Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear User manual

Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear
Product Manual
Document ID: NE-PM-003 | Revision: 1.0, 2020-09-03
© 2020 Nuvation Energy

Table of Contents
Important Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê1
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê3
1.1. About this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê3
2. System Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê4
2.1. Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê7
2.1.1. Mechanical Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê7
2.1.2. Internal Hardware Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê14
2.1.3. External Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê16
2.2. Nuvation Energy Cell Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê26
2.2.1. System Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê26
2.2.2. Mechanical Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê26
3. Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê30
3.1. Stack Switchgear Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê30
3.1.1. Mechanical Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê30
3.1.2. Electrical Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê30
3.2. Cell Interface Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê32
3.2.1. Electrical Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê32
4. First Power-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê46
5. Using the Stack Switchgear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê47
5.1. Service Disconnect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê47
5.2. Panel Status LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê48
5.2.1. Power LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê48
5.2.2. Activity LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê48
5.2.3. Fault LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê48
6. Nuvation Energy BMS Software Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê49
6.1. Install the Operator Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê49
6.1.1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê49
6.1.2. Installing the Operator Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê49
6.2. Connect to the Operator Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê50
6.2.1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê50
6.2.2. Connecting to the Operator Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê50
6.3. Upgrade the Nuvation Energy BMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê52
6.3.1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê52
6.3.2. Enter Service Lockout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê52
6.3.3. Upgrading the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê52
6.3.4. Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê53
6.4. Generate a Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê55
6.4.1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê55
6.4.2. Generating your Configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê55
6.4.3. Edit the Configuration File (optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê56
6.5. Import the Configuration File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê57
6.5.1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê57

6.5.2. Import the configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê57
6.5.3. Exit Service Lockout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê58
6.5.4. Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê58
6.6. Calibrate the Nuvation Energy BMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê59
6.6.1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê59
6.6.2. Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê59
7. Using the Nuvation Energy BMS Operator Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê60
7.1. The Dashboard Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê60
7.1.1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê60
7.1.2. Warnings and Faults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê60
7.1.3. Stack Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê61
7.1.4. Stack Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê61
7.1.5. State of Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê62
7.1.6. Depth of Discharge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê62
7.1.7. Cell Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê63
7.1.8. Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê64
7.1.9. Nuvation Energy BMS Status. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê65
7.2. The Details Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê68
7.2.1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê68
7.2.2. Addressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê68
7.2.3. Battery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê68
7.2.4. Current Limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê69
7.2.5. Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê69
7.2.6. Cell Voltages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê70
7.2.7. Thermistor Temperatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê71
7.2.8. Open Wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê72
7.3. The Menu Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê74
7.3.1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê74
7.3.2. Registers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê74
7.3.3. Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê74
7.3.4. Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê74
7.3.5. Locking and Unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê75
7.3.6. Unlock the Operator Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê76
7.3.7. About. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê76
7.4. The Status Banner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê77
7.4.1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê77
7.5. Understanding the Service Lockout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê78
7.5.1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê78
7.5.2. Entering Service Lockout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê78
7.5.3. Exiting Service Lockout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê78
7.5.4. Stealing a Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê79
7.5.5. Shutdown Timer for Battery Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê79
7.5.6. Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê79
8. Servicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê81

9. Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê82
10. Extended Warranty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê83
Appendix A: Stack Switchgear Operating Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê84
External Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê84
Electrical Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê84
Environmental Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê85
Appendix B: Changing the Nuvation Energy BMS Network Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê86
BMS Network Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê86
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê86
Modifying the Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê86
Appendix C: Nuvation Energy BMS: Best Practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê88
Grounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê88
Excess Cable Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê89
System Noise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê90
DC Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê90
Link Bus Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ê91

Important Safety Information
The content in this document must be followed in order to ensure safe operation of Nuvation
Energy BMS.
Do NOT energize the system until all connections to the Stack Switchgear unit
and Cell Interface modules have been made.

