Application of Super Capacitor in Power Industry

Supercapacitors have been gradually adopted by the power industry with their high-reliability discharge capabilities. Power automation applications represented by FTU have been applied and promoted by leading companies in many industries. With the gradual deepening of the power industry's understanding of super capacitors, the super capacitor DC power supply solution has become mature and has been tested in practical applications.

When super capacitors are mainly used as DC power supplies, they have the following features:

①Ultra-low internal resistance, high power density, strong output current capability, to ensure the reliability of opening and closing.

②Long charging and discharging cycle time (up to 1 million times), and a service life of 10 years.

③Wide temperature working range, from  -40℃  to  +85℃.

④Short charging time, and the charging can be completed within a few seconds to a few minutes.

⑤Small size, light weight, convenient installation, high reliability, and maintenance-free for long-term use.

⑥The super capacitor material is safe, non-toxic, green and environmentally friendly and easy to recycle.

⑦A suitable super capacitor module can be customized according to customer requirements.

In the power system, terminal stations and small stations are usually systems that only provide switch opening and closing currents. The super capacitor module can be directly used as the power supply. When using for this purpose, the super capacitor module's positive and negative terminals connect to the external charging unit and the positive and negative terminals directly connect to the input of the switch.  (Using capacitor as charger is relatively simple, it can charge devices with a small current, or quick charge with a large current, and can be short-circuited without affecting its performance and time).

In the power system in which the relay switch is used, the opening and closing current is very small. There are usually several types of DC switches: in terminal stations and small stations, the DC power supply usually only provides the opening and closing current of the switch, and there is no other load; in the middle stations, in addition to supporting the opening and closing of the switch, the station usually needs to maintain the operation of the power distribution terminal and communication module for no less than 2-15 minutes. According to the requirements of a certain power system DC power supply, the super capacitor modules such as 29.7V 9F, 29.7V 36F or 54V 5.0F are adopted to meet the requirements of using FTU two-remote terminal and three-remote terminal as well as maintaining the power distribution terminal and communication module for no less than 15 minutes.

The following technical indicators can be achieved:

Ensure 3 times of "open-close-open" use, and that the power distribution terminal and communication module cannot be operated for less than 15 minutes, and that the supercapacitor service life is ≥6 years.

Terminal power consumption (including communication module): ≤12W (calculated as 15W).

Temperature requirements: -40 degrees Celsius ~ +70 degrees Celsius.

Module voltage level: 29.7V.

Module structure and volume can be customized according to requirements.

In the power system, multiple supercapacitors are used in series to increase the required voltage to form a unified module. The internal use of high-reliability electronic device equalization design ensures that the working voltage of each capacitor is within its rated voltage, and a high-reliability supercapacitor module is obtained. Compared with ordinary capacitors, supercapacitors have extremely high energy density and can also provide high-current output power supply, so they are a good energy storage device for a variety of short-term DC-powered switching systems.

Supercapacitor is a highly reliable energy device. Under normal circumstances, it can have a cycle life of more than 500,000 times and a service life of more than 10 years. In power systems that require high reliability, it can also be considered for more than 8 years. The device has high reliability, strong power characteristics, and good high and low temperature characteristics. It can work normally at -40 to +85°C. It is extremely suitable for use in power systems under conditions of extreme temperature differences.

In the past, batteries are used in power systems as DC power sources, but batteries often require maintenance. Maintenance-free batteries have been proven to be difficult to meet the requirements of long-term use, especially in the power control link where too many charging and discharging links usually occur. Long-term floating charge state, the damage is extremely fast, and the supercapacitor can be in a high-voltage charging state or a low-voltage depletion state for a long time, without too much impact on performance. Therefore, it is a maintenance-free device, and does not require regular charging and discharging maintenance.

The above content is the application of super capacitors in the power industry. Hopefully the content of this article is helpful. Dongguan Zhixu Electronics Co., Ltd (also JYH HSU(JEC)) is a ceramic capacitor manufacturing entity that manufactures and sells a full range of capacitor models with guaranteed quality. JEC has passed ISO9001:2015 quality management system certification. Our safety capacitors (X and Y series) and varistors have passed certifications of main industrial powers across the world and  our ceramic capacitors and film capacitors are in line with environmental protection directives.