Description
Morningstar GFPD-600V DC 50A Ground Fault Protection Device
Morningstar’s Ground Fault Protection Device (GFPD) Family, Models GFPD-150V and GFPD-600V, increases safety and design flexibility in off-grid and on-grid photovoltaic (PV) systems. Ground fault protection is used in electrical systems to prevent current from following any unintended paths during a ground fault. It is critical to detect any stray current and to interrupt (break) the circuit until safe operation can be restored. A current imbalance between the conductors of a circuit indicates a ground fault. Morningstar’s GFPD will detect this condition and break the circuit on both the positive and negative legs. Disconnecting both poles ensures interruption of the ground fault current.
- Breaks the PV array during a fault condition.
- Leaves the battery and DC loads grounded under all conditions.
- Eliminates the danger of an ungrounded battery and therefore requires no special labeling at the battery location.
- Audible and visual indications.
- Precision current measurement, not fuses.
- Push-button test circuit.
The GFPD enables system design flexibility. Morningstar designed the GFPD to be easily paired with their world-leading TriStar MPPT Charge Controller during on-site installation. Additionally, the GFPD will work just as well in systems with mixed vendor components.
Morningstar’s GFPD is a superior solution to ground fault protection. With its custom molded equipment ground terminals, installation and troubleshooting are simplified. Furthermore, the GFPD breaks the entire PV array circuit during a fault condition and requires no special labeling on the battery enclosure.
Compared to Other GFP Solutions, the GFPD…
- Maintains the integrity of earth bond for battery and loads.
- Trips at lower fault current with greater accuracy.
- Breaks both conductors in the faulted circuit and completely isolates PV source circuits.
- Does not require an extra warning label at the battery bank as per U.S. National Electric Code requirements.
- Provides design flexibility to meet a wide range of configurations:
- Positive and negative ground.
- Large and small arrays.
- Makes it easier to locate and troubleshoot ground faults.
- Powered via the PV system’s battery bank.
- Equipped with both visual and audible alarms.
- Built to support both single controller and multiple controllers systems:
- When the earth bond is not broken, Morningstar’s GFPD will only shut off affected controllers.
- All loads will continue to operate safely with the battery remaining bonded to ground.
- Multiple controllers and GFPD’s can be added on an as-needed basis.
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