Xantrex Technology SW Series - Manual (Page 81)

OPERATION
 2001 Xantrex Technology, Inc.
5916 - 195th Street N. E.
Arlington, WA 98223
Telephone: 360/435-8826
Fax: 360/435-2229
www.traceengineering.com
SW Series Inverter/Charger
Part No. 2031-5
Rev. C: February 2001
Page
73
AUTOMATIC GENERATOR CONTROL MODE
IN BRIEF
Automatic start/stop control of a back-up generator can be used with any of the other operating modes. If
used with an application that includes utility power, the generator will be started only if the utility power is
not available. It is not possible to use both generator and utility power at the same time. If the generator is
manually started while the inverter is connected to utility power, the inverter will ignore the generator and
not connect to it. With utility power connected to the AC HOT IN 1 terminals, the automatic generator start
and stop control is disabled.
Extensive control of automatic generator operation is available through the items under the menu
headings GEN AUTO START SETUP (12), GEN STARTING DETAILS (13) and GENERATOR TIMER
(7). The generator can be set to start based on four different low battery voltage levels with different delay
times for each. A quiet time period can be set that restricts the generator from starting during defined
hours of the day. The generator will be started during the quiet time period only if the battery voltage
reaches the setting of the SET LOW BATTERY CUT OUT VDC MENU ITEM for a continuous 30-second
period of time.
To operate in this mode the system must be set-up as follows:
•
Connect the generator AC output to the inverter’s AC HOT IN 2 and NEUTRAL IN 2 terminals.
•
Connect the AC loads to the inverter’s AC HOT OUT and NEUTRAL OUT terminals.
•
Select AUTO from the SET GENERATOR menu item, accessed by pressing the green GEN MENU
button. The AUTO mode is disabled if the CHG mode under INVERTER MODE (1) menu heading is
selected.
•
Adjust the battery charger parameters to match the requirements of the batteries connected (if the
factory defaults listed in the technical section are not satisfactory).
•
Adjust the SET GEN (AC2) AMPS AC menu item, located in the AC INPUTS (11) menu heading, to
the continuous output ability of the generator. This allows the generator support feature to function
correctly, preventing the generator from being overloaded. The generator’s output should be derated
for altitude and if propane or natural gas is powering it. It is best to error on the low side for this
setting, or to experiment with higher settings after the system has been operational.
•
Adjust the SET INPUT LOWER LIMIT VAC menu item, located in the AC INPUTS (11) menu
heading, to the lowest AC voltage that the AC loads can tolerate. If the generator is pulled down to this
level while powering a load, the inverter will back-off its battery charging or even operate in parallel to
reduce the load on the generator. Keep in mind that when the inverter supports the generator it uses
energy from the batteries to power the AC loads. Therefore, when generator support occurs, the
batteries can be discharging instead of recharging even though the generator is running.
•
Adjust the SET INPUT UPPER LIMIT VAC menu item, located in the AC INPUT (11) menu heading,
to the highest voltage that the generator will be allowed to operate without being considered out of
tolerance. At this voltage the inverter will disconnect to protect the AC loads. When the voltage returns
to the operating window, the inverter will require a minimum of 20 seconds to re-synchronize and
connect the generator to the loads.
INVERTER/
CHARGER
GENERATOR AC LOADS AC
BATTERY
CONTROL
DC
AC