How to Choose the Right Supercapacitor

Jun. 24, 2022

Today, when energy storage products are flourishing, supercapacitors (farad-level capacitors) with energy storage characteristics such as ultra-high power, ultra-high current, ultra-wide working range, ultra-high safety, and ultra-long life are used alone, and in combination with other energy storage products. Composite use becomes mainstream. For users, it is very important to choose a suitable supercapacitor.


What scenarios will supercapacitors apply to?

1)Instant high power, such as UAV ejection device;

2)Short-term current supply, such as police flashlights;

3)Frequent acceleration (downward) and deceleration (upward) conditions, such as braking energy recovery devices;

4)Diesel vehicles are started in extreme cold weather or in the state of battery failure;

5)Backup power supply for wind power generation, solar thermal power generation, nuclear power and other power generation terminals;

6)All kinds of long-life, high-reliability, maintenance-free, high-power density backup power supplies;


If you need a device with high power characteristics and a certain amount of energy to drive electrical appliances, long-term maintenance-free, and the ability to work in a wide temperature range, especially when the safety requirements are relatively strict at minus 30 to 40 degrees, it is time to choose a suitable supercapacitor.


How to Choose the Right Supercapacitor


Information you should know before choosing a supercapacitor


So what kind of supercapacitor can meet your needs? What are the crucial parameters of supercapacitors? Its main parameters are voltage (V), capacitance (F) and rated current (A).


The power requirements, discharge time and system voltage changes in the specific application of supercapacitors play a decisive role in model selection. In simple terms, two types of parameters must be specified: 1) Operating voltage range; 2) Power output value or how long the current output lasts.


How to calculate the required supercapacitor capacitance

(1) Constant current, that is, when the current and duration in the supercapacitor working condition are constant: C=It/( Vwork -Vmin)


For example: working starting voltage Vwork=5V; working cut-off voltage Vmin=4.2V; working time t=10s; working power supply I=100mA=0.1A. The required capacitance is: C =0.1*10/(5 -4.2)= 1.25F

In this case, you can choose a product with a capacitance of 5.5V1.5F.


(2) Constant power, that is, when the power output value is constant: C*ΔU2/2=PT

For example, continuous discharge under 200KW power for 10 seconds, the working voltage range is 450V-750V, the required capacitance capacitance: C=220kw10/(7502-4502)=11F

Therefore, a capacitor (energy storage system) with a capacitance of 11F above 750V can meet this demand.


If the calculated capacitance is not within the range of a single unit, multiple supercapacitors can be connected in series and parallel to form a module to meet the specific needs of customers.

Multi-capacitor parallel calculation formula: C=C1+C2+C3+…+Cn

Multi-capacitor series calculation formula: 1/C=1/C1+1/C2+…+1/Cn


Suggestions for other products

(1) High-voltage series products have advantages in most cases

What are the advantages of high-voltage (2.85V and 3.0V) products?

The life index (1,000,000 cycle life) remains unchanged, and the specific power and specific energy increase under the same volume.


Under the condition of constant power and energy, reducing the number of units and the weight of the overall system can optimize the design of the system.


(2) To meet special needs

In case of special application requirements, the simple voltage value reference is not meaningful. For example, high temperature above 65℃, 2.5V series products are a good choice. It should be noted that, like all electrochemical components, the ambient temperature will greatly affect the life of supercapacitors, and the life will be doubled for every 10℃ decrease in high temperature environment.


The structure and electrode materials of supercapacitors are not described in this paper, because non-quantified parameters have little significance for the actual selection of supercapacitors. It should be noted that there is no universal energy storage device, and the combined use of multiple energy storage devices has become the best choice. Similarly, supercapacitors use other energy storage devices to carry forward their own advantages, and they are also becoming mainstream.


To purchase electronic components, you need to find a reliable manufacturer first. JYH HSU(JEC) Electronics Ltd (or Dongguan Zhixu Electronic Co., Ltd.) has a full range of varistor and capacitor models with guaranteed quality. JEC has passed ISO9001:2015 quality management system certification. Welcome to contact us for technical problems or business cooperation. Our official website: www.jeccapacitor.com

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