High Neutral Current (~185 A) on Elite 440 MFM with Only 28 kW Load – CT Wiring or Meter Configurati

VijayAnju

Hi everyone,

I'm commissioning a 1 MW Hybrid Renewable Energy System (PV + BESS + DG) and have encountered a strange issue with the multifunction meters. I'd appreciate any insights from those with commissioning or protection experience.

System Configuration

400 V AC bus

PV generating approximately 62.4 kW

Battery charging through PCS

DG OFF

Grid OFF (Island mode)

400 V stepped up to 11 kV through a transformer

Two Secure Elite 440 multifunction meters:

BESS feeder MFM (PCS AC output)

Transformer feeder MFM (400 V side before the step-up transformer)

CT Details

BESS feeder CT: 1100/5 A

DG/Transformer feeder CT: 1500/5 A

Meter configured with 3 CTs only (no neutral CT)

EMS Readings

PV Power: 62.4 kW

Load: 28.1 kW

PCS Power: -27.0 kW (battery charging)

Battery:

SOC: 62.7%

Voltage: 1278.6 V

Current: -20 A

Power: -25.6 kW

DG: OFF

Grid: OFF

Wind: 0 kW

The EMS power balance looks reasonable.

Elite 440 Current Readings

BESS Feeder

L1 = 75.42 A

L2 = 102.19 A

L3 = 45.50 A

Neutral = 183.35 A

Transformer Feeder

L1 = 49.81 A

L2 = 65.62 A

L3 = 126.29 A

Neutral = 187.42 A

My Concern

Since the meters are using only 3 CTs, the neutral current is calculated from the vector sum of the phase currents.

With only about 28 kW of load, I wouldn't expect a calculated neutral current of nearly 185 A.

The EMS indicates normal operation, but both MFMs show almost identical high neutral currents.

Questions

Could this be caused by CT polarity (P1/P2 or S1/S2 reversed)?

Could a phase mismatch between voltage inputs and CTs produce this behavior?

Could an incorrect 3CT/3P4W meter configuration cause such a high calculated neutral current?

Has anyone seen Elite 440 meters display very high neutral current due to configuration or commissioning errors?

Are there any additional commissioning checks you would recommend before energizing the 11 kV feeder?

Any suggestions or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!