1、Designation: E1171 15Standard Test Methods forPhotovoltaic Modules in Cyclic Temperature and HumidityEnvironments1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E1171; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year o
2、f last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon () indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 These test methods provide procedures for stressingphotovoltaic modules in simulated temperature and humidityenviron
3、ments. Environmental testing is used to simulate agingof module materials on an accelerated basis.1.2 Three individual environmental test procedures are de-fined by these test methods: a thermal cycling procedure, ahumidity-freeze cycling procedure, and an extended durationdamp heat procedure. Elect
4、rical biasing is utilized during thethermal cycling procedure to simulate stresses that are knownto occur in field-deployed modules.1.3 These test methods define mounting methods for mod-ules undergoing environmental testing, and specify parametersthat must be recorded and reported.1.4 These test me
5、thods do not establish pass or fail levels.The determination of acceptable or unacceptable results isbeyond the scope of these test methods.1.5 Any of the individual environmental tests may beperformed singly, or may be combined into a test sequencewith other environmental or non-environmental tests
6、, or both.Certain pre-conditioning tests such as annealing or lightsoaking may also be necessary or desirable as part of such asequence. The determination of any such sequencing andpre-conditioning is beyond the scope of this test method.1.6 These test procedures are limited in duration and there-fo
7、re the results of these tests cannot be used to determinephotovoltaic module lifetimes.1.7 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard. No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.8 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns, if any, associat
8、ed with its use. It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E772 Terminology of Solar Energy ConversionE1036 Test Methods
9、 for Electrical Performance of Noncon-centrator Terrestrial Photovoltaic Modules and ArraysUsing Reference CellsE1462 Test Methods for Insulation Integrity and GroundPath Continuity of Photovoltaic ModulesE1799 Practice for Visual Inspections of Photovoltaic Mod-ules2.2 IEC Standards:3IEC 61215 Crys
10、talline Silicon Terrestrial Photovoltaic (PV)Modules Design Qualification and Type ApprovalIEC 61646 Thin-Film Terrestrial Photovoltaic (PV) Modules Design Qualification and Type Approval3. Terminology3.1 DefinitionsDefinitions of terms used in this standardmay be found in Terminology E7721.3.2 Defi
11、nitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:3.2.1 module ground point, nthe terminal or lead identi-fied by the manufacturer as the grounding point of the module.4. Significance and Use4.1 The useful life of photovoltaic modules may depend ontheir ability to withstand repeated temperature cycling wit
12、hvarying amounts of moisture in the air. These test methodsprovide procedures for simulating the effects of cyclic tem-perature and humidity environments. An extended durationdamp heat procedure is provided to simulate the effects of longterm exposure to high humidity.1These test methods are under t
13、he jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E44 onSolar, Geothermal and Other Alternative Energy Sources and are the directresponsibility of Subcommittee E44.09 on Photovoltaic Electric Power Conversion.Current edition approved Feb. 1, 2015. Published March 2015. Originallyapproved in 1996. Last previous edit
14、ion approved in 2009 as E1171 09. DOI:10.1520/E1171-15.2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandardsvolume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3Availa
15、ble from International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), 3 rue deVaremb, Case postale 131, CH-1211, Geneva 20, Switzerland, http:/www.iec.ch.Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States14.2 The durations of the individual environm
16、ental tests arespecified by use of this test method; however, commonly useddurations are 50 and 200 thermal cycles, 10 humidity-freezecycles, and 1000 h of damp heat exposure, as specified bymodule qualification standards such as IEC 61215 and IEC61646. Longer durations can also be specified for ext
17、endedduration module stress testing.4.3 MountingTest modules are mounted so that they areelectrically isolated from each other, and in such a manner toallow free air circulation around the front and back surfaces ofthe modules.4.4 Current Biasing:4.4.1 During the thermal cycling procedure, test modu
18、lesare operated without illumination and with a forward-biascurrent equal to the maximum power point current at standardreporting conditions (SRC, see Test Methods E1036) flowingthrough the module circuitry.4.4.2 The current biasing is intended to stress the moduleinterconnections and solder bonds i
19、n ways similar to those thatare believed to be responsible for fill-factor degradation infield-deployed modules.4.5 Effects of Test ProceduresData generated using thesetest methods may be used to evaluate and compare the effectsof simulated environment on test specimens. These test meth-ods require
20、determination of both visible effects and electricalperformance effects.4.5.1 Effects on modules may vary from none to significantchanges. Some physical changes in the module may be visiblewhen there are no apparent electrical changes in the module.Similarly, electrical changes may occur with no vis
21、ible changesin the module.4.5.2 All conditions of measurement, effects of cycling, andany deviations from this test method must be described in thereport so that an assessment of their significance can be made.4.6 SequencingIf these test methods are performed as partof a combined sequence with other
22、 environmental or non-environmental tests, the results of the final electrical tests (6.2)and visual inspection (6.3) determined at the end of one testmay be used as the initial electrical tests and visual inspectionfor the next test; duplication of these tests is not necessaryunless so specified.5.