The wiring of the battery cell voltage and temperature sensing should be
verified before connecting to the Cell Interface modules. The temperature
sensing must be isolated from the cell voltage sensing. Although the Cell
Interface includes protective circuitry to make it more resilient to brief wiring
errors, the same circuitry can result in the battery cells being slowly
discharged. Over time, these wiring errors can cause damage to the Cell
Interface and/or the cells.
Properly insulate or remove any unused wires. Unused wires can couple
excessive system noise into Nuvation Energy BMS which can disrupt
communication and lead to undesirable behaviors.
Insulated handling is required of any connector carrying potentials over 60 V
DC relative to chassis.
Please be aware of high voltages present in your system and follow all
necessary safety precautions.
Continued on next page 
Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear - Product Manual
Document ID: NE-PM-003 1Rev 1.0, 2020-09-03

(Continued)

Nuvation Energy BMS relies on your system charger to charge the battery
cells; do not leave your charger off while Nuvation Energy BMS is powered
from the stack for prolonged periods of time. Nuvation Energy BMS should be
shut down when the system is in storage to minimize the drain on the cells.
The provided module enclosures are not fire enclosures.

Depending on battery chemistry, there might be a nominal voltage per cell
which adds up in series and is always present. There are many different
battery chemistries with different current capacities, and so high voltage with
high current capacity may be present while connecting Nuvation Energy BMS.
You must use proper electrical safety precautions when handling any part of
Nuvation Energy BMS.

Neither Nuvation Energy or any of its employees shall be liable for any direct,
indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, personal or consequential harm or
damages (including, but not limited to, procurement or substitute goods or
services; loss of use, data, or profits; or business interruption) however caused
and on any theory of liability, whether in contract, strict liability, or tort
(including negligence or otherwise) arising in any way out of the use of this
product.
Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear - Product Manual
Document ID: NE-PM-003 2Rev 1.0, 2020-09-03

1. Introduction
Thank you for choosing Nuvation Energy BMS.
Nuvation Energy’s Stack Switchgear provides an integrated battery stack management solution that
includes all the hardware and software required to integrate a battery stack into your energy storage
system. Each Stack Switchgear unit contains Nuvation Energy High-Voltage BMS modules and is
designed to be used with other products in the Nuvation Energy BMS family.
You can take advantage of the highly configurable browser-based user interface and custom-tune
Nuvation Energy BMS to your specific target application.
1.1. About this Manual
This Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear: Product Manual provides mounting and wiring to connect
your Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear to your system as well as instructions on using the Nuvation
Energy Stack Switchgear.
We thrive on your feedback and what we build is driven by your input. Please submit
support tickets to [e-mail].
Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear - Product Manual
Document ID: NE-PM-003 3Rev 1.0, 2020-09-03

2. System Overview
The Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear, shown in Figure 1, is a pre-configured assembly that
incorporates the major functions of Nuvation Energy battery management system into a rack-
mountable unit which includes stack monitoring, electrical disconnects, pre-charging, current sensing,
fuses, and a safety relay for E-Stop. It also includes supporting components like power supplies,
indicator LEDs, and external-facing connectors.
Figure 1. Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear
There are different amperage configurations available for the base Stack Switchgear unit, listed in
Table 1. Orderable part numbers are listed in Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear: NUVSSG Datasheet,
available online at https://www.nuvationenergy.com/technical-resources.
Table 1. Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear variants
Maximum Voltage Rating Maximum Current Rating
1250 V DC
100 A
200 A
300 A
The high-level Stack Switchgear system design is shown in Figure 2. Within a battery stack, the Stack
Switchgear connects to the daisy-chained Nuvation Energy Cell Interface modules. The Cell Interface
modules convert cell voltage and temperature measurements to digital values to be relayed to the
Stack Switchgear, and enable or disable cell balancing as required. Daisy-chaining the Cell Interface
modules facilitates the design of flexible and scalable battery energy storage systems.
Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear - Product Manual
Document ID: NE-PM-003 4Rev 1.0, 2020-09-03

Figure 2. Stack Switchgear system diagram
In a multi-stack configuration, as shown in Figure 3, each Stack Switchgear unit is responsible for
monitoring the state and safety of one battery stack. All Stack Switchgear units connected to a single
common DC bus in the system may be connected to a single Nuvation Energy Battery Control Panel,
where an Operator Interface provides a unified view and central control of the multi-stack system.
Nuvation Energy Cell Interface and Nuvation Energy Battery Control Panel are sold
separately. Datasheets are available online at https://www.nuvationenergy.com/
technical-resources.
Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear - Product Manual
Document ID: NE-PM-003 5Rev 1.0, 2020-09-03

Figure 3. Stack Switchgear multi-stack diagram
Nuvation Energy Stack Switchgear - Product Manual
Document ID: NE-PM-003 6Rev 1.0, 2020-09-03