The certification has been obtained by Ingeteam's central inverter, belonging to the B series of the INGECON SUN PowerMax family, as well as by its new 100 kW string inverter, belonging to the INGECON SUN 3Play family. In both cases, the tests carried out demonstrated that the ingress of particles into the equipment was minimal and did not affect the normal operation or performance of the inverters.
Roberto González, director of the R&D department of the photovoltaic solar area at Ingeteam, highlighted “the importance of obtaining these certificates from an independent external laboratory, which accredits us as a company capable of guaranteeing the correct functioning of its equipment even in the most adverse and demanding environments.”.
To perform sand and dust tests in accordance with the international standard IEC 60068-2-68, Ingeteam has acquired a climate chamber for dust and sand testing certified according to the international standard UNE-EN 60068-2-68: 1997. This sealed chamber creates a controlled atmosphere with the humidity, wind speed, and sand concentration conditions required by the standard. To achieve this, the chamber's two particle propulsion cannons project sand against the inverter, generating an environment with a specific concentration of suspended sand and dust. The sand used is similar to desert sand in terms of particle size (between 0.14 and 0.59 millimeters) and composition, with a predominance of quartz, olivine, and feldspar, as specified by the standard.
In this sand chamber, unique on the market for testing equipment the size of a central photovoltaic inverter, the inverter's correct operation has been verified, as well as the effectiveness of its "sand-trapping" system. This system prevents particles from entering the equipment while collecting sand grains and facilitating their subsequent removal. Furthermore, the new central inverters incorporate a system to completely close the ventilation circuit, maximizing protection against particle ingress, which can cause serious technical problems in converters installed in the desert. Therefore, in addition to the specific tests required for certification, Ingeteam has subjected its equipment to even more extreme conditions, such as those of a desert sandstorm, demonstrating that its outdoor inverters can withstand situations with high concentrations of sand in the air (100 g/m³) and high wind speeds (160 km/h).
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