• • • UPS & STANDBY POWER • • •
It can’t always be lead – capacitor- based power buffer modules
For many years, lead-acid batteries have been used almost exclusively in DC-UPS systems for industrial systems. However, users have had to deal with the disadvantages of the limited lifetime, restricted temperature range and high weight of such batteries, says Michael Raspotnig, senior design engineer at PULS Power
T
he recent lowering price trend in Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitors (EDLC) can make them an attractive
alternative in many applications. Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitors, also known as Ultracaps, Supercaps or Greencaps, have been available on the market for more than 15 years and have proven to be a well-known and reliable component. Initially expensive, these components were unsuitable as energy storage devices in DC-UPS applications but were reserved for other applications such as energy storage for regenerative braking systems or for providing short peak currents. However, the standard price for these capacitors has almost cut in half in the past five years, which now makes it possible to use them as energy storage devices in DC-UPS’s.
Comparing the buffer times of capacitor and
battery-based systems does not achieve any meaningful purpose. Batteries always win when energy densities are compared. It is much more important to take the actual required buffer time into account. If this is between 15 and 150 seconds, then EDLC capacitors can compete on price and at the same time still demonstrate many advantages. Key advantages are low weight, absolute
freedom from maintenance, no follow-up costs, short charging time, no disposal of batteries, regulated output voltage in buffer mode and many more.
30 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • NOVEMBER 2022
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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