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OverviewAll product unitsProduct unitPassive ComponentsProduct groupCapacitorsProduct familySupercapacitors (EDLCs)
OverviewAll product unitsProduct unitPassive ComponentsProduct groupCapacitorsProduct familySupercapacitors (EDLCs)
Product series (2) Articles (9) Supercapacitors

Würth Elektronik capacitors

Big portfolio available ex stock

Würth Elektronik capacitors

Big portfolio available ex stock

Würth Elektronik has extended its capacitor portfolio. You will find an overview of our current technologies available ex stock in the graph. More details (e.g. series, characteristics, features, applications, etc.) about each product family can be found in the flyer or for example below. In our flyer you will also find information about our services.

Capacitor portfolio flyer
Relationship between voltage and capacitance in the diagram

Supercapacitors

Supercapacitors

Supercapacitors, also known as EDLC for Electric Double Layer Capacitor, are energy storage devices that are easy to use and, in many ways, comparable to batteries. They close the gap between capacitors and batteries.Supercapacitors have:

  • Higher power density than batteries
  • Higher energy density than conventional capacitors
Graph comparing power density and energy density of capacitors, supercapacitors, and batteries.

Available series

The supercapacitor – A vertile energy storage device and how to use it

The supercapacitor – A vertile energy storage device and how to use it

In the course of the presentation, important properties of Supercapacitors and key features of the design-in process will be discussed. Supercapacitors require, like any other energy storage system, a certain infrastructure in order to store and deliver their energy.

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Example applications

UPS systems
Storage device for power-offline periods
Smart metering (e.g. water meters)
Solar power
Hybrid application with battery

Measurements

Redexpert

Measurements

Redexpert

With the help of REDEXPERT you will find the right capacitor based on your technical requirements. The tool supports, for example, with measured values for capacitance, impedance, ESR and dissipation factor (DF). The ability to compare individual components with each other in terms of measured values enables convenient component selection.

REDEXPERT
Computer screen with overlapping windows, graphs, and red 3D text: 'ONLINE PLATFORM BASED ON MEASURED VALUES.'

Webinar

Introduction to the capacitor technologies and how to use them

Webinar

Introduction to the capacitor technologies and how to use them

Capacitors make up two thirds of all electronic components and there is a huge diversity of technologies which can overwhelm young engineers. All capacitors store electrical energy in the electrical field created in a dielectric material and they are used for very diverse applications like voltage stability and filtering. How that works differs between tiny MLCCs and huge electrolytic cells, from pF ratings up to the hundreds of Farads in supercapacitors. In this presentation, we introduce different capacitor solutions taking into account the advantages and disadvantages and with a focus on the final application.

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Design-in of capacitor module

The voltage of an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) depends on its charging state. Thus, the voltage at the terminals increases or decreases as soon as the EDLC becomes charged or discharged. To provide a stable voltage, the EDLC is often operated with a DC/DC conversion. Depending on the required power and charging voltage , it is required to design a module (see more: Constant Power Discharge Modul Calculator)
The EDLC module must provide the power required by the application. The EDLC Module Calculator calculates the size of the stack (module) based on the application parameter. Based on a given

  • power demand,
  • discharge time, and
  • lower discharge limit,

the calculator provides the number of series and parallel connected EDLCs (defined by rated capacitance Cr and rated Equivalent series resistance (ESR) RESR ) as well as plots and other electrical parameters, such as total module capacitance C and total ESR R.

Application notes and documents

  • Supercapacitors - How Supercapacitors can Help you with Energy Storage

    In order to use supercapacitors efficiently, certain stages should be passed in the design-in process. Here we provide an short overview.

    Read more (PDF)

  • Design-In of Supercapacitors in 4 Steps

    Supercapacitors (SC) are often used as energy storagedevices. In those cases, the early conceptual phase ofthe design-in process can be subdivided 4 steps.

    Read more (PDF)

  • Support Note SN008: Expected Lifetime of Aluminum Electrolytic and Aluminum Polymer Capacitor

    The life cycle of a capacitor depends on many factors of the application. An important factor is the temperature or rather thermal load, as it is responsible for the fact that internal structures age over time and the electrical properties deteriorate. This results in increased leakage current, increasing the ESR, which in turn leads to a further increase of the temperature.

