American Power Conversion 400kW1MW Appendix C Employing Sidecars, Sidecar overview

Appendix C: Employing Sidecars

Sidecar overview

Battery racks can be situated in one or more locations separate and apart from the battery breakers. In these instances, a sidecar should be employed at each separated location to prevent distance from compromising electrical connectivity. Sidecars permit use of larger output cables to alleviate the problem of power degradation.

Separated sidecars must be grouped in multiples of two (2, 4, 6, 8, etc.).

Note

Sidecar enclosures measure approximately 585 mm (W) x 914 mm (D) x 2032 mm (H) [23” x 36” x 80”] and weigh approximately 227 kg [500 lb].

Each sidecar contains four distinct U-shaped busbar sets (with landing holes) for connecting a) inputs FROM the battery racks, and b) outputs TO the battery breakers. Each U-shaped set consists of two vertical input bars and one horizontal output bar. The horizontal bars are “staggered” (in terms of height and depth) to avoid congestion when connecting the larger output cables to them. The sets are designated as follows from front-to-back: BAT 1+, BAT 1-, BAT 2+, and BAT 2-.

BAT 2-

BAT 2+

BAT 1-

BAT 1+

44 Battery Rack Assembly and Installation Manual