Apogee SP-110 User manual
APOGEE INSTRUMENTS, INC. 721 WEST 1800 NORTH, LOGAN, UTAH 84321, USA
TEL: (435) 792-4700 FAX: (435) 787-8268 WEB: APOGEEINSTRUMENTS.COM
Copyright © 2013 Apogee Instruments, Inc.
OWNER’S MANUAL
PYRANOMETER
Model SP-110 and SP-230
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY……………………………..……………………. 3
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………….. 4
SENSOR MODELS....................................................................... 5
SPECIFICATIONS……………………………………………………………………………. 6
DEPLOYMENT AND INSTALLATION……………………………………………….. 9
OPERATION AND MEASUREMENT……………………………………..…………. 10
MAINTENANCE AND RECALIBRATION………………………………….......... 14
TROUBLESHOOTING AND CUSTOMER SUPPORT…………………………… 16
RETURN POLICY AND WARRANTY…………………………………………………. 17
3
DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
CE and ROHS Certificate of Compliance
We Apogee Instruments, Inc.
721 W 1800 N
Logan, Utah 84321
USA
Declare under our sole responsibility that the products:
Models: SP-110, SP-230
Type: Pyranometer
are in conformity with the following standards and relevant EC directives:
Emissions: EN 61326-1:2013
Immunity: EN 61326-1:2013
Safety: EN 61010-1:2010
EU directive 2004/108/EC, EMC
EU directive 2002/95/EC, RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances)
EU directive 2011/65/EU, RoHS2
Please be advised that based on the information available to us from our raw material suppliers, the
products manufactured by us do not contain, as intentional additives, any of the restricted materials
including cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead, mercury, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB),
polybrominated diphenyls (PBDE).
Further note that Apogee Instruments does not specifically run any analysis on our raw materials or end
products for the presence of these substances, but rely on the information provided to us by our material
suppliers.
Bruce Bugbee
President
Apogee Instruments, Inc.
June 2013
4
INTRODUCTION
Solar radiation at Earth’s surface is typically defined as total radiation across a wavelength range of 280 to
4000 nm (shortwave radiation). Total solar radiation, direct beam and diffuse, incident on a horizontal
surface is defined as global shortwave radiation, or shortwave irradiance (incident radiant flux), and is
expressed in Watts per square meter (W m-2, equal to Joules per second per square meter).
Pyranometers are sensors that measure global shortwave radiation. Apogee SP series pyranometers are
silicon-cell pyranometers, and are only sensitive to a portion of the solar spectrum, approximately 350-
1100 nm (approximately 80 % of total shortwave radiation is within this range). However, silicon-cell
pyranometers are calibrated to estimate total shortwave radiation across the entire solar spectrum.
Silicon-cell pyranometer specifications compare favorably to specifications for World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) moderate and good quality classifications and specifications for International
Organization of Standardization (ISO) second class and first class classifications, but because of limited
spectral sensitivity, they do not meet the spectral specification necessary for WMO or ISO certification.
Typical applications of silicon-cell pyranometers include incoming shortwave radiation measurement in
agricultural, ecological, and hydrological weather networks, and solar panel arrays.
Apogee Instruments SP series pyranometers consist of a cast acrylic diffuser (filter), photodiode, and
signal processing circuitry mounted in an anodized aluminum housing, and a cable to connect the sensor
to a measurement device. Sensors are potted solid with no internal air space and are designed for
continuous total shortwave radiation measurement on a planar surface in outdoor environments. SP series
sensors output an analog voltage that is directly proportional to total shortwave radiation from the sun.
The voltage signal from the sensor is directly proportional to radiation incident on a planar surface (does
not have to be horizontal), where the radiation emanates from all angles of a hemisphere.
5
SENSOR MODELS
Apogee SP series pyranometer models covered in this manual are un-amplified versions that provide a
voltage output, models SP-110 and SP-230. Amplified models, which provide larger voltage signals, and
models that provide a current output, 4-20 milliamps, are also available; see manuals for SP-212 and SP-
215 pyranometers or SP-214 pyranometers.
Sensor model number, serial number,
production date, and calibration factor are
located near the pigtail leads on the sensor
cable.