    Read more (PDF)

  • Application Note ANP077: Supercapacitor - A Guide for the Design-In Process

    Supercapacitors are easy to use energy storage devices and are in many aspects comparable to batteries. They can be charged by any current limited power source and drive any electrical applications.

    Read more (PDF)

  • Application Note ANP090: Keep the Balance – Balancing of Supercapacitors

    Supercapacitors usually operate at low voltages of around 2.7 V. In order to reach higher operating voltages, it is necessary to build a cascade of serial connected SC cells.

    Read more (PDF)

  • Support Note SN009: How to Use Supercapacitors? A Brief Guide to the Design-In Process

    Compared to other capacitor technologies, EDLCs are outstanding for their very high charge storage capacity and very low equivalent series resistance.

    Read more (PDF)

  • Support Note SN012: How does a Supercapacitor age? Lifetime Model of Electric Double Layer Capacitors

    Supercapacitors show a gradual deterioration with time. Two possible approaches can be applied to anticipate the gradual loss of performance: firstly, by simply oversizing the capacitance, secondly, by adjusting the choice of specific operational parameters such as voltage and temperature.

    Read more (PDF)

Videos

  • WE meet @ Digital Days 2021:WE backup your application; hot swappable supercapacitor backup solution

    If the power supply of the application breaks down, this is not a pleasant situation. Würth Elektronik eiSos built up a demonstration, which shows a hot swappable backup. The input voltage is 24V and the backup output voltage is 12 V for a normal industrial power rail application.

    Watch video

  • Würth Elektronik Webinar: Keep the balance – How to balance Supercapacitors

    Supercapacitors usually operate at low voltages of around 2.7 V. In order to reach higher operating voltages, it is necessary to build a cascade of serial connected SC cells.

    Watch video

  • Würth Elektronik Webinar: about the technology of super capacitors & how you get the best out of it

    Super Capacitors, also known as EDLC for Electric Double Layer Capacitor, are energy storage devices that are easy to use and, in many ways, comparable to batteries. However, they offer considerable advantages in terms of charging and discharging on the subject of speed.

    Watch video

  • #askLorandt explains: Supercapacitors and the difference to conventional capacitors and batteries

    Compared to other capacitor technologies, Supercapacitors (EDLCs, Electric Double Layer Capacitor) are outstanding for their very high charge storage capacitance and very low equivalent series resistance (ESR). Their high cycle life, low charging time and their large power output make them the ideal choice for many electric power applications and energy storage Solutions.

    Watch video

  • #askLorandt explains: How to use Supercapacitors in the industrial environment as best as possible

    To use Supercapacitors in an industrial environment, the voltage level need to be increased against the relatively low rated voltage (~ 2.7V) need to. By building a Supercapacitor bank this can be realized. In order to charge this bank and keep the output voltage stable, it needs some certain infrastructure. A possible construction will be shown and explained in this video.

    Watch video

FAQ supercapacitors

Datasheet WCAP-CSRF

For most parts you can find the detailed information about packaging in the datasheet: If you cannot find them, please get in contact with Würth Elektronik. E.g. you can use the chat on the website.

Example: Page 3 of WCAP-CSRF component datasheet.

You can find the certifications in the datasheet, page 2.

In the case of X/Y safety capacitors, certification information can be found in PDF format in the online platform REDEXPERT.

These links are shown at the right end of the table, under the column “Certificates”.

We provide the document with all the values on our homepage.

You can also download the document by searching for “FIT” or “MTBF” in our download center.

This document reveals the FIT (Failures in time) and MTBF (Mean time between failures) values that can be calculated for each series based on the electrical stress (voltage applied in the case of capacitors) and the temperature applied according to calculation models of Telcordia SR-332 Issue 3.

Please refer to the table of contents at the beginning of the document to find the values for capacitors.

Diagram of the service life of EDLCs

The cycle life is tested under ambient conditions. The charge discharge current is 100mA/F. During that test the capacitance change (decrease) is smaller than 30%. The internal resistance shall less than double. The waveform is given in the graph below.

Based on the endurance data the general Arrhenius Law can be used:

 Lx = estimated lifetime

 L0 = specified lifetime

 T0 = upper specified capacitor temperature

 Tx = actual operating temperature of the capacitor cell

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