23、 Apparatus5.1 In addition to the apparatus required for Test MethodsE1036 and E1462 the following apparatus is required.5.2 Environmental Chamber(s)A chamber or chambers inwhich modules are mounted during the environmental tests.5.2.1 Air temperature throughout the working volume shallbe within 62C
24、of that specified.5.2.2 Relative humidity shall be controlled within 65%ofthat specified. For temperatures below 80C, relative humiditycontrol is not required.5.2.3 Provisions for monitoring and recording the chambertemperature and relative humidity throughout the environmen-tal testing shall be pro
25、vided.5.3 Temperature Measurement EquipmentAn instrumentor instruments used to measure module temperature during theenvironmental testing with a resolution of at least 0.1C, and atotal error of less than 62C of reading.5.3.1 Temperature sensors suitable for the test temperaturerange, such as thermoc
26、ouples or thermistors, shall be attachedto the portions of the modules likely to exhibit the longestthermal time constant. For flat-plate modules, attach thesensors near the middle of the front or back surfaces of themodules.5.3.2 If more than one module of identical design andconstruction is tested
27、 simultaneously, it is not necessary tomonitor the temperature of all identical modules.5.4 Test FrameAframe inside the environmental chamberwhich supports the test modules during the test procedures.5.4.1 It is not required to mount the test modules at an anglesuch as when modules are installed as
28、part of an array; theymay be mounted vertically to facilitate testing multiple mod-ules inside the environmental chamber.5.4.2 The test modules shall be mounted in a manner thatallows free air circulation around the modules.5.4.3 The test frame should be constructed such that corro-sion of the test
29、frame during the environmental testing does notadversely affect the test modules.5.5 Current-Biasing Power SupplyA dc power supplycapable of operating a test module at a point on the darkforward current-voltage curve equal to the maximum powercurrent at SRC during the thermal cycling procedure.5.5.1
30、 Provisions must be made for removing the current biaswhen the module temperature is less than 20C.5.5.2 The current biasing power supply should be capable ofsetting a voltage compliance limit equal to 1.25 times theopen-circuit voltage at SRC to prevent over-voltage operationof the test modules at
31、high temperatures.6. Procedure6.1 Sample Selection and Test SequenceAlthough thetemperature cycling, humidity-freeze cycling, and damp heatprocedures may be performed individually, the requirements ofany test sequence (see 1.5 and 4.6) may determine the order inwhich the environmental tests are perf
32、ormed, and also mayimpose restrictions on which test modules are to be subjectedto individual procedures. The sequencing may also specifywhen modules undergo electrical testing (see 6.2) and visualinspections (see 6.3).6.1.1 A typical combined thermal and humidity-freeze cy-cling sequence is illustr
33、ated in Fig. 1.6.2 Electrical TestsPerform the following electrical testsbefore and after each of the test procedures.6.2.1 Electrical PerformanceMeasure and record theelectrical performance of each module. A suitable method fornonconcentrator modules is Test Methods E1036.6.2.2 Ground Path Continui
34、tyTest any module with agrounding terminal identified by the module manufacturer todetermine the maximum resistance between the groundingterminal or lead and any accessible conductive part using theground path continuity test of Test Methods E1462.E1171 1526.2.3 Dielectric Voltage WithstandSubject e
35、ach module toa test of the dielectric voltage withstand test of Test MethodsE1462.6.2.3.1 The test voltage shall be equivalent to twice thespecified maximum system voltage (typically open-circuitvoltage at 0C cell temperature) plus 1000 V. If the maximumsystem voltage is less than 30 V, employ a dc
36、test voltage of500 V.6.3 Visual InspectionVisually inspect each module beforeand after each of the environmental test procedures to deter-mine the presence or absence of anomalies or defects accordingto Practice E1799.6.4 InstrumentationAttach one or more temperature sen-sors to the exterior of the
