 4 Grounding schemes A ground fault is an inadvertent contact betwe...

Page 12: ...of the SPOT Should you wish to positively ground the system this should be indicated prior to order As the GARD is designed for use with the SPOT the grounding of the PV array will appear as floating...

Page 13: ...with either a local or global E STOP switch or via remote MODBUS commands The GARD can be deployed as a standalone device or in conjunction with Alencon s String Power Optimizer and Transmitter the S...

Page 14: ...tors Yes Ground Fault Detector Capabilities Common grounding Negative Positive Ground fault current trip levels Configurable from 500 mA to 1 A Overvoltage Class OV II ARC Fault Detector Capabilities...

Page 15: ...he faulty channel is disconnected preventing ground currents from flowing Local indicators report the status of the GARD A remote monitoring facility is available via MODBUS Follow the suggested actio...

Page 16: ...of the tripped channel to make sure there is no current flowing 7 After ensuring that there is no current flowing through the tripped GARD channel disconnect the input and the output wires 8 Once the...

Page 17: ...ing a RESET command via MODBUS RTU GFDI can be configured to detect a ground leak either for negatively grounded positively grounded or floating PV systems 4 4 4 4 Arc Detection The arc fault detector...

Page 18: ...peration of a PV system the noise floor fluctuates depending on operating conditions transient s etc Alencon s AFD is conctantly monitoring the noise floor for deviations in spectrum magnitude During...

Page 19: ...e PCB motherboard and one daughter PCB The motherboard provides the following functions Controls Ground Leak Fault Detection Arc Detection Board PV Disconnect upon fault Channel Status The Motherboard...

Page 20: ...negative current sensor This difference should simulate a current fault If any of the channels fail to detect the simulated fault they will be disconnected and a fault flag will be recorded in the GA...

Page 21: ...tate and keeps all relays de energized as long the SHUTDOWN flag is set TESTMODE Upon receiving the TESTMODE command the GARD AFD is initialized and initially set into SHUTDOWN state While in TESTMODE...

Page 22: ...would have to push the button in towards the GARD This will put the switch in the NO position disconnecting the power to the relays To disengage the emergency switch twist and pull the knob away from...

Page 23: ...work Through the same RJ45 connector all the GARDs in the network are wired to a global E STOP that can remotely disable the GARD i e disconnect isolate PV strings from the Output Figure 12 GARD Botto...

Page 24: ...lat installation where the E Stop botton faces upward No cooling is required for the GARD When mounting the GARD 1 Have at least 2 feet of clearance from the ground Installing the GARD at chest height...

Page 25: ...Manual A l e n c o n S y s t e m s L L C P a g e 24 Figure 14 GARD prior to mounting on the Unistrut 7 4 Cable Terminations The GARD can either be used as a standalone product in a PV system or couple...

Page 26: ...GARD SPOT If the PV system is already fitted with SPOT s you must be pay attention to the physical connectors that go from the GARD to the SPOT To break it down the list below explains how input outp...

Page 27: ...used to de energize the PCS or other power conversion equipments connected to its output terminals External disconnects are not required however the PV strings must be fused in order to comply with th...

Page 28: ...tup applying minimum voltage or external 24 V will turn ON the GARD boards allowing two way communications with the HUB 8 2 Control System All protection tasks controls and communication are handled b...

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