Modeling for the Scale-up of an Ultracapacitor for Energy Storage Applications

Ultracapacitors, also known as supercapacitors, have the potential to meet the high pulse power capability related to the power quality and grid instability for energy storage applications. Ultracapacitors can accept the electric power surges generated from renewable energy sources and deliver the surges of electric power in burst mode to the grid. It is important to calculate accurately the electrical and thermal behaviors of an ultracapacitor for the efficient and reliable systems integration from an application perspective.

In this work, modeling is performed to study the scale-up of an ultracapacitor. A compararison of the experimental discharge-charge curves with the modeling results confirmed that the parameters used to model a 2.7V/650F ultracapacitor could be applied to a large-scale ultracapacitor as 2.7V/1500F and 2.7V/3000F. A three-branch circuit model is employed to calculate the electrical behavior of the ultracapacitor. To predict the thermal behavior of the ultracapacitor, Joule-heat and reversible heat at the electrodes are considered. In addition, the validation of the modeling approach is provided through the comparison of the modeling results with the experimental measurements.