Supercapacitor & the Evolution of Electronic Devices

By - Abhishek Shukla, Vendor Development & Marketing, Saison Components & Solutions

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Supercapacitor & the Evolution of Electronic Devices
Abhishek Shukla Saisons
Vendor Development & Marketing, Saison Components & Solutions

During the past several years, we have witnessed a radical evolution of electronic devices. One of the major trends of this evolution has been increased portability. Laptops and smart-phone, cameras, portable laptop are some example. The request of efficient energy storage system becomes even more important if we extend it to different applications such as electrical/hybrid vehicles that require hundreds of times larger power when compared with smaller device. Unfortunately the technological improvements of batteries are slower than electronics, creating a constantly growing gap that need to be filled. For this reasons it is very important to develop an efficient energy storage system that goes beyond normal batteries.

Evolution of Supercapacitor is a solution for such demands. Recently Supercapacitor have garnered substantial attention in recent years because of their ultra-high charge and discharge rate, excellent stability, long cycle life and very high power density. These characteristics are desirable for many applications including electric vehicles and portable electronics.

Supercapacitor (or ultra-capacitors) is finding their way into an increasing number of applications for short-term energy storage and applications that require intermittent high energy pulses. Several type of application has typically been dominated by batteries, but electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) are fast making inroads as their price-per-farad, size and effective series resistance per capacitance (ESR/C) continue to decrease.
VINATech, a promising Hy-Cap brand, develops and manufactures eco-friendly supercapacitors surpassing global standards of UL, ISO/TS, and RoHS.

VINATech has been mass-producing the market leading 3.0V EDLC family since 2010 featuring 23% higher energy density than the traditional 2.7V EDLC,. It is also the only manufacturer of a hybrid capacitor which uses PC electrolytes. VINATech leads the world, in the production capacity for manufacturing radial supercapacitors of 1F to 1000F class.
Hy-Cap products offer a wide range of options to meet a wide range of applications, varying in voltage, capacitance, terminal type and performance.

Supercapacitor in Automotive:

Auto batteries have limitations in terms of life, power delivery and environmental stage. Supercapacitor can resolve the limitation of lead acid battery and lithium ion battery delivering far electrical performance in applications such as Warm cranking for fuel efficient stop start system, Cold cranking support to extend battery life, Regenerative energy capture during braking / coasting, Distributed power system to reduce wiring loom size/weight/cost, Drive train support in Hybrid electric and Electric Vehicle, Drive train support in fuel cell/Hydrogen-powered Vehicles, Drive train support in Electric buses, trucks, bikes etc.

Supercapacitor in Solar Tracker:

Saison has come up with the new technology energy storage device for the solar tracker application. A solar tracker is a device that orients a payload toward the sun. The use of solar trackers can increase electricity. Trackers are used to minimize the angle of incidence between the incoming sunlight and a photovoltaic panel and the external energy source is required for the movement of panels. Supercapacitor is being used as the storage element and is directly connected to the solar panels. It can help Solar panel to give energy for the movement of panels according to the direction of sun. As the Supercapacitor is maintenance free product it can be used under most of atmospheric condition.

Supercapacitor in Gadgets:

Supercapacitor offer sustainable, sufficient power to small gadget without sacrificing performance and reliability. Supercapacitor powered device only take several minutes to charge before they can power an electronic device. They also greatly reduce the hazards of appliance disposal, since the toxic chemicals in batteries are harmful to user and the environment. The long lifespan of Supercapacitor extends the lifespan of electronics without losing storage space with age.

Benefits of Supercapacitor:

  1. Fuel Saving: Regenerative Braking allows a vehicle to absorb kinetic energy during braking and release that energy when starting or accelerating, thus reducing fuel consumption. Start stop application enables the engine to shut down when it comes to a stop at RED Light or when sitting in traffic. Ultracapacitor then provide a short burst of energy that restarts the engine. The technique delivers significant saving on fuel.
    In comparison to natural gas buses, the hybrids improve fuel efficiency on average by 88 percent. It is estimated that forty percent of the energy needed to accelerate hybrid bus can be derived from recaptured energy through braking process.
  2. Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Diesel exhaust contains greenhouse gasses, ozone precursors, benzene and other toxic substances and is a significant contributor to airborne concentrations of fine particulate matter. As a result, a growing number of cities are turning to hybrid buses, which consume less energy and produce significantly fewer emissions. Hybrid buses/Electric buses are estimated to cut emissions by as much as 75 percent when compared to conventional diesel buses.
  3. Low operating cost: Regenerative braking takes most of the load of mechanical brakes, reducing brake maintenance and replacement expenses. A year-long evaluation in the United States by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory indicates that operational costs of hybrids are 15 percent lower than for conventional diesel buses.
  4. Increase Life: Supercapacitors work well in parallel with battery and prolong battery life. The engine in hybrid us may be started and stopped dozens of times on each route. Unlike batteries, Supercapacitor can undergo millions of cycles without significantly impact their performance or lifespan.
  5. Peak Power Assist: Ultra-capacitors are great for handling peak power demand. If the battery shines in the area of capacity and energy density, then the ultra-capacitor forte lies in its high cycle life and power density. Several applications started using Ultracapacitor to improve energy efficiency during high peak requirements.
  6. Wider Temperature Range: Since ultra-capacitors operate without relying on chemical reactions, they can operate over a wide range of temperatures. On the high side, they can operate up to 65°C, and withstand storage up to 85°C, without risk of thermal runaway. On the low side, they can deliver power (with slightly increased resistive losses) as cold as -40°C, well below the cold performance threshold of batteries.