Capacitor packs provide powerful backup

New 15V ultracapacitor packs and modules provide easy-to-integrate energy storage and power delivery solutions for a wide range of consumer, industrial and transportation applications.

Maxwell Technologies has released 15V Boostcap ultracapacitor packs and modules that provide easy-to-integrate energy storage and power delivery solutions for a wide range of consumer, industrial and transportation applications.

The new packs and modules, each of which incorporates six Boostcap BCAP0350 ultracapacitor cells, give system designers "plug and play" 15V building blocks that can supplement or replace 12V batteries in electronic systems with varying voltage and current requirements.

Boostcap ultracapacitors deliver up to 10 times the power and longevity of batteries, require no maintenance and operate reliably in extreme temperatures.

"Ultracapacitors' burst power capabilities and life-of-the application longevity make them a preferred energy storage and power delivery option for many applications", said Richard Smith, Maxwell's Executive Vice President of Strategic Business Development.

"These packs and modules deliver Maxwell's Boostcap ultracapacitor technology in compact, fully integrated units".

Both the packs and modules incorporate active or passive cell balancing and pack-to-pack or module-to-module balancing.

The packs are enclosed in lightweight shrink-wrap plastic packaging; the modules are enclosed in a rugged aluminium chassis.

"By adopting the industry standard D cell form factor for our 350F BCAP0350, Maxwell was able to reduce cell manufacturing cost by about 50%, and we are passing on those savings to our OEM customers", Smith said.

"The new 15V packs and modules provide those cost savings plus added benefits in the form of safe, reliable, easy-to-integrate, multicell solutions that reduce time to market for our customers".

In transportation applications, ultracapacitors efficiently recapture energy from braking for reuse in the vehicle drive train, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

In mission critical industrial applications, where backup power is critical for continued operation or a soft shutdown in the event of power interruptions, they provide reliable, cost-effective, maintenance-free energy storage.

In wind turbine pitch and braking systems and other industrial applications, they provide a simple, solid state, highly reliable, solution to buffer short-term mismatches between the power available and the power required.

Boostcap ultracapacitors have a 10 year-life capability, deliver more than 500,000 discharge-recharge cycles and are resistant against reverse polarity.

The cylindrical BCAP0350 cells, each rated at 2.5V, are constructed of aluminium, feature a round, double-ended design measuring 61.5 x 33mm (length by outside diameter), similar to EN 60086-2 and EN 60285 sizing, and weigh only 60g.

The 15V Boostcap BCAP0350 packs will be priced at $127, and modules will be priced at $200, in quantities of one to 15 units.

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