BUYER'S SHORT ANSWER
After delivery, buyers should verify transport condition, preservation, module reassembly, earthing, cable and control interfaces, protection settings, auxiliary systems and agreed functional sequences. The SAT should repeat the tests affected by transport or site connection and close all FAT and installation punch items.
Use this note alongside the governing standards, applicable certificates and the responsible engineer's approval.
Begin at receipt, before damage becomes ambiguous
Compare seals, packing lists, shock or tilt indicators where specified, and the condition of each module against dispatch records. Photograph damage before unloading and record water ingress, corrosion, broken supports, displaced equipment and missing loose items.
Check storage requirements immediately. Space heaters, desiccants, ventilation, battery care and periodic inspection can matter if energisation is delayed. Responsibility becomes difficult to establish when preservation records begin weeks after arrival.
Reconnect every transport split to an approved record
Inspect mechanical joints, busbar or cable links, protective bonding, control plugs, fibre links, HVAC ducts, fire barriers and weather seals. Use the supplier’s approved reassembly procedure and record torque or test results where required.
Confirm that field changes are marked on drawings. An unrecorded reroute can affect segregation, bend radius, heat dissipation, internal arc paths or maintainability.
Repeat the tests that transport and installation can affect
The agreed SAT should target changed conditions rather than repeat FAT by habit. Typical checks include insulation resistance where appropriate, protective-circuit continuity, phase identification, control wiring, interlocks, protection injection or trip-path checks, transformer and cable interfaces, and functional tests of auxiliaries.
The exact test and safe method depend on the installed equipment and project rules. Approved procedures, isolation plans and responsible engineers must govern the work.
Prove the site-dependent systems
Operate HVAC with the actual site power supply and confirm duty and standby sequence, alarms and setpoints. Test fire detection interfaces, emergency lighting, access control, local and remote control, communications, time synchronisation and SCADA points through the completed site network.
Verify drainage, external sealing, earthing connection, cable fire-stopping and safe access around the installed building. These conditions could not be fully demonstrated on the factory floor.
Close with a handover dossier the operator can use
Bring FAT punch items, shipping observations, installation checks and SAT results into one close-out register. Deliver as-built drawings, settings files, passwords through an approved secure process, software backups, maintenance instructions, spares lists and training records.
Acceptance should identify any deferred performance test, seasonal HVAC check or utility-dependent test. “SAT complete” should not hide an action that could not yet be performed.
QUESTIONS BUYERS ASK
Frequently asked questions
Why is SAT needed if the E-House passed FAT?
FAT cannot prove the condition after transport, field reassembly, site cabling, site earthing or integration with the plant control system. SAT focuses on those changed interfaces.
Should SAT repeat every factory test?
Usually not. The buyer and responsible engineers should identify tests affected by transport, reassembly or site integration and define them in an approved SAT procedure.
Reference publications
Always confirm the edition named in the contract and obtain authorised copies of the applicable standards.
IEC Webstore — IEC 62271-202:2022 ↗IEC Webstore — IEC 61936-1:2021 ↗