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Quattro 10k Temperature Alarm

Hi all - we have an off-grid system with 10kWp of PV (2xSunnyboy 5000TL's), a Quattro 10kW and 12 x BYD batteries all working really well most of the time, unless its really sunny. In the summer the system generates a VE Bus temperature alarm about midday and shuts down before restarting a few minutes later. This can happen 3 or 4 times over the course of 20minutes and then the system functions normally. The BYD BMS reports no problems so it looks like the Quattro is overheating when there is a lot of solar power available.

How do we check this temperature and what is the threshold for temperature alarms in the Quattro? We have tried to improve air flow around the unit but this hasn't helped.

On the VRM we can only see the BYD temp so there doesn't seem to be a way to easily see what temp the Quattro is. The batteries charge from a generator from 10% to 100% with no temp issues and we dont want to restrict the charge rate as we'll use more diesel when the generator is running. Its currently set to 100A which is less than the maximum for this unit. Genset is on AC In 1, PV is connected via a fuse board on AC Out 1 .

Could we add a fan on one of the relays and if so how do we configure the temperature threshold to start it?

offgridVE.Bustemperaturewarnings
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Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) avatar image
Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) answered ·

Hi @ess_solar

What firmware are the units on?
What is the temperature in the location of the Quattro's?

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ess-solar avatar image ess-solar commented ·

Hi again - the thermometer only goes up to 30degrees :) - not hugely helpful but it was only installed to measure low temperatures that affected the BYD’s during the winter.

Although we didn’t design the system initially (we repaired it and reconfigured it) I believe it was designed with the 1:1 rule for off-grid systems i.e. the PV Power is less than or equal to the Quattro. When you say that the inverter power is much less than when using generator power where can I find this in the documentation? Inverters are on AC1 Out and the generator is on AC1 In. Can we reconfigure this for better results?

If we limit the inverter level to say 9kW in the CCGX to reduce the temperature overload does that also limit the maximum power to the batteries from the generator input? We could adjust this seasonally if we have to.


Thanks

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Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) avatar image Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) ♦♦ ess-solar commented ·

Hi @ess_solar

Did you upgrade the firmware on the inverter? if not please do this first, there are lots of improvements since V413.

If this doesn't help there are options to limit charging current based on generator running or not (using assistants).

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ess-solar answered ·

Hi - firmware is 413. We have a thermometer onsite and i’m waiting for the client to send me some figures. We’ve disabled one inverter and the system is functioning quite happily with no overheating.

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Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) avatar image Daniël Boekel (Victron Energy Staff) ♦♦ commented ·

Hi @ess_solar

Newer firmware contains multiple optimizations, updating firmware is always the first thing to do when these kind of problems appear.


10kWp is on the edge of the Quattro's capabilities though, in inverter mode the capacity is less then when it is charging from a generator or grid.

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Related Resources

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Additional resources still need to be added for this topic

What is VE.Bus?