The Lightning Solar
Compressor with Smart Control was conceived in response to a
growing demand in the Oil and Gas production industry for a
safe, reliable, portable, self contained, easy to use supply
gas source. Use of compressed air instead of produced gas
for controls has several advantages including less wasted
sellable gas, elimination of problems from wet gas and
condensate, and longer controls life. Another added
advantage is the elimination of hazardous area creation
everywhere methane and/or H2S is used for supply gas.
The heart of the unit is a
maintenance free 12 volt air compressor with 45 watts of
solar power and a maintenance free sealed gel battery.
Features include an attractive, light weight aluminum
enclosure, 125 PSI outlet pressure, 3 gallons of on-board
compressed air storage, and completely automatic operation.
The programmed on-board electronic controller performs all
control functions including compressor operation, battery
monitoring, charging and “floating”, low battery shutdown,
alarm indication, and operator status messages. It also
keeps track of compressor on/off cycles and has an hour
meter. The menu system includes user adjustable setpoints
for compressor on and off switching. Controller memory is
non-volatile which prevents memory loss during periods of
storage.
Installation requires a
minimum of steps: Orient the unit with the solar panel
facing South; set the angle of the solar panel (15 degrees
plus latitude from horizontal); connect supply out to the ¼”
NPT port provided; turn on the power switch and allow a few
minutes for the unit to pressure up. A gauge is provided on
the holding tank for pressure monitoring. A bleed valve is
also provided for draining of condensed water in the tank in
humid installations.
During normal operation, the
unit will turn on when tank pressure drops to 100 PSI and
off when it rises to 125 PSI (these setpoints are adjustable
through the controller). A pressure relief valve is provided
which activates at 150 PSI. A pressure transmitter mounted
to the tank relays pressure information to the controller
which turns the compressor on or off based on this data.
During any normal mode of operation, one of the following
messages will be displayed:
1. Power Switch OFF,
Charging, Volts: **.**
2. Power Switch OFF, Charged, Volts: **.**
3. Compressr OFF, Volts: **.**, PSI ***, Start ***
4. Compressr ON, Volts: **.**, PSI ***, Targt ***
5. Low Battery Shutdown, Batt Volts: **.**
The first 2 messages will be
displayed only if the power switch is OFF and solar power is
available for charging; otherwise the controller will be
powered down and the display will be blank. This feature
allows charging when available but protects against battery
drain; the unit draws no power when turned off except as
provided by the solar panel.
Deep discharge of the
battery, which would decrease battery life, is prevented by
a low battery shutdown circuit with a flashing indicator at
the top end of the solar panel. The compressor ceases
operation when battery voltage level falls below 11.5 Volts,
with automatic resumption of normal operation when it rises
above 12.5 Volts. The battery charge circuit is always
active when sunlight is available regardless of the power
switch position; therefore the unit will keep its battery
charged any time the solar panel is exposed to sunlight.
The allowable duty cycle of the base unit is one pump-up
cycle (approximately 30 seconds of run time) every 30
minutes, or about 2% duty. This duty cycle assumes 4 hours
average of full sunlight per day, a conservative number in
most of the continental U.S.. At the duty cycle listed, the
unit has approximately 9 days of reserve power available for
uninterrupted operation during cloudy weather. More duty and
reserve capacity can be added through the installation of
one or more modular solar/battery accessory units.
As with any solar powered
device, power and load management are critical to reliable
operation. In addition to load testing for proper duty cycle
calculation, it is very important to maintain a supply gas
system free of leaks. A good test of the integrity of supply
gas lines is to turn off all loads then allow the compressor
unit to pump up to full pressure. A supply gas system
without leaks should not bleed down more than 2 PSI during a
30 minute test.