6
SPECIFICATIONS
Power Supply:
SP-230 integrated heaters: 12 VDC with a nominal current draw of 15 mA
Sensitivity:
0.20 mV per W m-2
Calibration Factor:
5.0 W m-2 per mV (reciprocal of sensitivity)
Calibration Uncertainty:
± 5 % (see Calibration Traceability below)
Measurement Repeatability:
< 1 %
Non-stability (Long-term Drift):
< 2 % per year
Non-linearity:
< 1 % (up to 1750 W m-2)
Response Time:
< 1 ms
Field of View:
180o
Spectral Range:
360 nm to 1120 nm (wavelengths where response is 10 % of maximum; see Spectral
Response below)
Directional (Cosine) Response:
± 5 % at 75ozenith angle (see Cosine Response below)
Temperature Response:
-0.04 ± 0.04 % per C (see Temperature Response below)
Operating Environment:
-40 to 70 C
0 to 100 % relative humidity
Dimensions:
2.40 cm diameter and 2.75 cm height
Mass:
90 g (with 5 m of lead wire)
Cable:
5 m of shielded, twisted-pair wire.
Additional cable available in multiples of 5 m
Santoprene rubber jacket (high water resistance, high UV stability, flexibility in cold conditions)
Pigtail lead wires
Calibration Traceability:
Apogee Instruments SP series pyranometers are calibrated through side-by-side comparison to the mean
of four Apogee model SP-110 transfer standard pyranometers (shortwave radiation reference) under high
intensity discharge metal halide lamps. The transfer standard pyranometers are calibrated through side-
by-side comparison to the mean of at least two ISO-classified reference pyranometers under sunlight
(clear sky conditions) in Logan, Utah. Each of four ISO-classified reference pyranometers are recalibrated
on an alternating year schedule (two instruments each year) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
7
(NREL) in Golden, Colorado. NREL reference standards are calibrated to the World Radiometric
Reference (WRR) in Davos, Switzerland.
Spectral Response:
Temperature response:
Mean temperature response of ten
Apogee silicon-cell pyranometers (
errors
bars represent two standard
deviations above and below mean
).
Temperature response measurements
were made at 10 C intervals across a
temperature range of approximately -10
to 40 C in a temperature controlled
chamber under a fixed, broad spectrum,
electric lamp. At each temperature set
point, a spectroradiometer was used to
measure light intensity from the lamp
and all pyranometers were compared to
the spectroradiometer. The
spectroradiometer was mounted
external to the temperature control
chamber and remained at room
temperature during the experiment.
Spectral response estimate of Apogee
silicon-cell pyranometers. Spectral
response was estimated by multiplying the
spectral response of the photodiode,
diffuser, and adhesive. Spectral response
measurements of diffuser and adhesive
were made with a spectrometer, and
spectral response data for the photodiode
were obtained from the manufacturer.
8
Cosine Response:
Mean cosine response of eleven Apogee
silicon-cell pyranometers (
error bars
represent two standard deviations
above and below mean
). Cosine
response measurements were made
during broadband outdoor radiometer
calibrations (BORCAL) performed during
two different years at the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in
Golden, Colorado. Cosine response was
calculated as the relative difference of
pyranometer sensitivity at each solar
zenith angle to sensitivity at 45° solar
zenith angle. The blue symbols are AM
measurements, the red symbols are PM
measurements.
Directional, or cosine, response is defined
as the measurement error at a specific
angle of radiation incidence. Error for
Apogee silicon-cell pyranometers is
approximately ± 2 % and ± 5 % at solar
zenith angles of 45°and 75°, respectively.
9
DEPLOYMENT AND INSTALLATION
Mount the sensor to a solid surface with the nylon mounting screw provided. To accurately measure total
shortwave radiation incident on a horizontal surface, the sensor must be level. An Apogee Instruments
model AL-100 leveling plate is recommended for this purpose. To facilitate mounting on a cross arm, an
Apogee Instruments model AM-110 mounting bracket is recommended.
To minimize azimuth error, the sensor should be mounted
with the cable pointing toward true north in the northern
hemisphere or true south in the southern hemisphere.
Azimuth error is typically less than 1 %, but it is easy to
minimize by proper cable orientation.
In addition to orienting the cable to point toward the nearest pole, the sensor should also be mounted
such that obstructions (e.g., weather station tripod/tower or other instrumentation) do not shade the
sensor.
Once mounted, the green cap should be removed from the sensor.
The green cap can be
used as a protective covering for the sensor when it is not in use.
10
OPERATION AND MEASUREMENT
Connect the sensor to a measurement device (meter, datalogger, controller) capable of measuring and
displaying or recording a millivolt (mV) signal (an input measurement range of approximately 0-250 mV is
required to cover the entire range of total shortwave radiation from the sun). In order to maximize
measurement resolution and signal-to-noise ratio, the input range of the measurement device should
closely match the output range of the pyranometer.
SP-110: The sensor is self-powered and applying voltage will damage the sensor.
SP-230: Only apply voltage to the integrated heaters. The sensor is self-powered and applying
voltage will damage the sensor.
All Apogee un-amplified pyranometer models have a standard calibration factor of exactly:
5.0 W m-2 per mV
Other manuals for SP-110
2
This manual suits for next models
1
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