ANALYSIS OF THE PROPERTIES OF SUPERCAPACITORS AND POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS FOR THE TECHNOLOGY

The goal of this project is to gain a better understanding of supercapacitors, learn how they behave in circuits and test a possible real-life application. After conducting several tests and collecting data on how supercapacitors charge and discharge, it was devised that a possible application is to use supercapacitors in tandem with batteries to create a hybrid energy storage system. The advantage of this system is that supercapacitors can charge and discharge very rapidly. Also they can be charged over a much larger range of voltage, where as a battery needs a minimum voltage to begin charging. The downside is that supercapacitors are not suitable for long-term energy storage so they rely on the battery for that. The hybrid system should, in theory, create a more efficient means of energy storage for a system that has random fluctuations and variable in the power supply (i.e. some types of wind turbines). A system was constructed using a 12V battery with several 10F capacitors. Voltage was measured across each supercapacitor using data acquisition software as they were charged with a variable hand-crank generator, and as they discharged to charge the battery. A power analyzer was used to monitor the amount of energy going into the battery. Analysis will provide the efficiency of the system and reveal future work that can be done to improve upon the design.