37、module following the requirements of5.3.6.5 Thermal Cycling Procedure:6.5.1 Mount the test modules inside the environmentalchamber according to the requirements of 5.4.6.5.2 Connect the test modules to the current-biasing powersupply and verify that the biasing is interrupted when themodule temperat
38、ure is less than 20C.6.5.3 Subject the module to a 40C to +85C thermalcycling test in accordance with the profile shown in Fig. 2 andthe following requirements.6.5.3.1 The temperature shall vary approximately linearlywith time at a rate not exceeding 100C/h and with a period notgreater than 6 h per
39、cycle (from ambient to 40C to +85C toambient).6.5.3.2 Because the current biasing will dissipate heat in thetest module, the temperature profile of the environmentalchamber may need to be adjusted to prevent exceeding themaximum module temperature of Fig. 2.6.5.3.3 Relative humidity in the chamber s
40、hall not exceed50 % when temperatures are above 25C.6.5.3.4 Minimum holding time at the temperature extremesshall be 0.5 h.6.5.4 Continue the thermal cycling until the required num-ber of cycles is completed.6.5.4.1 The temperature cycling may be interrupted and thechamber be opened for optional vis
41、ual or electrical retest, orboth, during the time the module temperature is at 25 6 5C.Such interruptions are typically done at 50-cycle intervals.6.5.5 Disconnect the current-biasing power supply and re-move the modules from the environmental chamber.6.6 Humidity-Freeze Cycle Procedure:6.6.1 Mount
42、the test modules inside the environmentalchamber according to the requirements of 5.4.6.6.2 Subject the modules to a humidity-freeze cycling testin accordance with the profile shown in Fig. 3.6.6.3 Continue the humidity-freeze cycling until the re-quired number of cycles is completed.6.6.4 Remove th
43、e modules from he environmental chamber.6.7 Damp Heat Exposure Procedure:6.7.1 Mount the test modules inside the environmentalchamber according to the requirements of 5.4.6.7.2 Raise the chamber air temperature to 85 6 2C andthe relative humidity to 85 6 5%.6.7.3 Continue the exposure until the requ
44、ired number ofhours is attained.FIG. 1 Typical Environmental Test SequenceFIG. 2 One Thermal CycleFIG. 3 One Humidity-Freeze CycleE1171 1536.7.4 Remove the modules from the environmental cham-ber.6.7.5 Perform the post-exposure dielectric voltage with-stand test (see 6.2.3) within 3 6 1 h after the
45、modules areremoved from the chamber. To satisfy this requirement, theexposure duration may be increased by a maximum of 60 h.7. Report7.1 In addition to the reporting requirements of Test Meth-ods E1036 and E1462, and Practice E1799, report as aminimum the following data and information:7.1.1 Module
46、 manufacturer and complete test specimenidentification.7.1.2 Description of module construction.7.1.3 Aline drawing or photograph of the modules showingthe orientation during exposure and the location of temperaturesensors.7.1.4 Description of electrical measurement equipment (in-cluding continuity
47、and insulation integrity apparatus), andmeasurement conditions or parameters.7.1.5 A brief description of the chamber used, the exactnumber of cycles performed, and the number of hours of dampheat exposure.7.1.6 Any deviations from this test method such as inter-ruptions in the test cycle.7.1.7 Any
48、interruptions in the current biasing during ther-mal cycling caused by open circuits in the module circuitry.8. Precision and Bias8.1 The environmental exposures described by this testmethod do not produce numeric results that would be subject toASTM procedures for evaluating the precision and bias
49、of thistest method. However, the precision and bias of the electricalperformance measurements, when performed in accordancewith Test Methods E1036 and E1462, are subject to theprovisions of those test methods.9. Keywords9.1 damp heat exposure; environmental testing; humidity-freeze cycling; modules; photovoltaics; solar energy; thermalcyclingASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentionedin this standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determina
